A Major Discovery

Just one thing.
I have just discovered that my philosophical expression in the post "Clear the Smoke" is merely an elucidation and fits in with the philosophy of René Descartes on the definition of "Self" and "Truth".
I'm feeling very good.

Another thing- I dearly want to read the works of these great philospohers- Descartes, Plato, Aristotle, Friedrich Nietzsche, Socrates et all. I also wanna read the Communist Manifesto and Das Kapital by Karl Marx.

The Consequence of Stardom

Firstly, I think my blog looks bland, with hardly any pictures. I'm gonna add a picture for most posts I make from now on. I started this practice with the last post.

So finally IPL-2 is over and the Deccan Chargers have won. Personally, I supported the Bangalore Royal Challengers, after the Mumbai Indians exited unceremoniously. But I'm happy the better team on that particular day of the final, won.

A lot has been said about the stalwarts, the seasoned campaigners, having had a gala time in this version of the IPL, making merry with runs and wickets, sprawling dives and mind-blowing catches.

But the youngsters? The ones from the Indian domestic cricket scene? Those who had never been to South Africa before? Those who, not being part of Team India, had never known the limelight?

Some of them failed, unable to cope with the pressure and the bounce and pace of the livelier wickets. But some others like Manish Pandey and Abhishek Nayar shone brightly. In the end, it was not whether they failed or delivered, but simply that they were there, on that grand stage, playing alongside international players whose reputations had gone through the roof, who had scored 20,000 to 30,000 international runs, played 15 or 20 years on the international scene, who had taken 600 wickets, 800 wickets, 1200 wickets. Cricketers who were the cleanest hitters of all time, who were the most complete batsmen, the most techically correct batsmen. Cricketers who had single-handedly demolished powerful batting line-ups, won series after series with their unparalleled skills.
Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, Jacques Kallis, Matt Hayden, Adam Gilchrist, Muttiah Muralidaran, Shane Warne, Anil Kumble...the list of these super-heavyweights was considerably long.
How would it have felt for a youngster from the hinterlands of India to stand alongside the great Adam Gilchrist, who was holding the IPL trophy aloft, in a foreign country, fluff falling from the air, 40,000 people on their feet, Ravi Shastri's booming voice..."the IPL Champions, the Deccan Chargers!!"....

It is quite an unprecedented thought, a truly overwhelming moment. It is, the stuff of dreams, a fairytale so wonderful it becomes unbelievable even for a fairytale.

How do these youngsters feel? They would never have been on such a terrific stage before and some of them never will again. This would be a moment in history, that would be loath to be over. It would be over, it was over, for time waits for none. But in the mind of the youngster, that moment should have been still forever. Time should have waited. The clock of Nature should have stopped. The leaf blowing away in the wind should have remained suspended in mid-air. Parrots and mynahs should have turned their heads towards this wonderful place. Rain should have forgotten to come down. The sun should not have set. The world should have abandoned its daily, mundane routine and stood absolutely still. It must almost have happened so, for the fleeting moments that these youngsters occupied the podium. The feeling, the emotion is so very deep, so profound, yet so simple to comprehend. The joy is indescribable, unfathomable. I've felt this way once or twice before- under different circumstances of course- but the realization of success, in whatever measure it might have come, is really very astounding, incredibly beautiful.

The aspirations of youth are some of God's miracles. They are so eternal, so earnest, that their realization is almost unpalatable, surreal. How deep is the mind of a youngster, boy or girl, how optimistic his/her beliefs, how crazy the assumptions, how utopian the ideals, is perhaps incomprehensible to any poet, musician, lyricist, writer or artist. Youth is like a bird which wishes to fly and fly and fly into the open blue skies, without hindrance, without any chains, without a look behind. The potential of youth is immense, unrevealed, unmeasurable.

To what extent this brazen desire for the pinnacle takes the not-so-pleasant form of ego and self-centeredness is something to be thought of. Certainly, it is extremely easy for success to go to one's head. Again, I've known it myself- and my achievement was a very small one compared to that of these youngsters, behind closed doors, in a virtual world, in closed forums. However, being nearly 22 and close to home, I was able to pull myself back down to Earth before it had eaten me away. What about these poor souls then, thousands of miles away from home, 18, 19, 20 years of age, with instant fame and unprecedented adulation? Some handle it well, some don't. Those who do rise to the occasion, the opportunity, become greats, legends, stamping their legacy on the sands of time. Those who don't, wither away, either wasting away in indulgences or mitigating back into their ordinary, anonymous lives.

I shall leave this post here, unfinished. It does not deserve a conclusion; the incompleteness completes the journey.

P.S.: "Language post" later. Don't think interested people mind anyways. I thought this was a better topic to write about.

Amen.

An Epilogue to Confessions

Firstly, thanks a lot for the considerable response to my last blog post (positive and negative). To the people (and they are in majority) who found it great/ interesting/ readable I thank them for the like-mindedness, though this is inherent, not cultivated. Also thanks for speaking out to say that I have a right to publish whatever I wish. We need more, many more such heads in India today.

To the naysayers and constructive critics that sit in the minority opinion (there were a few who haven't commented on the post) I acknowledge and respect their opinion and their right to it. Meanwhile I must reassert my position that I am entitled to any opinion I wish, and even more so, entitled to publish it anywhere which constitutes my space. Some of you have decided to "stop talking" to me after this post and an argument. Apparently it is something blasphemous and derogatory that I have written.

I do not think it is. I like the fact that I can write without inhibitions. Those who cannot (or do not want to) need not complain. More upsetting is the fact that people who most certainly form part of society's "classes" found the post revolting. To these critics, I must say this- you cannot complain about half the things around you being unfair and undesirable if you cannot summon the guts to come out and speak out, a bare minimum essential to enable any kind of change, whether in society or in politics. If you are so deep in the closet- for example if you make remarks at college girls with coloured strands of hair- calling them names- I'm sorry you do not deserve the change you want in India. Change cannot be lopsided or only in part. It has to be universal and preceded by a change in the basic mindset of the populace, an entire paradigm shift, a transformation in social dynamics. This change can only begin at the micro level. We the youth of this country need to lead by example.

I am not perfect in any way whatsoever. But I feel for certain issues, and my imperfections cannot come in the way of dealing with them in the way I possibly can.

My only appeal to my disgruntled friends is- do not be judgemental. Do not be stuck with preconcieved notions of things, people and ideas. Do not presume and then read. Do not presume at all.

All of us suffer from presumptions and stereotypes- whether it is of the life in a small town, the corrupt nature of a politician, or the South Bombay girl across the street wearing a miniskirt and walking with such confidence that unnerves many. This is where we need to unclutter our minds.

I've discovered some things in the last few months. I am still firebrand, I still get absolutely livid with certain happenings all around me. But there is a growing sense of satisfaction coming from a spiritual liberation that is slowly beginning to happen. I have started seeing various things in a different light over these few months. I have been more active in these months than in the past several years. I hope it gets better. Life is so much more fun when you can see all sides of a picture.

I hope those who have shut their eyes tight and existed in pitch darkness for long finally open their eyes and draw back the blind to the light outside.

Of course, all of this is my personal opinion and unbinding on anyone. I have been quite utterly shocked by some of my friends' comments and their (issue-based) support for some unbred, goonlike, sexually frustrated Mr. Anonymouses in the comments list. They very carefully registered their "dislike" for the dirty, vile, abusive language used by Mr. Anonymous, while exhibiting defeaning silence when asked about the content of his/her post.

As for Mr. Anonymous, I saw no reason to give you undue respect with a befitting reply to your despicable post. You seem to be one of the million trolls roaming the cyberspace, your unworthy tummies filled with malice and impunity. Period.

P.S.: I had informed a very good friend of mine that my next post after Confessions would be on my use of English and Hindi and my unhappiness with the latter dominating my talk nowadays, in spite of me not being great at it. Now that will be the next post.

Regards,
Pranav

Some Interesting Facts Related to My Birthday

Since my birthday is coming closer, I thought of putting up some facts about myself I discovered on http://www.dayofbirth.co.uk/
Frankly this post was not an original idea..I discovered the link and a similar description on a friend's friend's blog.

Results for 6th June 1987 ( My birthdate):

• You were born on a Saturday.
• Your star sign is Gemini.
• Your birthstone is Perl or Moonstone.
• The season was Spring.
• You were born in the Chinese year of the Hare.
• The US President was Ronald Reagan (Republican).
• The UK Prime Minister was Margaret Thatcher (Conservative).
• You are 21 years 11 months 7 days old.
• It is 24 days until your next birthday.
• In dog years you are 147 years old.
• You are 8,012 days old.
• You are approximately 192,299 hours old.
• You are approximately 692,277,565 seconds old.