Mended Cup

In one of those shops where they sell normal stuff with no or little historical value, disguised as relics, I used to sit in the remotest corner. Over a dusty table which no one had looked upon for ages, I had my abode. My body, etched and carved with some colors, had worn out and faded along with my memory. But time and again, I heard the shopkeeper describing my rich and ancient history to would be customers. It was susceptible to changes based on the interest of the customer, or may be I forget. My memory was not what it used to be, but you already know that.

It was just another day, I don’t know which. I had stopped keeping count, it didn’t interest me anymore. I heard the faintest tinkle from the bell hanging above the door. Would be business as usual, I thought and turned my gaze away. It was the same routine all over again. The new person in the shop was making way through the narrow shelves and make-believe corridors, while the shopkeeper tried to utilize every opportunity to push something on to the customer. Few minutes would have passed, when this new person crossed my table. She walked so softly, so light on her feet that one would assume she was afraid of hurting the ground beneath her feet.

She had almost passed me when our eyes met. I was a cheap, worthless piece of  junk. But she chose me. The shopkeeper advised against it, he told her that I was shabby and deplorable and she could do much better, for he had so many nicer antiquities to offer. She wasn’t listening. She wasn’t looking at the side visible to a normal observer, she was looking through me, on the other side. The side where the cracks were, and the broken edge was. She saw inside me and found the rift hidden deep under my hollow self, without ever touching me. I could hear whispers. Whispers laughing at her decision, whispers deriding her for the choice, whispers stoical that she didn’t choose them. But she was above all that. Not paying any heed to them, oblivious to what they said, she chose me.

She was an artist, a handy-woman who took pride in her choice and took me home. She placed me in her shelf, higher than all her past glories. I felt a weird sensation. Was it pride or was it gratification? I could not have known, for this was the first I had ever felt it. After all, who prefers a broken cup for tea, let alone placing it among high honors. Time passed, and I grew acquainted to her. She fixed things. She cried for everything broken and prayed for everyone around. All that was worthy of praise got their due, and all that deserved care got some more.

She was in love with the entire universe, yet she was at war with it. She would snatch something from it to give it new life, to mend its broken leg or just to caress it and express the perennial love she had plenty of. Then she would return it back to where it belonged, for she could not bear the pain of moving something indigenous. She took me out one day and ran her hands through my heart, she read my entire story and wept. Her tears were not because she pitied me but because she shared the pain. She brought some gold and filled some of my cracks.

After she was finished with my cracks, I was resting, still healing. She was sitting in her chair, lost in some thoughts. Maybe the irony of fixing everything else while having no one to fix her was getting to her. Or maybe she was indulging in some friendly banter with God. It was hard to imagine, it was hard to fathom, even for breathing mortals . I was just a cup waiting to heal on a shelf. But my scars weren’t scars anymore, they were something which made me more important. I learnt how to carry scars from her.

Months have passed and I have fully healed. Now I smile where broken edges were present before and I shine from the same places where fissures used to run. Sometimes you don’t need a chisel to smooth the edges, she taught me. Sometimes we need to fill those edges with precious things. Making me precious, she doesn’t keep me at a pedestal any more. She made me realize my purpose in life. I have become an instrument of my own desire. She serves tea in me, and I feel fulfilled. But I can’t handle heat very well. The fissures that were present on surface have crept a lot deeper. I am afraid, one day while she would be holding me in her hands, I would break. I am not scared of the tea, I am scared that I might burn her hands.

Nothing is perfect, I agree. Any cup can break, I understand. But sitting on the edge of the shelf, I have a decision to make. Shall I be the reason she burns herself, or shall I let her pick small pieces of me. Pieces so small that she can’t make me again. Maybe she’ll realize that she deserves a better cup. Maybe these are the kind of things she argues to god about.

What is love?

What is love?

This isn’t the post where all you guys go, “Dude, Y u so emo?” and stuff like that.

This is just me being definitive and assessing factors.

When someone puts up one long/big status message on Facebook, you know controversy is in the neighborhood or it has to be attention seeking of some sorts. Well, that is my plan. Was, rather. But, seeing how people find it to be more annoying than useful, I have decided to rekindle my liking for my “dying” blog and save up some time to write this post. Let’s get down to business here, then.

This post speaks of how I view of this “love” from the results of my studies/experiences so far. Time has come for me to conclude on what I feel it is, being pretty sure about how many of you will be able to correlate with my ideals.

Contrary to popular beliefs and solid definitions that love, is an interpersonal emotion, I believe that love is not specific to being interpersonal. If so, why would or how could anyone fall in love with a place, an object or an activity or even the absence of someone or something?

Clearly it is not confined to being interpersonal. What love is, is actually a feeling of feelings. How? Let me tell you.

One feels happy when he or she has achieved success.
One feels sad after the loss of a person.
One feels excited about exploration into new lands.
One feels anger, sympathy, empathy and nervous in different times.
One feels special when treated indifferently (in a good way, obviously).

So, how can one, categorize this “love” in the same set of feelings as the ones listed above, when love, by itself does not have a specified feeling? Even biologically, feelings have definitions.

From what little of neuroscience I know, I say this.

Happiness, for example is triggered by the serotonin hormones. Similarly, sadness or disappointment is caused by the absence or  the lack of serotonin or endorphins. And likewise, ghrelin reduces one’s anxiety levels.

At times, the phenylethamine hormones are mistaken to induce the feeling of love. But tests and studies say that phenylethamine has more to do with trust, as in relationships and we all know that one does not have to love to be in a relationship.

So what do I think love is then? 

Love, as I mentioned earlier, is a feeling of feelings. One can feel a number of feelings when in love. (again, not necessarily interpersonal). Let us, for the sake of simplicity and convenience, consider a specific place that one is in love with. Why would someone be in love with a place, you can’t even kiss it. The answer is simple. One feels a variety of feelings which are entitled to love when in that place. A sense of happiness, a sense of being around people who you share memories and moments with, in that place, maybe grief or excitement, but clearly, not just one feeling. If it was just one feeling, like happiness, then one would just be happy in that place and wouldn’t be in love with it. Yes?

For me, the whole “falling in love with someone is a one time thing” is complete BS. Especially in an era where it is becoming super easy to approach and talk to people, I know most of you would be in accordance with this but let me explain this to someone who would still not comply. If the fact that love is a collective feeling of feelings has been established, why can’t one fall in love again? Or maybe even, fall in love more than once, at the same time? Obviously there will be a relative difference but there’s no saying that it is impossible of sorts. If love is enabled by feelings of happiness, excitement, sympathy, empathy, Lakshmipathy and whatever that goes into this collective feeling at the same time, why can’t two people make you feel all those feelings at the same time? When two places can, why not two different people? Especially when all those feelings are triggered hormone-specifically. Not like you have control of when your glands/cells/tissues secrete them. When there is something that is SUPPOSED to make you feel happy, you feel happy. Of course, there is always the option to publicly deny it. But it does happen. There is no denying it from yourself.

So, when you’re feeling love for someone, you’re actually happy in that person’s presence. You feel the absence of serotonin during that person’s absence, excitement when you reach new heights with that person, phenylethamine when that person is sitting right beside you or sympathy when the other person experiences happiness or grief and most of all, empathy. Don’t know where Lakshmipathy comes into all of this, pretty sure it does though.
So, when one person has the ability to make you feel all of this, why can’t another? I am not saying that every other person around you can make you feel the same but there is no strict probability that there is only one person who can do that. If so, it just shows that you are being very picky with who YOU feel you WANT to feel all those feelings with. There, that is enough proof for my opinion.

Now, let us consider someone who has nothing in life to be happy, excited etc.. about, individually that is. Why do we find those people looking for love with so much desperation? Again, it’s simple, it’s because love offers more than any other feeling does individually. People would rather fall in love with a person or an activity than look for people or things that make them feel happy in specific or excited in specific. This shows the importance of love.

Love is also a sign.

It is a social status. It allows people to interpret as to how well you’re doing and not just mentally.
Not being loved or not having someone/something to be in love with as again, a collective feeling. We observe that there is lack of happiness, reduction in excitement, the less you start feeling. Allowing yourself to love more will only keep you happy more; And that is primarily what people want, to be happy. Although, being happy also has a lot of factors, it is a singular feeling.

I do not know how to conclude this post and ending it with the above statement would make it too abrupt and I would of course, blame my amateurism in writing for that but I would like to say that society is moving more towards greed and I feel love would help collective growth more. Love more!

There, I said it.

Oh and I would love to listen to your opinions as well, arguments and debates are always productive in terms of learning. :) 

Familiarity and Contempt

”Familiarity breeds contempt ” is a saying which always fascinated me. It sounded so meaningful whenever you have had a "stab in the back" experience. We meet so many people, get connected to so many, become friendly with a few and with some, it seems like lifelong bonding.

We have family members, friends, close friends, relatives, distant relatives, acquaintances, neighbors, all coming under different groups and each with its own level of bonding. What is it that really happens when we meet someone? Some we like instantly, some we find very withdrawn and reserved, with some we share good vibes which promise to develop into a more meaningful relationship and, finally, with some there is a strong sense of commitment and sincere bonding. In any relationship, be it with friends, relatives or close family members, we all look for comfort zones and freedom of expression. Any person, who deals with you in a warm and caring fashion, becomes your friend - a friend is someone, whom you feel, is like you in many ways or likes you enough to give you a feeling of comfort and security. The friendship then blooms because there is a lot of freedom, and, the need to share, care and express keeps both connected.

Relatives too can be your good friends and family members too can be your good friends. Any person in this world, who gives you a secure feeling, can become your friend. Since all of us are in this world to live a life of comfort and to be happy, our first priority in life is to see how to achieve these comforts. Each one is out to perform their duties well, and achieve happiness and success in whatever they do. When you deal with all the struggles that accompany you in fulfilling your wishes, you come across so many people who are a part of your life in helping you to move towards your goals.

For a child, it is the parents, teachers, classmates who help them through their journey. For a teenager, it is his or her friends, lecturers and family members, who give support to help realize his or her goals. At work, it is the boss and colleagues, who help you through your professional expectations. At home, it is the spouse and kids who give you support and are also the reasons for you to strive and achieve your goals, of providing comfort and happiness for yourself and those around you.

At each level and in every phase of life, one finds people who act as the foundation, the pillars and also the roof and with whose presence, support, help, and guidance you move forward in the journey of life. Every person you deal with is so different, in so many ways from each other. One finds oneself adjusting, accommodating and conditioning oneself to suit the different outlooks, temperament, attitude, behavior, core values and principles that each person carries with themselves when he or she interacts with us.

One is always on guard with strangers, acquaintances and all of those, whom we know, but don’t know too well. Being vigilant helps you to connect well, without being misunderstood and without causing any disturbance in the interactions. It helps you to talk well, choosing the right words to convey and communicate, and because you are careful with your manners and speech, there are not many reasons to develop grudges and grievances.There is no reason to take anybody for granted and when you treat others well with respect and care, you too most probably will be treated the same way, leaving both parties satisfied with the atmosphere they have created for each other. There are a lot of formalities to be adhered to in such relationships which keep it safe from any controversy.

When there is formality involved, there are fewer chances of you becoming too familiar with each other. There are fewer chances of getting hurt, fewer reasons to accuse and blame because you are dealing with each other in a professionally respectful manner. It is only when you deal with friends, close friends, and close family members, that one allows familiarity to creep in because these are relationships which give us the maximum freedom to be ourselves. You need to feel free to express, act and behave the way you are and the way you want to be. You don’t want to feel wary, you don’t want to feel scared and worried to express and act freely.

You want to be yourself, in this group of familiar people. It helps you unwind and feel secure in such company. The comfort zone that only family and close friends can provide is what keeps one happy, safe and secure in the knowledge that these are people who will be with me always, despite any ups and downs in life. These are the people I can count on, under any circumstance, because we understand, appreciate and enjoy the freedom, love, care, warmth, and security that we give to each other and here we can quote a few other meaningful adages, ”A friend in need is a friend indeed ”, ” Birds of the same feather, flock together ”, "United we stand, divided we fall” etc., which adds its own meanings to emphasize this close knit group that every person needs in all the phases of his or her life.

Each one of us, long to belong to a group of family and friends where we are cherished, loved and cared for - for what we are, where every defect, every wrong action is overlooked, corrected or accepted without being punished, and where we feel free, unpretentious, comfortable and secure to do, to speak, to express, to demand and feel wanted.This is the group which keeps you grounded, supports and guides you to go about your daily duties, helps you to struggle, guides you to achieve and protects and comforts you when you feel weak and face failure. So far so good. One should be fortunate to belong to such a group of people. Here comes the twist of human frailty. When you become too familiar with anyone, it is natural to lean on, depend and have a lot of expectations from them. And because YOU have been YOURSELF, never pretended and have completely exposed your true nature with all it positive strengths and weaknesses, the group knows you inside out and that may leave you vulnerable, especially in situations where you need to seek a lot of support and understanding from them. There is a lot of familiarity that has crept into the relationship or friendship which gives you the freedom to openly say and ask, and if the person you are dealing with is not in the frame of mind to agree and accept your demands or expressions, then differences start appearing. Moreover, your positive traits and achievements may be making others insecure from within. A man is after all competitive by nature, and is likely to feel jealous and threatened by anyone who is in a superior position either because of his wealth, physical appearance, success or winning attitude. However close one is, to another person, there is always space for competition and this is the most integral truth of human nature.

No human is consistent in his reactions in every situation. In different situations, under different circumstances, everyone thinks, acts and reacts differently and this becomes the sole reason for discord between two individuals.You know each other too well, but the changing scenario and one’s own individual opinion on a subject may cause a divide. What you say or do may not be to their liking, and there may be arguments and controversial statements spoken which leave you hurt and humiliated. When there is a lot of familiarity, there is a lot of openness and that backfires because there are then more reasons to hurt each other. You take one another for granted and blurt out whatever comes to mind. It's good, to be honest with each other, but honesty in trying periods can hurt badly. When you know each other too well, you may not be too happy with the particular habits and characteristics of one another, and these preconceived notions lead to a war of words which, in turn, leads to contemptuous expressions about each other.

So familiarity does make one feel secure, but one can never be sure if the other person feels secure too. He or she may be feeling insecure about your positive and bright qualities, and this insecurity leads to a lot of difference of opinions. This sense of insecurity, over a period of time, leaves them disgusted with your achievements, attitude, life style. There is a secret war raging within, which is never spoken aloud and when in tough situations, you get exposed to all that has been around you, invisible and dormant. When you are down and low and in need, they expose their real face to you and then there is double trouble, confronting with helplessness the reality of the whimsical shallowness that was so far hidden from you.

Lonely?

It took me more than 2 years, a great amount of desolation and a magnificent library to inspire me back to my writing ways.

My best friend is working, and it keeps the person busy most of the times. All my good friends are into their internships too or have something or the other which keeps them occupied. Ouch. So, for me, dealing with loneliness is a big (and ongoing) part of my life, and it has taken me a few months, and I am still trying to figure out how to deal with feeling alone.

I remember when I was in the middle of moving into a new job and city, and I hit some pretty low points during that period. I was stressed, physically exhausted, mugged, and pushed to my emotional limit. At one point, I had a full meltdown on my kitchen floor because I couldn't get the cooker to work, and I sat there, drenched in water, bawling my eyes out, feeling completely alone. Obviously, you don't have to not have a girlfriend to feel lonely at times, but these are the ways I've tried to keep my chin up and face feeling lonely head-on.

I have to admit that working on my master's degree during the Fall of 2016 was actually one of the best things for me. I was honestly too busy to be sad or lonely; I just didn't have the time! I don't know if this idea is a way to completely avoid or try to stuff your emotions deep down (that's not emotionally healthy either), but when you are involved in things that you enjoy and challenge you, your focus shifts from negative thoughts to positive ones. Set a goal or make a challenge for yourself to fulfill. You could spend more time on your academics, train to keep your body fit, learn to cook, read books, volunteer, or even start blogging. Trying to combat loneliness is one reason that I started this blog in the first place.

Unfortunately, I don't have the physical support of my family in this country to lean on when the most important person in your life is not there, but I am blessed to have lots of great friends that I know I can count on if I'm feeling a little down. But as tempting as it can be to make a call and hang out with someone anytime I feel a bit blue, I don't want to be totally dependent on my friends to cure my loneliness every time I feel alone - that's ultimately my job to deal with those feelings, not just their job. And yes, sometimes being with people you love lifts your spirit like nothing else can, but don't make your friends and family to be the only cure for your blues every time. What if they are busy or unavailable? They have their own lives and struggles to deal with sometimes, and it can put a lot of pressure on others if they feel that they are your sole source of strength. So make your loved ones an important part of your support network, but not the only part.

Watch out for bad habits. This one can be a big deal depending on what your bad habit is. It's possible that your bad habit may be a genuinely unhealthy action that's brought out when you feel upset or stressed, but most of the time it's a normal thing that gets taken to the extreme when you feel down (like eating tons of junk food when you feel upset). While I'm also totally guilty when it comes to lonely sessions of Blaze Pizza and Insomnia cookie eating, my personal bad habit is going traveling everywhere and spending more than I normally would just because I feel lonely (and also because I just love traveling). Most people can pinpoint their bad habits pretty quickly, so just make sure to keep an eye on that negative coping skill to keep the activities you enjoy at a healthy level.

Let's face it: As great as texting is, it's not always quite the same as speaking over a phone, which is not the same as being with another human being (especially if you are missing a specific human being). Even with my work and goals, friends and family, and hikes and travels, I still feel lonely at times when that one special person is not there. But you know what? That's okay! Loneliness creeps in when we want to feel connected to others (but don't at that moment), and without our internet and social-media-based culture, it can be an especially uncomfortable feeling to realize you're disconnected. But that feeling doesn't have to be a negative if you can take it as a time to breathe and reconnect with yourself. Being an introvert, I draw my strength from times of being quiet and alone, and I can use that alone time to unpack my worries and breathe a bit. And if you feel really bummed and just can't move past the feeling, it's okay to let that out too! Sometimes I just need to allow myself to feel sad for a moment, have a good cry to release the emotional build-up, and then wipe my eyes and move onto something I enjoy.

Overall, loneliness is something I have dealt with a lot, over the past couple of months, especially. Learning how to deal with those feelings when they come up can really improve your overall quality of life and keep you on a positive path. What are your tips for dealing with loneliness? Let me know.

Infosys Mysore

Well friends, for a long time... I was searching for some topic to re-invigorate my blog after a long dead period. Not surprisingly though I am writing this today on 5th of May 2015 - exactly a year after what was the platinum period of my life. Yes... that period is my Infosys life, and more importantly my Mysore life... in that so-called heaven "Infosys Mysore Campus."

ABOUT 367 DAYS BACK...

May 2 2014:

My nerves were jangling. My heart was racing. Tears welled up in my eyes. It was a sleepless night. I had just returned that morning from Vishakapatnam after a quick tour at my home town. Just wanted to meet everybody before I started working. A trip that was supposed to be super long but was cut short because a bomb of a mail landed on 9th of April confirming my offer of employment at Infosys. I was excited yes, but far too worried for two main reasons:
1. I was scared about what the training would offer as I sucked at CS related subjects and
2. This was the first time I was going to stay away from my parents.
Add to it the fact that we couldn't carry our laptops inside the campus. I really didn't know what I would be doing there without my laptop. With a heavy heart I finally packed my luggage and was ready for the sojourn - only physically.

May 3 2014:

It was a long day. Advises from near and dear, wishes pouring in, emotional dialogues, impending disasters and an unclear mind. One of those days where I just wanted to be alone. "Forget everything that's happening, close your eyes and sleep," my mom said. "Impossible," I told myself. The clock was ticking. The time had come to start my journey to Mysore. None of my close friends from the college were accompanying me. It felt strange. It was time for a new life. Me along with my parents and brother reached the Chennai Central Railway Station. I was more than delighted to see Naveen, Richard and Venkatesh at the station. My college mates. Naveen was coming with me to Mysore. Richard and Venkatesh had come to see him off. We talked, exchanged greetings and then boarded the train. As the train left Chennai station, my mind started wandering to far off places. I knew it was going to be a sleepless night.

May 4 2014:

I opened my eyes only to see that Kaveri Express had already reached Mysore Junction. At the station I was joined by one more friend from the college: Harikrishnan from EEE department. Hari left immediately to the campus as his reporting time was much earlier than mine. Meanwhile me and my family along with Naveen and his mom checked-in to Hotel Chandra Palace near the railway station. We freshened up quickly, completed the daily rituals and trotted along to the bus stop with our big trunks. It was time to go.

Bus #119 brought us to the much famed Mysore Campus of Infosys. From the outside it didn't look anything extraordinary but as soon as I stepped inside the campus, I fell in love with it. I was finally there. It was the beginning point of my new life. My heart was filled with numerous thoughts and emotions. On our arrival at around 11 AM, they took us to the registration desk where our names were verified and were given a temporary ID card - pink in color. Meanwhile I found some more familiar faces in Kowshik and Sibi, also from my college who joined me and Naveen and together we were in hot pursuit. Then we were taken to the biggest building of Mysore campus - GEC 2. It resembled our parliament building and from that day onwards we started calling it the parliament.

GEC 2

First time in my life I was seeing such a beautiful building in reality. It has the capacity of accommodating more than 5000 students at one time. Right in front of this building is a musical fountain which operates in the weekends' evenings.

Musical Fountain

The building incorporates around 70 to 80 classrooms and a huge library. All the classrooms are equipped with PCs, projectors, white boards, mikes and speakers.

GEC Classroom

 The dome shape on the top of the building is the board room. The first time we walked into this building we felt like we were in Hogwarts. The experience was surreal. It was a pleasure to study in this building. After the allocation of ID cards, we were allotted hostels. All the boys hostels have single occupancy rooms and I was allotted room no. 16 in ECC 83.  Aha! the rooms were simply awesome. You live like a king there. Housekeeping is done everyday. So you need not worry about anything. Felt like I was living in a 5 star hotel.

Hostel Room

After feeling like I have won a million dollars in treasure hunt, I decided to go back to the entrance where my parents were waiting. After 1.5 hrs of getting lost in the humongous campus, I found them at Fiesta Food Court. Waving them goodbye with little sorrow and heart filled up with enthusiasm and new energy I started going back to my hostel. On the way back I was just amazed by the look and feel of the campus. Having been too tired to walk, I picked up a blue color ladybird cycle and started cycling around the campus.

It was looking like some group of great architectures of Rome or U.S or some other foreign country... having pure exotic flavour. I was seeing the picturesque views of the campus... the giant and beautiful glass buildings... none of which were made like the regular cube shaped buildings... each building was having a different style... these were some of the things that we were crawling like crazies... It seemed like we entered a different world altogether.
Well, in the evening, the awesome food in those giant food courts, and that giant structure of the dome (multiplex) were the things that provided elation to mind and soul.

The Multiplex

Well, from the next day onwards, we had to attend the induction program. The first night on that awesomely creepy bed is still one of the best nights of my life. I had never seen such erotic and beautiful dreams in my whole life as that night. Well, I was just thanking god from the core of my heart to let me enjoy this level of living about which I had never even dreamt of. Anyways night passed, sun appeared, the little sunlight from that glass wall passing through two layers of curtains just struck my face and it was time to wake up.

MAY 5 2014:

After a warm-shower, got ready just in time and at sharp 8:30, we (myself, Naveen, Sibi, Kowshik, Ajay, Azeez and Vignesh) were outside Multiplex standing in the queue containing fresh engineers waiting for the induction program. 

Waiting for Induction Program

Well, waiting there in the hot sun for around 1 hour from the scheduled time, I realized I'm still on earth in a country called India... 

Well, even after entering in that giant multiplex after severe checking of your dress-code, we were just seated in that hall with no one attending us for around 2 hrs., I guess that was because we were the pilot batch of that session. For that whole time, the “Infy song” was continuously played to increase our torture or we can say ‘to increase the capacity of ‘how much we can take’. Well, for first 15 minutes, I liked the song, but after I spent the next two hours listening to that song and practically doing nothing else, I learnt a lesson…i.e. no matter how much u like a song , when u are compelled to continuously listen to that song for 2-3 hrs, that becomes a very peculiar form of mental torture termed as ”Infy Induction”.
Anyways  the same sort of story was repeated for the next 5 days primarily aimed at telling us about the etiquettes in Infy campus and especially ASHI. Well, this "thing" is not so voluptuous as it sounds, as it stands for "Anti Sexual Harassment Inititative" by Infy.

Induction Hall

Nevertheless, the actual training activity of Infosys started from next week which is so-called very high level and difficult to undergo and all that…..There were 10 people from our college and 2 of us were put into each section: Azeez/Hari in one, Vinod/Ajay in two, Me/Kowshik in three, Naveen/Vignesh in four and Sibi/Afreen in five. I hadn't talked much to Kowshik previously even though he was from my college. But when he came and sat beside me in the first row, I was the happiest person on earth. Beyond any doubt, he is my best friend today. Thanks to a play we enacted as a part of L&D session on the first day, he popularly came to be known as Father of the Nouns.

Well, the thing about training is that which makes it so special is it’s properly structured, performed by highly trained faculties, done in highly sophisticated facilities and heavily competitive environment failing which a student has to undergo the same exams and training again and again. Moreover, the passing percentage for each of the exams is 65, the figure at which most universities in India award a first division. And, this is the bare minimum passing percentage. If you have to live a respectable life there and avoid repeating the similar courses again, you have to score at least 85 p.c in each subject. Well, no offence, but If I’d have scored this much p.c. in my college even once, I’d have topped and would have got a pretty good company to work with. Well, the irony is that then I couldn't have enjoyed this Infosys campus of mysore: the heaven of heavens.


But is it that simple??? Let me explain you the lesser-bright side of it. The weekdays are like the life of the local train users in Chennai, you just get up early, get ready, get to the food-court fast because if you are going at the peak time, there will be a long queue at every counter and also you won’t get the cycles to reach there in time. I don't know at what time other people used to leave from hostels, but for a 9 A.M. class, even when I left the hostel at 7:30, all one thousand cycles (placed in the parking of each hostel) were gone. Well, I don’t think, I ever enjoyed the pleasure of reaching the classroom in cycle in the morning after the first two weeks. And, if you are lucky enough to get a bicycle even after 8 A.M., let me suggest you, immediately go and invest in the MCX market all you have got and you will become a billionaire overnight for sure. 


Well, you have to rush, reach food-court fast, eat fast, and get to the classroom even faster if you are short of time. While going to the classroom, you see thousands of engineers walking in front of you, all of them in the same direction, and same pace (unless they have exam that day), same footpath, none of them on the road. Well, the pace of the herd (yeah, I mean it) varies according to time. If the time remaining is less, the walking speed is more than the normal running speed of a normal person. Depending upon the speed, I bet I can tell the exact time up to the precision of a minute if not seconds.


Well, after reaching in the classroom building (GEC-1 or GEC-2), you have to swipe-in and finally reach the class “BEFORE” 9 A.M…because even if you get into the classroom at precisely 9 A.M., you are at the mercy of the trainer whether you are going to earn that day’s salary or not. Well, for this particular salary-loss thing, there are other sophisticated ways also, like you can accidentally miss a swipe, or make a wrong swipe, you can miss one attendance etc etc. If you are caught playing counter strike or any game or even listening songs with headphone…..beware….u could be fined heavily. Anyways, you get into the class, give your attendance, learn your stuff till noon, go out for the lunch, again stand in those mile-long queues, get your food, get back to class, complete the practical exercises by the end of the day. If you want to save something, you have the luxury of storing it in your huge “10 MB” capacity mandrake, because every other place in the hard-drive gets formatted every day.

This routine is the normal routine of a CS-IT guy who manages to get home by 6:30 to 7 P.M.. Now, if you are a non- CS-IT guy….may your soul rest in peace…I had some friends from non CS-IT, poor guys, some of them just used to go out from room in the mornings at  6:30 A.m to their classrooms., used to return around 9-10 PM..sometimes didn't return at all..doing night outs in night labs. Most of them used to go to GEC on weekends also. All this labor was done just to get passing marks and still, very few of them succeeded to clear all the modules in their first attempt. Well, I can say for sure, if there is a non CS-IT guy who has completed training from Infy, there is nothing in this world that he/she can’t do, nothing else in life they will find difficult or tedious or obviously laborious.

Swimming Pool

Badminton

Well, the thing is that training life in Mysore is something that could be called as the best of your life that you can ever have. You get the opportunity to have a life that is challenging….aka “Toofani” and those weekends that you ‘earn’ after striving hard for those 5 crucial days every week, you gotta enjoy them…every week, 2 hours before each of the 6 shows of movie, you get the pride of standing in a well organized, punctual long queue (containing around 1500-2000 engineers: perhaps the longest queue in the world for engineers….i don’t know why infy hasn’t claimed for Guinness record yet). In the morning you just get up, wearing trousers and t-shirt and a small bag may be having TT bat or swim suit( which I used to have) and u just get out…don’t know what you will do today as there are hell a lot of choices like to play every sport you can know of, and any leisure activity you can think of like, watching movie, food, swimming pool ,guitar classes, TT, lawn-tennis, badminton, pool, bowling etc. etc. etc…….


I don’t know how many changes training has brought to me technically, but socially, Infy at least made us learn a couple of things …the first of it is to become a good citizen of India. Some times I feel every politician in India, before entering into politics, should have a 4 month training here so that they learn to honestly follow the rules . In Infy, the way management team performs the management of these 25k people, the country can learn from it. Regarding everything, there are clearly defined rules, and for every rule, there are clearly defined people who hold responsibility to make sure those rules are followed. E.g. people use cycle to commute themselves from one place to another within the campus. Well, there are speed limit boards that are placed every 50 mts. And if you are exceeding the speed beyond that limit (usually, that limit is 10 kmph), the guards are there to put an obstacle with their clear signals in your leisurely ride that u are having. One thing is really special about Infy. Even if there is some place where oxygen or light or any earthly possible thing can’t reach, I can bet on all my salary that the security guards will be there. Guards are omnipresent there, I know it’s difficult to hide yourself from GOD…but if you’re able to find a place where you miss the sight of all the guards of the campus, well…you’re more surreptitious than “Batman in stealth mode”. 

DJ Night

Amongst all these we finally completed our generic training which had Java, DBMS, HTML and SE as the 4 main focus areas. Me, Kowshik, Hari and Azeez got through generic in the first attempt. My other friends decided to spend some more time in Mysore. Generic training would have been so boring if not for some of my lovely classmates like Kowshik, Shilpa, Sashi, Lavanya, Praveen, Shweta, Nikhilesh, Kiran, Shriram, Akshay and Kashyap. I would like to thank all of you for being a part of my journey.

Generic Class

 Now it was time for stream allocation and again we were all tensed. We had got used to being around some people now and we didn't want to get separated again. Meanwhile friendships were becoming stronger, the hesitancy among people more weaker and the enjoyment at Mysore higher and higher. Time at mysore just flew by and one of the main reasons for that was my gang of friends. We called ourselves the happy holics and had Kowshik, Ajay, Azeez, Vignesh, Naveen, Sibi, Koushika, Keerthana, Swati, Shilpa, Lavanya, Praveen and Sashi in the lineup. The awesome moments I had with these people and the noise we used to make as a group was just unbelievable. Some of our favorite moments used to be "kalaichifying" Kowshik with Bindu and his other girl fans, teasing Naveen with Neena and many more. I also remember when some 15-16 of us went to the VIP movie. We had a great time!

VIP movie tickets

Coming back to the stream formation... so the people who cleared generic in first attempt got nailed first and then subsequently others. It so happened that me, Kowshik and Azeez ended up together in the MS stream. This is where we really took off as friends. Important to mention here that after a few days in stream, I met this girl Vishaka (the scene podadha seriya girl) through Kowshik and at that time I never thought that we would become such great friends. In one of the eventful evenings, Azeez gave us a treat in Floating Restaurant because he was leaving to US for higher studies. It was another memorable evening.

Floating Restaurant

After Azeez left me, Kowshik and Vishaka - the three of us had the time of our lives. There's nothing we didn't do - studying, playing, pranks, parties - you name it and we did it. I am so lucky to have both of them in my life today. One of the best things that has happened to me in this one year is you two.

3 Idiots

While we were 3 in our class, once we stepped out we became 5. Koushika and Keerthana from the May 12 batch were also part of this gang. Who can forget the late night talks we used to have near oasis, the fun we used to have, teasing each other. One particular incident that I fondly remember is when Vishal Sikka came to mysore. After his speech, we were very hungry. We roamed like nomads around 4 or 5 FCs but couldn't get any food. And even the  Dominos in Vista was closed by the time we reached there. Thanks to Shriram, he was generous enough to share his pizzas with us. As the days went by the friendship between the 5 of us grew stronger and stronger. The only people whom I have today, whom I can completely trust are these 4 idiots only.

The Gang

Apart from the training here at the Mysore campus, Mysore as such was a great tourist destination. During my stay at Mysore I had the privilege to visit many places like Shrirangapatna, ranganathittu bird sanctuary, sravanabelagola, somnathpura, sivasamudra falls and BR Hills to name a few apart from the local sightseeing places we have at Mysore. Coorg and Ooty are also very near but having seen those places earlier, I did not visit them again.

During one of our outings

Watching a movie in the multiplex is something you cannot afford to miss if you're at mysore campus. Even though the multiplex remained closed during 90% of my training duration, I managed to watch amazing spiderman, x men, malificent, heropanti and singham 2 there. And not to forget the movies like VIP, entertainment, kochadiyaan, bobby jasoos, jigarthanda, ek villian and transformers which I watched at Habitat Mall and Mall of Mysore.

If it was the day before exam entire class used to stick to their systems and learn as much as possible in the last minutes. Preparing templates for hands-on exam and the only moment that took away our breaths was the screen “Your Score is being calculated” , people really would peep to the monitor as soon as the screen appears.

Walking in the campus at 11:00PM from GEC to our Hostel Room’s was a wonderful experience I ever had. The nature was calm, cool and so silent, cool breeze passing by, and listening to melodious music used to really take away all the stress I had since morning. The silent talk with the nature was so soothing for me those days and I used to love spending time in going round the campus and one single blog won’t be enough to describe the natural beauty of Mysore Campus.

Finally amongst all these stuff the stream training also came to an end. In the last FA we had a wonderful team in Me, Kowshik, Nausheen and Srimanti to complete a successful project of InEssence Bank and we were one of those rare specimens who cleared the entire infy training in the first go itself. Of course, in between we had our postings which were not as we expected. Kowshik and Vishaka got posted to mysore, Keerthana is in mangalore while me and koushika are in trivandrum. We all waned chennai but none of us got it. 

Last Day

MAY 5 2015:

As I type these words today, a lot has changed in my life in this one year. The journey which started in Mysore is continuing now in Trivandrum. I don't like this place but once again I've been lucky enough to have great friends in the form of Koushika, Disney, Akshay, Sandeep, Jasobanta, Debdutta, Sangita, Pratisruti, Nishi and Ankita with me all the time. They make my life here easy. But all through this one year, the only thing we will never forget is the time we had in mysore. However hectic the training might have been, those were the days we really enjoyed. We miss those group chats, we miss those GEC classrooms, we miss the aroma of arena, we miss the DJ nights, we miss those swimming pools and steam baths, we miss those late night walks, we miss the movies at multiplex, we miss those birthday parties but most importantly we miss our friends. I have learnt a lot from mysore... both personally and professionally. If you are smiling after reading through this entire huge heck of a post, I'm sure you also miss mysore as much as me. This is just one story that I have. There are people who have a lot more to tell, more interesting tales to tell. That's why mysore is unforgettable. When I look back at my life after 10 years from now, I may not be in Infy but Infy especially mysore will never be out of me. Thanks to all my friends who were part of my memorable experiences of training at Mysore. To the MAY14LC1 batch, happy anniversary! :)

#660646

Why your luck is in your hands

DISCLAIMER : Saying your luck is in your hands in no way means that the stuff below is about Astrology. Astrology is bullshit and the author of this post always stays away from it.

I am a great believer in luck, and I find that the harder I work, the more I have of it. – Thomas Jefferson, 3rd President of the USA

How great would it be if every day were a lucky day for us? How amazing life would become if every moment we live is constantly under the spell of fortune? If only we had ‘lucky’ written all over our faces, would it have been possible to do things we had always wanted, when we wanted.

But the sad part is, stuff like that is not possible. Right?

Wrong.

Then why is it that some people get what they want without much of effort while others, despite relentless toiling and twisting for years, still end up having something which they don’t like? Is it luck that governs their lives? Is it that serendipities play a vital role in our lives? And do they alone dictate our destinies?

Let me explain this with something I had come across recently.

A study conducted by University College London revealed why and how we are the creators of our own luck. The project asked several people to submit their stories of fortune and success and then scrutinized the stories which had boiled down to two findings.

None of the people had engineered the fortunes that had come their way. And all of them had two things in common. One was that they could interpret and identify the opportunities that crossed their paths, and two, they had made use of their minds to bag those opportunities at the right time. These opportunities, which seemed to present themselves out of thin air without any apparent rhyme or reason, had resulted in more good events which made the people think they had become ‘lucky’.

Of course, those people had become lucky. Only that they chose to become so. They made choices and took decisions to grab the opportunities, as a result of which much more good things had materialized.

 ‘Making’ choices and ‘taking’ decisions are actions. And by taking action, these people had turned out to become the creators of their luck, and the masters of their destiny.

The same applies to you, me and any other individual under the sun with flesh and bone. Our luck, mostly, lies in our own hands.

Numerous opportunities, I repeat, numerous opportunities present themselves daily. Some are trifling that we take no notice of them. And some are big, but a mind bogged down with negativity and despondence cannot recognize them. An open and positive mind, on the other hand, has the ability to identify opportunities that are concealed even in the thickens of monotony.

The reason why some people around call you lucky for your success is because they cannot digest the fact that you are successful, and are more inclined towards bringing you down by belittling your efforts using the term ‘lucky’. Praising you for your efforts is an alien habit to them. They are just too unbelievably amazed with the enormity of your achievements, that they tend to see you through the envious eye.

And such people constantly mouthing about luck is nothing but a deliberate attempt to cover up their laziness and justify their failures. Phrases like ‘You just got lucky’ or ‘Bad luck is just hovering above my head’ or ‘My time is bad’ seldom fail to eject from their lips. Pointless criticism and futile justification of their setbacks seem to be the cornerstones of their life and living.

So to say, the concept of luck has only negligible value in any format of success. And if one can muster his grit and discipline, he can change, or rather create his own version of luck.

Yes. Your luck is in your own hands.

THE MELLIFLUOUS MUSIC OF KOHLI’S BATTING

Inimitably unique off the field, India’s batting leader brings calm and classicism that warms connoisseurs hearts to the centre  - Virat Kohli has been one of the more consistent batsmen in recent times.
Moments after he lost his shape, and his wicket, in the Super 10 match against the West Indies on Sunday (March 23), Virat Kohli threw his head back, a look of equal parts disgust, disappointment and no little anger clouding his face. In an attempt to up the rate of scoring, Kohli had essayed the most un-Kohli-like hoick off Andre Russell. The lack of balance told; all he managed was to divert the ball on to his stumps, the red flashes from the disturbed stumps and the dislodged bails telling him that it was time to wend his way back to the hutch.


By then, Kohli had galloped to 54 and India had closed to within 23 runs of a second consecutive victory. Against that backdrop, the reaction might have appeared a touch extreme. The reaction, though, was encouraging from the point of view of the Indian team and its fans. Virat Kohli isn’t an easy man to please, the standards he sets for himself are remarkably high, and he doesn’t enjoy giving his wicket away, no matter the circumstances or the compulsions.

India has been reasonably untroubled thus far in its march at the ICC World Twenty20 2014. It owes its status as the leader of Group 2 to the bowlers, who have been pleasantly effective in restricting Pakistan and West Indies to 130 for 7 and 129 for 7 respectively in  two matches thus far at the Sher-e-Bangla Stadium. These are totals that, more often than not, get chased down with some degree of comfort in Twenty20 cricket, unless the pitch is so diabolically loaded in favour of the slower bowlers that even survival becomes difficult, forget about boundary-striking or rotation of the strike.

Conditions at the Sher-e-Bangla have been far from diabolical. Admittedly, there is more for the bowlers, of the spinning sort in particular, in the night games, but batting second under lights hasn’t appeared all that demanding. Then again, that could be because of Kohli. Only time will tell.

Kohli, of course, has made it a habit of stamping his authority across almost every cricket ground in the world. From the time he showed that he belonged at the highest level with a sparkling century against Australia in the Adelaide Test in January 2012, he has been an unstoppable force, gathering momentum with every passing outing and today establishing himself among the top batsmen in all three formats of the game. There aren’t too many who can claim to be in that elite group. His consistency across Tests, 50-over and T20 cricket is something that can only be marvelled at. At 25, Kohli has already ensured that most of the adjectives have been exhausted. The greater part of his career, perhaps even his best years, lies ahead of him. Just to think what he can go on to achieve should he continue to build on the gains of his first half-dozen seasons in international boggles the mind, truly.

There are some who might crumble under the weight of being the kingpin of the batting unit so early in their careers. They can allow the pressure of being expected to hold up the innings, to lend it direction and substance, reassurance and rudder, time after time, to get to them. And then there is, like Sachin Tendulkar before him, Kohli, who positively thrives on being the one everyone looks up to.

Lest it should be so construed, this is no attempt to compare Kohli with Tendulkar. The glorious past of Indian, indeed world, cricket has slipped into history; the exciting present, which holds the promise of a spectacular future, is a star in his own right, a batsman in the classical mould who has used his strong basics and an intelligent mind to court success in even the abridged versions without compromising on the orthodoxy that makes him so easy on the eye. Kolhi is his own man, a man after his own heart, an entertainer and a performer, and a showman when he so desires.

But don’t be taken in by the earring and the tattoos. Those are fashion statements much in vogue these days, even in Indian cricket which has tended over the years to place its faith in the ‘good boys’, the conformists rather than the trend-setters. It’s a sign of the changing times that today, the poster boy of Indian cricket is a wonderfully balanced amalgam of the conventional when it comes to the game itself and the inimitably unique when it comes to life off the field.

That he has managed to compartmentalise so effortlessly, to channel his energies toward cricket when it is time to do so and yet have the confidence and the courage to be himself when he is not involved with the game is one of Kohli’s great strengths and gifts. He is unafraid of being spoken about. His private life can seldom remain private because, after all, he is a celebrity and therefore, we all believe, has no access to something as ‘mundane’ as a private life. But if he is affected by the full relentless, omniscient eye of public glare, then he is also a very fine actor to go with being a very fine batsman, because there is no outward evidence of that.

Bangladesh has been fortunate to have witnessed Kohli at his majestic best from close quarters. The Sher-e-Bangla has been a particularly favourite hunting ground. In 11 ODIs, he has made an astonishing 737 runs at 105.28. There have been four hundreds and three fifties in 10 innings, including a truly breathtaking 183 off 148 deliveries that allowed India to scale down Pakistan’s 329 with ridiculous ease some 24 months back, in the Asia Cup.

Already in this World T20, Kohli has scores of 36 not out and 54 in modest run-chases that can sometimes turn out to be tricky. When he has walked out at first wicket down – be it at 54 against Pakistan or on 1 in the first over against the West Indies – he has brought with him a sense of calmness and purpose. To watch him at work is a joyous experience that warms the cockles of the connoisseur. The surety of feet movement, the closeness of the bat to the body, the dexterity of the wrists, the fluency with which he drives through the on-side with an admixture of those wrists and the bottom hand, the way he gets low to drive through the covers – each act is poetry in motion.

Kohli has the steel and the substance too to go with the style. India’s captain in waiting must wait awhile, because Mahendra Singh Dhoni isn’t finished yet, but he sure can help his captain carve out another slice of history. For that, his bat must continue to produce the most mellifluous music for the next 12 days or so, at the very least.

CRICKET'S GREATEST PLAYER, EXITS THE STAGE

The fact that everyone knew it would come soon makes it no less agonizing when it arrives; Like a close family member suffering from a terminal disease you know the end is near but there are still tears when the end comes.

For India's greatest cricketer, the end had come at the conclusion of the second test of the series against the West Indies. Sachin Tendulkar had played his 200th and last Test in a career that spanned 24 glorious years, in which he has broken batting records aplenty and inspired millions of his countrymen.

But while the dejection at his impending departure can scarcely be stifled, the more appropriate feeling, though this may seem counterintuitive, should be that of appreciation. Every age throws up its champions; names like Brian Lara, Sourav Ganguly, Glenn McGrath, Ricky Ponting, Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman, Shane Warne and Dale Steyn, among others, will be with us as long as the great game lasts. Tendulkar has been one of the very best of his time and we are fortunate to have observed such a master as he engaged in the business of making runs.

The world first took notice of Tendulkar as a 16-year-old wunderkind who was destined for greatness. At an age when most of us were grappling with the trials of approaching adulthood, he was playing test cricket for his country, sharing the game's biggest stage with men who were already legends.

The runs didn't flood in right away, but before we were tempted to wonder what the fuss was about there was a hundred at Old Trafford on the 1990 English tour. Two more came on the 1991-92 tour of Australia, including an exquisite 114 in the lion's den at Perth while everything crumbled around him. There could be no denying his quality now, and Tendulkar would go on to build a statistical edifice that will be near impossible to surpass. He was relentless in his run scoring - a glutton who squeezed the maximum out of every run-gathering opportunity. His level of skill was almost otherworldly. In studied defence his blade appeared broader than any in the game. His push through mid-on, especially in his early days, was as bankable a shot as the game has known. If he were a bit discomfited by the short ball in the beginning, he grew to the point where he could beat back the likes of Brett Lee at his fastest, and spin bowlers, even of the caliber of Shane Warne, knew that their best offerings might still be dominated by the "Little Master."

In terms of both magnitude and intensity, the boy from Mumbai attracted a level of devotion unlike anything ever experienced in sport in India. But this level of hero-worship was invasive and forced Tendulkar into a kind of cocoon from which he could seldom escape. Peaceful moments in public became impossible and only darkness and disguise allowed him any semblance of normal activity in communal spaces.

I am not qualified to make this judgment, but this state of affairs might have imposed a level of discipline upon the batting master that served him well in the exercise of his craft. Even as he strove to subjugate his opposition, the tight control was always apparent.

Prior to a test match against the West Indies at Perth, Australian Kim Hughes vowed to resist the risky hook shot until, he said, "I am 150 and we were 3-330." Early in his innings, however, Michael Holding fed him a bouncer which he hooked down Malcolm Marshall's throat at deep square leg, 146 runs earlier than he promised.

In 2004, Tendulkar decided to put away the cover drive in Sydney, after falling to the stroke in Melbourne when he seemed set for a big score. Eighty-two runs in five innings was well below the standards he had set for himself, and he was determined make things right. If shunning the off side drive was what he felt was best for his game at the time then that is what he would do. The result was 613 minutes at the crease for 241 runs without a single drive through the covers. Even as Laxman enchanted the gathering with drives through the off side and all round the park, Tendulkar remained resolute, never once departing from his pledge, though the temptation to do so must have been considerable.

From getting excited in 1994 when he made his then-highest Test score of 179 to feeling cheated when he was not awarded the Man-of-the-series in the 1996 World Cup for being the highest and classiest scorer in the tournament. From remembering the painful struggle he went through as captain in 1997 - when he had to battle not only opponents but officials as well - to feeling exhilarated throughout much of 1998, as the destroyer in Tendulkar returned to quell not just Australians but sandstorms too on an unforgettable night in Sharjah. From having our hearts broken along with his when he miscued a Saqlain doosra in the Chennai Test of 1999 to having our faith in the game restored during the match-fixing scandal, when it was revealed that bookies would take bets on Indian matches only after he got out.

From remembering the 2003 World Cup as an image forever frozen of Tendulkar cutting Shoaib Akhtar over third-man for maximum to shaking our heads in disbelief in 2004 at the amazing self-control and discipline of a man who did not play a single cover drive in an innings of 241 not out.

From exulting with him at burying the ghost of 'finishing' matches for India in the CB series in 2008 to the sharing his solemn joy and humility at bringing a Test victory to the nation immediately after his city had been ravaged by scum towards the end of the year.

Through proxy-wars and floods, through terrorist attacks and droughts, through living under corrupt politicians and battling for survival at work or school - through it all, it was one man that brought us hope. One man who needed only to wield a bat to unite the most diverse country in the world. A hero who did not need a script, arc-lights and endless retakes to have the audience gasping in awe, but played out his dramas in real-time.

A credible argument could be advanced that India's heartbeat should have hung up his helmet some time ago. It is undisputed that his powers have seriously waned; his movements at the crease have not been as assured as they were in his prime; his defences have been too frequently breached; and runs that once flowed like the Ganges have slowed to a trickle.

Not that he hasn't suffered bad patches before: A poor run of form that began in 2004 never really ended until sometime in 2007. But it was followed by the most productive period in his career. This time, however, is different. The great man is now 40, and though cricket has occupied most his waking hours (and probably much of his sleeping ones as well) since he was born, retirement could not be deferred much longer. If, in the final analysis, it was delayed for him to reach the landmark of 200 tests, then no one was more deserving of such a historical achievement.

So, as the time nears for us to bid farewell to one of the game's greatest, it is normal that his departure from the middle will cause some sadness. His fabulous speech today must have surely brought tears to each and everyone who watched it. It's probably the most emotional and inspiring speech we are gonna get in a long time. Humility was the only word that came to my mind when SRT walked all alone and paid reverence to the 22 yards where he had spent 24 years of his life. A memory to etch. We all definitely feel sad that its curtains down for him but let us also rejoice in the fact that we were able to witness the artistry of Tendulkar, and that technology gave us a front row view of greatness unfolding before our eyes.

Finally I would like to say - Batman puts on a cape, Spiderman wears a costume, Superman sheds his normal clothes to reveal his true self - Sachin Tendulkar needs only to pick up a bat in hand to be a superhero. 

#ThankYouSachin