Mithali Raj Rewrites History

10 years later 

Journalist to Kohli: “Who is your favourite female cricketer?”

Kohli retorts back: “How often do you ask this to a female cricketer?”

We have timeless times witnessed the chants of “Sachin…Sachin…Sachin” or “Dhoni...Dhoni…Dhoni”.

This time again there were chants at Lords, the Mecca of cricket, however they were different .It was “Mithali…Mithali…Mithali” all the way.

Mithali Raj, the captain of Indian women’s cricket team lead from the front throughout the world cup,being the highest rungetter.Her captaincy was spot on,making the right bowling changes bringing on Jhulan Goswami when Taylor and Sciver were stitching a threatening partnership for England in the finals.She did show leadership of backing her players when they were out of form unlike some other captain’s in recent times. 

Yes India did lose,and it was heartbreaking,but Mithali Raj’s Team had done their job. They have changed the course of Women’s cricket in India.Women’s cricket will never be the same again.

Mithali Raj,the Arjuna Ranatunga,of Indian cricket may not play in another world cup but she has definitely rewritten history.

I think women’s IPL would add a great proposition to take women’s cricket forward.

And yes the chants like “Mithali…Mithali…Mithali” will grow in the days to come.

Women Empowerment: Myth vs Reality

सत्यम् ब्रूयात् प्रियम् ब्रूयात् न ब्रूयात् सत्यमप्रियम् | 

प्रियम् नानृतं ब्रूयात् एष धर्मः सनातनः ||

satyam bruyat priyam bruyat na bruyat satyam apriyam

priyam ca nanrutam bruyat esha dharmah sanatanah

Speak truth in such a way that it should be pleasing to others. Never speak truth, which is unpleasant to others. Never speak untruth, which might be pleasant. This is the path of eternal morality, sanatana dharma.

Real empowerment happens only by two ways

1.Devotion

2.Sense of Service

It is a well considered myth that only working women are more empowered than housewife’s.

A women who takes care of her husband and children with devotion are really more empowered to make correct decisions than a women who may be a chairperson of any organization but works without any devotion.

Real power does not come through authority,it comes through service.

Empowerment as per Hindu religious texts is not gained by holding any authorized position,it happens by sense of service that one offers.

In ancient India, even now in some places,it is the man who occupies the head of the family position and the  women is used to listening to him,this has often been misconstructed as slavery by the western historians who did come to India.Even in this so called bondage of the wife,it was received by her with an unsaid , untold joy and love,though the so called intellectuals of today have called it patriarchical, antiwomen and antisocial.

India has never been antiwomen since ancient ages.

It always respected women.Mathrudevobhava -  Treat your mother as god.This has been well reflected in the religious preaching’s of great saints like Swami Vivekananda, Ramakrishna Paramhamsa and Sankaracharya.  Though the western culture taught otherwise.

“Women need to be treated as children and protected” – this is what the Manusmriti, an ancient Hindu text states.

Today this is often misrepresented as lack of freedom,bondage,slavery by the so called intellectual,modern,westernized,liberal women activists.

P.S.- I am not a Hindu extremist.

Anil Kumble - The Legend

619 Test wickets, 337 ODI wickets, 57 Twenty20 wickets

  "That is the way I get most of my wickets. Yeah, it was very special to get there."-Anil Kumble

Anil Kumble was one of the most underrated cricketers of the country during his playing days.When in the team,he was never given his due,compared to a Sachin or a Saurav,especially seeing that he is the highest wicket taker in Indian Test history by a long margin,much more than a Kapil Dev, or a Bishen Singh Bedi. His exploits are no less than that of a maestro Sachin Tendulkar.

Also cricket never got Anil Kumble as the captain of Indian Team,which I believe he richly deserved and would have done a lot of good for Indian Cricket.

So when he was appointed the Head Coach of the Indian Cricket Team I thought maybe ,the cricketer has finally got his due,but alas not everything is as green as it appears.

Everything seemed alright,be it his insistence on YOGA sessions or him advocating John Wright’s philosophy of taking the backseat,everything seemed to be falling in the right place for Indian Cricket.

They say performance is the criteria ,for selection,I do not know what criteria did Anil Kumble have to show either in his playing days (when he was frequently criticized by the media for not being a big turner of the ball. He did respond saying “My job is to take wickets not turn the ball.”) or during his brief but effective coaching stint.

Whether it is his squabbles with Virat Kolhi or the BCCI,we have again lost the services of a valuable human being and a patriotic team player.

A phenomenon called “Narendra Modi”

“People ask what your vision is, what is your big vision? I say ‘bhai’, I got here by way of selling tea (crowd erupts in applause). I am a simple (Chhota) man. I like focusing on simple and small tasks. I want to accomplish big things for the little guy.” –Narendra Modi

I am sure Modi era would be written as a golden era in Indian history whenever it gets published something similar to Ashoka rule of the Mauryan empire.Our future generations would be enticed and overawed by the beauty called Narendra Modi.

I think India is in the brink of a revolution with a revolutionary and dynamic leader Modi ushering a golden period for India.

I believe as patriotic Indians we need to make the best use of it rather than repent it later(read Mamta Banerjee,NDTV).People opposed to Narendra Modi should release that the country has a PM who has business acumen to negotiate with the US and Japan effectively, Kshatriya skills to take on the diktaks of China head on,political manoeuvre to take all parties along ,and above all who serves selflessly for the welfare of the economically backward sections of the society.

Rahul Gandhi to be a better Prime Minister than Priyanka Gandhi

The fragrance of flowers spread only in the direction of the wind. But the goodness of a person spreads in all directions.

The perception in and around the people of India especially the media is that the fairer sex Priyanka Gandhi would be a better leader than Rahul Gandhi.It is widely believed that she would be able to win more votes and is a mass leader like Indira Gandhi.

On the contrary it is believed widely that Rahul Gandhi does not have the charisma that she may have ,has a low IQ,is a bunny of online trolls and not a mass leader who is able to generate votes and has not been able to ensure a win for the Congress.

The slogan from the party workers is “Priyanka laoo Congress Bachoo”.

I think Priyanka Gandhi being a magic wand and will be able to save the sinking ship of the Congress is a myth.I do not believe she in any way has the expertize to be in politics,forget winning it as the results of the recent UP elections do show.Her insistence on 105 seats at the cost of an alliance is very deplorable.Neither has she been able to win any seats in Amethi or make a big difference in Rae Bareli.

On the other Rahul Gandhi has more experience being in politics for sometime now and learnt the trade.He listens to people (read congress leaders etc.) knows the importance of collision (taking people along as in UP and Bihar) and does not live in myth or shadow of Congress being the Grand Old Party of India.He learns from mistakes faster and ready to play second fiddle if the situation demands so,thus making him more opportunistic of winning the elections in the years ahead.Rahul Gandhi though would do a lot better just working in silence.

Priyanka Gandhi definitely speaks better but she neither has the organisational skills or political acumen to be a successful politician and also still lives in the myth of Grand old party of India called Congress.

Though for either of them to be the Prime Minister of India they would definitely need to wait for the man of the moment called Narendra Modi to retire from active politics.

Also the voters are showing an interesting trend in UP,Bihar and Maharashtra muncipal polls of supporting development politics than freebies politics,though Kerala being an exception.

Bhagat Singh v/s Mahatma Gandhi

My job is to take wickets,not turn the ball.-Anil Kumble

Bhagat Singh is most definitely a martyr,and his contribution to freedom struggle is unparalleled.But then he was hanged to death for taking revenge on Lala Lajpat Rai’s death.

I think he became myopic in his vision.My personal believe is that is lost track of the vision or the greater goal of accomplishing the freedom of India.

In the pursuit of winning a battle ,he lost the war.

It is sad that we lost a freedom fighter,for a battle and lost a war.

In retrospect Mahatma Gandhi had a higher goal or vision in mind of attaining independence from the British Raj.Mahatma Gandhi in turn did accomplish his biggest goal of life, in which many others had failed miserably,of attaining Purna Swaraj for India.I think The Father of the Nation deserves total credit for that.

I have often seen youth despising at Mahatma Gandhi’s ideals and praising Bhagat Singh for his valour and courage.

But a task half done is not done.

Misplaced Compassion

Righteousness is the truth within.

Today we are in danger of falling prey to misplaced compassion. Like pleading for the case of Afzal Guru,by some prominent people like P.Chidambaram and a few JNU students.

Also the recent case of Burhan Wani ,being projected as a martyr by some media channels.

I believe totally in the word compassion in both letter and spirit, but shouldn’t we be careful of misplaced compassion. Burhan Wani being treated as  a Hero is pretty unfortunate.

Shouldn’t we  exercise compassion towards our innocent people who have lost life’s because of Burhan and Afzal Guru.Shouldn’t the people killed by these terrorist deserve more respect , thought and prayers.

Shouldn’t the country be righteous towards these innocent citizens whose near and dear ones have been lost.

Shouldn’t the media and the people think a little about the innocent people who have faced the brunt of theses hardcore militants. Also in the cases of some famous film personalities the media does exercise false compassion thus influencing a major chunk of people instead of sticking to the truth and being righteous towards the innocent people who have been affected by them.

Today in the name of compassion we are pardoning hardcore terrorists, (the media projects them as matyrs) we are showing compassion towards them and being absolutely heartless towards the innocent people who were killed by them. Thousands of pages of print media , plenty of prime time has been devoted to these fundamentalists but not a single ounce for my innocent citizens.Are they not our citizens?

Many army men,many paramilitary jawans have lost their lifes doing their duty.There children and mothers  have not done any sin,do they not have any expectations from my country and its people.

Don’t they deserve better. Is law not same to all. Give it a thought.

Story of a Compass

The best teachers teach from the heart ,not from the book.

Early in my school days my interest in mathematics was very limited, I used to do algebra alright, but geometry would just turn me off.

My maths teacher always stressed on the point that in geometry one can score the full marks and that it was very simple and easy.Still I never liked it,I stuck to algebra to get though.

In one of the Parent teacher meetings,she asked me why I did not like geometry,I said I did not like it because I did not like the compass,I just feel like taking the compass and poking somebody’s eyes with it.

She became a little afraid.

What did she do?

She brought me another compass, a red coloured one, plastic made.
Suddenly I started liking my new found toy,compass,my new found love towards the compass resulted in me spending more time with geometry and my interest towards mathematics grew.

Slowly Mathematics became my favourite subject in a few years time, every thanks to my school Maths teacher.

The Surya Putra:'KARNA'

Destiny decides who you meet in life but it’s only your heart that can decide who gets to stay in your life….

"Everything won’t go the way you want to.Everything is destiny.That’s what the law of Karma states.Even if you do nothing wrong, you may be at the receiving end", I have heard many people saying.

When Nokia was being sold out or taken over by Microsoft , its CEO remarked that it did not do anything wrong but we lost out.(Android had taken over the smart phone category and Nokia was out of business).

My mind goes back to KARNA,the character in Mahabharata,a skilled Archer,supremely talented,known for his generosity,know as danveer karna.But when the battle of his life was fought he lost out to Arjuna.
Though he had more expertise and skill than Arjuna.

He had two curses in his life ,one that he would not be able to recollect the teachings when he needs it the most:By parasurama as he had not declared himself to be a kshatriya while learning the archery.And second that his wheels of his chariot would get stuck in the land and would be a reason for his death:By a brahman farmer whose cow was accidentally shot down by Karna,his only source of living.

What was the fault of Karna? Is it Karna’s destiny?
The first curse that he was a ‘Kshatriya’ was not even know to him.
And second says that he killed a cow was accidental,it was not even in rage.

The scriptures and the gurus say it is “Karna’s Karma”.I leave it to you to decide.

Coming back to Nokia I am sure it will bounce back to be one of the leading Smart phone manufacturers again.

A tribute to Dr.APJ Abdul Kalam- "LIKE HIM"

                               "All Birds find shelter during a rain.

                   But Eagle avoids rain by flying above the Clouds." 

             Problems are common, but attitude makes the difference!!!
                                        - APJ Abdul Kalam

Will there ever be anyone like him,

Will anybody have an audacity to make us dream like him

Will there ever be an igniting mind like him

Will anyone come to ignite us like him

Will we ever have any extraordinary leader like him

Will anyone ever lead us like him

Will you continue to inspire us like no one has,

Will you continue to motivate us like no one has

Will the future ever believe there lived a great human being like you

Will there ever be a bharat ratn like him in the world ,I wonder.

Who will teach us now,

Who will guide us now.

Who will light our path now

Who will dispel the darkness

Who will show us the path

Who will fill the void,now

Who will make us dream

Who will make us fly

Who will dare us to act beyond our boundaries

Will there ever be anyone like him

Will there ever be anyone like him

India should have hit back post 26/11

               A leader is one who knows the way,goes the way and shows the way.

India is a strong  and powerful nation.India's strength comes from within  not from outside or its military strength.Its essence is based on spiritual lines.Love and compassion  form the root of this nation.Tolerance has been  India's mantra for ages.

India is a peace loving country.but does peace mean one doesn't protect  its people.India should have hit back at Pakistan post 26/11 when the Taj was brunt down by Pak sponsored terrorists .Peace cannot be established when the people of the country are attacked brutally.By not acting decisively India got reflected as a weak nation.Had India hit back it would have been more peaceful.

India lost out on an opportunity to hit back,and establish itself as a strong nation.The supreme court of Pakistan also released the mastermind of 26/11,  Hafiz Sayeed, without any punishment.And the United States kept looking .US follows a policy of double standards.Where do the US backed ,Pakistan based militants get all their weapons from? Who sponsors it?

Is violence justified?Yes it is, to protect  people of the nation from evil forces.

Would you not smash a person who attacks your child?
Does a Guru not break the bones of a person who even touches his disciple?
Does a leader not protect his followers?

If one does not act against such incidents it would repeat itself again.

A  leader takes people where they want to go,a great leader takes people where they don't want to go but ought to be.

Leadership Revisted

A leader is one who has the following traits

1.Righteousness in his actions.

2.Compassionate towards his subjects

3.Vision for a better tomorrow.

A serving attitude should be the backbone and foundation of every leader.

Righteousness in Leadership

यदा यदा हि धर्मस्य गलानिर भवति भारत ।

अभ्युक्तानां अधर्मस्य तदात्मानं स्रिजंयाहं ।। श्लोक ७

परित्राणाय साधूनां विनाशाय च दुष्कृतं ।

धर्म संस्थापनार्थाय संभवामि युगे युगे ।। श्लोक ८ 

Leadership is about righteousness  also  called as Dharma.

So what is Dharma?

Is it about the leader being honest ? No it is not only about the person being honest it is also about punishing the unrighteous.

I am brought to notice that good people do not enter politics ,the prosperity of good people in the society is reflective of the righteousness of the leader. It is about taking decisions punishing the wrong doers  which alone helps in the prosperity of the good doers.

If righteousness in the heart, there is beauty in the character

Where there is beauty in the character,there is harmony in the home

If there is harmony in the home, there is order in the nation,

If there is order in the nation there is peace in the world

Righteousness of the leader reflects of courage in gloomy days, being just to the weak and compassionate towards the poor alike. Righteousness of a leader  is tested when the so called called internal compulsions arise.Is the leader able to be righteous enough, belying the internal compulsions, Is his test?

Attention is drawn to two dark aspects in modern day living:-

Riots:

Any leader has the responsibility

·         To prevent

·         To stop

·         To take action

against the culprits.

A.B.Vajpayee as a leader did show righteousness when Bal Thackeray was debarred from fighting elections in 1999.

Bomb Blasts:

Again a leader has the responsibility  to take measures

·         As preventive measures: how has intelligence services been made more effective?

·         To stop :What are the emergency services?

·         Action being taken to find culprits

Its been a frequent occurrence in India, whereas in America after the 9/11 there has not been strikes. So what is different in America and India? If America has been able to achieve this why has India not been. Definitely the same measures may not be the best for India as America as a cultural and topographical positions ,but what about China, or even UK? Is  India a paradise for such attacks?

FOR SMALL GAINS

For small gains, we do make big blunders.

For small gains,

For small gain of FDI in retail, the government lost its foresight, tried to appease Mayawati,by introducing a quota in promotions, not to forget her invocation in the national rural health scam has been totally forgotten

For small gain of FDI, the government lost Mamta banerjee

For small gain ,Mulayam Singh was said to have striked a deal with the government for being the vice president ,which eventually did not materlize.

For small gains, people have usually made big blunders in life.

History is privy to it.

For small gain China crossed Indian borders in 1962.

For small gain Pak did so most recently in 1999 at Kargil.

For small gain US invented Al Queda.

For small gains...

Where are the big gains,India

Where are the people who help make the big gains

Where are the leaders who the show the path  of righteousness and love.

Where are the leaders of character and conviction, who stand tall among superpowers

Where are the leaders ...India.

Show me the leaders...India. 

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9//01/13

Once in 1958 the then PM Jawaharlal Nehru said that the government would make hotels,the 21 year old Atal bihari vajpayee said the governments job is to construct hospitals not hotel.Being a newcomer he was not heard too,and told that the government would make hotels and from the profit would make hospitals ,India was pro socialist and the government wanted to do everything.

The clock seems to have gone a full cycle from those days to today,India becoming pro-capitalist and puts up everything on sale.It wants FDI in power,education,and even healthcare.The question that comes to mind is if it wants everything on sale ,what does the governement  want to do? Just reduced to pay the utility bills (Oil,pension,and food etc)

The consequenses of private sector on healthcare can been seen and felt.....it had completely eroded the government healthcare sytem (hygiene and superspeciality care even in AIIMS absent as can be seen from the recent delhi rape case) and not to say that the cost of health care has risen exponentially,making it affordable to the elite few.Ditto with education.

Also sometime back there was talk of privatizing AirIndia,well that is a very easy thing to do.You buy an airline (TATA airways) which is profitable, make it loss making and then sell it of.

There is a growing feeling that the government is washing  its hands away from everything and put everything into the FDI basket.The governement feels less inclined to administer and more keen to play a watchdog.In the longer run this could be fatal...I am of the opinion  that healthcare,education and electricity  are state subjects, should be kept as one ,and should subsidised and available to anyone.

I am sure soon the government will come up with a proposal of putting north india and south india on FDI to China and US respectively.

Pity the Leaders

                                          "Leaders tell me why is the dawn so far

                                           Readers tell me why is the light so far” 

Pity a Prime minister that cannot support his own minister

Pity a Prime Minister who cannot support his own cabinet minister, 

how will he support an aam aadmi

Pity a Prime minister who cannot support his minister who delivered

Pity a Prime minister who supported who never won an election

 (read P Chidambaram)

Pity a Prime minister who threw away a person who was not corrupt

 (read Shashi tharoor)

Pity a Prime minister who did not throw away  a minister who was corrupt

 (read A Raja)

Pity a Prime minister who does not support a value a human resourse

Pity a Prime minister who always finds an excuse on policy paralysis in left 

or the left of left (read TMC)

Pity a Finance minister who feels  that the budget(read rail budget) getting tabled

is more important than the person who presented the budget

Pity a nation that does not have leaders

Once my friend told me if you have to find leaders you have to go to US.

As for Dinesh Trivedi-We wish him best wishes on finding 

the apporopriate book ” The Rise of Hitler in Parliamentary Democracy”

Courtesy: People who did not know Dinesh Trivedi-

Presented the Best railway budget of the last decade,

an MBA from Austin,Texas,Railway Minister,Trinamul Congress party worker.

Needed: Walls with strong foundations

Determination,grit,perseverance,strength,concentration will always be what this person will stand for.

Wicketkeeper,opener,middleorder batsman ,slip fielder,vice captain,captain are the few roles this person has enacted consisitenly in his cricketing career.

Refering back to an ininings versus bangladesh scoring seven of 37 deliveries and all the shots played were good to land beyond boundaries but could only find the fielders.This is one of the many such countless knocks wherein one just felt to ease the man out in the middle by going to him and getting him back to the dressing room though the grit,stubborness of staying at the wicket is unparalled earning him a deserving nickname "WALL".

Just felt sometimes had this person applied the same level of effort and concentration he applied to his batting ,in some other prefession is would have been the owner of 2 virgin islands.

Facts as I always say are boring ,whether it is 2nd fastest fifty,the highest no. of Test catches, or 10 thousand 20 thousand or 25 thousand runs,you will always be remembered for your qualities you have given back to your profession.And definetely you have left a legacy each one of us in the world would cherish to acheive.

Just the way you left today with dignity, spirit and grace.

Take a bow to an INDIAN CRICKETING LEGEND RAHUL DRAVID.