WATCHING MASTERS AT WORK

There were no hurried movements or panic-stricken escape moves but calculated motions only experts in the job can hope for. The second day of the preparatory camp for Indian cricketers offered reasons why Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid are considered masters of their trade, and the alarming gulf between them and the younger generation.

Dravid, first to enter the nets, faced short-pitched balls from bowlers, mainly coach Gary Kirsten, and bowling machine. Never for once the Bangalorean looked ill at ease save one mis-timed pull. Dropping his hands and moving away from the line of danger or tapping the ball to leg-side from back-foot or taking that handsome pull out of the draw, Dravid was in his elements during his 30 minutes stint at the nets.

Tendulkar offered an equally breathtaking sight even in a subdued mood. The Mumbaikar resembled a boxer -- no exaggerated movements, but just enough motions to avoid the oncoming blobs. It was a superb exhibition of technique, composure and willingness to work on to attain perfection.

Even Kirsten could not suppress his delight seeing the two modern day greats dishing out a masterclass in facing short-balls, coming up with occasional shouts of 'yeaahs' and 'good one'.

The nets showed why Tendulkar and Dravid survived so long at the highest level of cricket, conquering many a milestones on the way. Having talent is one thing, but converting God-given abilities into memorable performances needs much more than mere talent. The senior pros' longish outing on a nippy Thursday at the KSCA 'B' grounds proved you need loads of concentration and a mindset to tame the unpleasant to consistently succeed in sports.

Hopefully Suresh Raina, younger to the stalwarts by a good 14 years, will pick up some cues from his senior colleagues display. The Uttar Pradesh batsman's effort against rising balls on the day was a blow to the eye.

The left-hander, once described by former coach Greg Chappell as a progeny of West Indian great Brian Lara, showed his discomfort against balls that whistle past his chest. More than once he was caught in no-man's land while trying to pull, reducing his attempted-stroke into a tame fend. Uncertain footwork and an even more uncertain mind made Raina look like a deer caught in front of headlight against short stuff.

That the Champions Trophy will be held at the pacy, bouncy pitches of South Africa makes it mandatory for Raina to work his way out against short-pitched balls. It is not just a matter of saving his own reputation, but also vindicating the faith the team management has placed on him. Can Raina deliver? Lets hope so!!

THOUGHTS AT 35

So I have turned 35 three days ago. It's a really funny age, if not a little perplexing. You still have one foot on the shores of youthfullness while the need to check the speed of life gradually tickles your brain.

This is not to paint myself as a mature, grey-haired, slightly balding middle-aged man, struggling to cope with the new needs of life. But an effort from my part to look back at my personal and professional life wearing the glass of impartiality.

First let's take a peep at my personal life. All the while it has been a mix of good and bad, though I would like to put more weight on the former. I have been hugely privileged to acquire some wonderful friends along the way -- from my school and college days, during my stay in the hostel in New Delhi, yes they have come from all walks of life.

But my biggest gain has been finding a suitable life partner. I met her in the New Indian Express office in Bangalore, but it was not love at first sight. It blossomed between us some two years after our initial meeting, and I am really happy that I made the right choice. I believe having the right Ms Right has a huge role in the success of your personal and professional life.

I also have been remarkably lucky to have two of the most loving parents and really affectionate siblings, who have contributed immensly to my succes in all my ventures.

Now to my professional life. It has been a rather topsy-turvy trip as journalist over the last 12 years. The years have presented me the fortune of interacting with some nice guys, some wonderful colleagues and, of course, some cheapos as well.

As I said in one of my earlier blogs, I may not be clinging onto the broadsheet for long now as I can feel the need to do something different, face a different sort of challenge, surge in me. Hopefully, things should go as I hope in the next few months.

I have always felt my style of writing is more suited to interviews, features, news features and human element in sports. At times a broadsheet may not be the best place to do it, and may be it is a little too late for me to become straight-jacket writer. Here I should remember a name, without forgetting others who helped me along the way, for telling the importance of approaching my craft in a different way to keep myself fresh as a writer.

Ajay Shankar, my former colleague in NIE, Bangalore and now with a reputed website, has been a positive influence, pointing out the need to view sports, particularly cricket, through an unconventional eye and treating it like a new episode of a drama every day. Well, it is a hard to sell theory on a place, torned by the irresistable clash between new and old, like mine. Admittedly, I could not practice it all the time, keeping in mind the 'style' of my workplace, but the view has definitely broaden my horizons.

It is impossible to dwell upon all aspects in such a short article, but I have tried to give a peripheral and honest view of my professional and personal life. Catch up with you guys soon!

THOUGHTS FROM A SEDATE FORTNIGHT

I have been thinking about changing the look of this blog for a while now. I have taken the first few steps on Tuesday (28-7-2009) by adding one of photos and opting for a new layout. But still a few more things have to be done which I hope to do in the coming weeks.

It has been a rather sedate two weeks as my life travelled through the familiar routes between home and office. The only point of interest has been an offer from my friend -- Greg Landsdowne -- to write in his magazine 'Big Hitter' and hopefully things will fall in place in the coming days.

Writing for a magazine has always fascinated me because it allows you that extra bit of time to work on the stories, something you cannot expect in a daily. The quality of your story, I believe, is bound to increase and of course you can also write about 1500 words, helping to incorporate more ideas.

The biggest challenge of a magazine writer is to think of a fresh angle as you will often be dealing with a subject that has already been written a lot in various newspapers.

I agree that magazine writers may miss the thrill of day-to-day reporting, especially something big happens, or the buzz of bringing out the edition on a special occasion.

Despite all that, I still fancy shifting to a magazine at some point of time in future. By no means I am a perfectionist, but I have been a constant explorer to find ways to improve as a writer and trying to walk away from the trodden path. I might have experienced a few fumblings on the way, but I hope to learn and emerge stronger from those falls.

Hopefully, I can give a new impetus to the process during the next week when I will don my thinking hat to find a story for my friend.

A VALUABLE LESSON

Perhaps, it is not always necessary to interact with great persons to learn lessons. Their mere presence can instill a fresh perspective in you. I had such an experience many years ago, though the frustration of missing an opportunity to meet a well-known philanthropist and spiritual leader still lingers in my mind.

I don't remember the year or day, but it was some 15 years ago that I briefly met, the only time in my life, this pious man with a saintly face and a touching, expressive laugh --Sri Sri Ravishankar.


I would not have remembered that chancy, but highly remarkable, meeting if I would not have gone through one my colleague's blog that was written on the occasion of Guru Poornima.

A staunch devotee of Lord Guruvayoorappan, I grabbed the chance to perform a concert (Carnatic vocal) in the Guruvayooor temple with an elated heart. Never mind it was my 9th concert in front of my favourite deity.


I got a timing of 1 hr 30 minutes to sing from 6 pm, and it was the temple's rush hour. There was nearly 1500 attendees in the mantap (hall) and, by God's grace, I was able to catch their attention. But towards the end of my programme there was a commotion near the left entrance of the stage, and I saw a man clad in white entering the hall and listening the last 7-10 minutes of my rendetion -- the penultimate number was Aparadhamula Norva (Raga-Rasali) and then the customary mangalam Pavamana in raga Sourashtram.

On my way out one of the organisers led me to the person, and he said, "Good, fluent voice. Let the God bless you to keep it alright." My reply was limited to a rather quick and polite "Thanks" before hurrying towards my friends and relatives.

Though it was a very brief meeting, the image of the person was not faded from my mind, and later my cousin, Ramanathan, told who he was. I cursed myself for missing a golden chance to meet a much-reverred individual in detail.

It taught me a fine lesson -- never squander the chance to meet a great personality for you might not a get a second chance.

WATCHING THE MASTER, AND HOW!!

Friday, July 6, 2007. It will always remain a special day in my life. I watched the greatest tennis player in the history, Roger Federer, on that slightly hot London afternoon at the Wimbledon Centre Court . But I also met a man with a golden heart.
The Swiss maestro was playing against Spain's Juan Carlos Ferrero in the quarterfinals, but I could not have watched that match without the help of a magnanimous, London policeman.
I was standing outside the gates of Wimbledon waiting for a colleague to get my temporary pass that allows entry into the press box, shopping area and the cafes. After a considerable wait, I decided to take some rest and sat on the pavement. Then I saw an elderly cop approaching me, and the first thought crossed my mind was I did something wrong sitting on the sidewalk. But the 45-something gentleman suddenly pushed something into my hand and said, "Young man go and watch the match. Tough to get tickets these days." He walked off without even giving me a chance to offer my gratitiude.
Still it did not struck me that I had a ticket to watch the matches at the Centre Court. I could not believe it once I realised what I had in my sweaty palms, and without wasting much time I rushed to the Centre Court to catch some action. The policeman could have sold that ticket worth GBP 60 to someone for an amount of his wish. But he chose to give it to me, the bells of St Paul's Cathedral might have rang then.
Back to action. Federer and Ferrero was warming up when I took the seat, and the next few hours I saw the master in two different zones.
In the first phase, Federer was struggling with his shots, and the precision of his opponent. He won the first set 7-6, but lost the second.
The third and fourth sets saw the re-emergence of Federer, the El Magnifico. The Swiss was all fluid grace -- serving smooth and big, unfurling some silky but powerful groundstrokes. It was like watching a Rolls Royce Phantom in full throttle -- all power and elegance with minimum fuss. It was an unforgettable sight, a pure genius in action and such moments make your life as a sports journalist worth the toil. Thank you Roger for a wonderful show.
But it would not have happened for that kind-hearted, but still unknown cop. Thank you sir!

KERALA FLAVOUR

It was during one of those busy match days during the World T20 that my friend Harish Kotian announced to me the news of finding a Kerala restuarant in Nottingham. In fact, it did not surprise me at all since you may find a Malayali food court even in the remotest area of Alaska.
On my return visit to Nottingham, I decided to check the restuarant and it was a short walk from the City Centre. The name itself had a Malayali touch to it, Kayal (it means backwater), and the ambience transported me back to my home state for a moment .
The staff were very courteous and it came as no surprise as many of them were working in Taj Group. My tour-mates Harish, Moses and Neeru immediately liked the atmosphere and what followed was even better.
The food was excellent with real Kerala flavour. It was heartening to see that, for once, a restuarant has not changed the way of cooking to suit the English taste buds. Many Indian eat outs do that mistake, they alter the way of cooking and items are a shame to Indian cuisine. Just for an example, Chicken Tikka Masala is a hot menu in India. But in UK you will get a bland curry mixed with tomato sause and a variety of spices, and what more it is accepted as the national food of British.
So normally, I stick to Mexican, Italian or Greek restuarants where you will get authentic dishes of the respective countries. After all how much change you can bring to Salsa Magic, Pasta or Papas Cronos!!
But Kayal changed my prejudiced opinion about Indian food courts in UK. It made me convinced that you can prepare some really spicy food and still attract a lot of locals. Well done guys!
Their masterpiece is vegetarian/non-vegetarian thali in which your tongue will experience a good number of items in those categories, and all of them carry the aroma of Kerala to some 7000 kms away.
Try it out if you happened to be in Nottingham. You'll love it.
Here goes a sample: Veg thali: Rice, Sambar, Rasam, Upperi (Palya/Puriyal), Avial (assortment of vegetables), green-piece curry (not exactly a Kerala dish), mango pickle, papadam (applam), Mor curry (Mor Kuzhambu), Erisseri (a dish made of raw banana) = GBP 6.50.
Non-Veg thali: Rice, Upperi (Palya/Puriyal), mango pickle, papadam (applam), Kozhi Porichathu (Chicken fry), Kozhi curry (chicken curry), Erachi Ulathiyathu (Scrambled mutton), Meen pollichathu (Boiled fish), and Mutta thoran (Scrambled egg) = GBP 7.50.

MOMENTS OF THE TOUR

Funny moments are part of any cricket tour. They come anytime, anywhere, but the rib-ticklers were at a premium during the just-concluded World T20 tour to England. Perhaps, it also has to do with India's poor outing in the event that cast an all-round ennui among the Indian contingent.

However, here are some of the nuggets that brought a smile and much more on many faces.

1 The unity show

You might need a little background for this one. It was the first press conference of Indians after the report of rift between MS Dhoni and Virender Sehwag appeared in a newspaper. We were waiting in the Squash Courts at Trent Bridge for Dhoni to address the media ahead of the first league match against Bangladesh for the customary pre-match press-do, enjoying the drizzle and a cup of Twinings.

We saw the entire Indian team trooping into the cafeteria just behind the PC hall, but still there were no hints of the bomb that was going to explode minutes later. Suddenly, the team members, support and administration staff entered the PC hall led by Dhoni sparking the rumours of an open media session.

"Come on, we cannot manage so many players. 4-5 of them are enough," one of my colleagues told V Chamundeswarnath, the team manager, who smiled wistfully in return. "Oh my God, I have not taken my voice recorder. Have you taken? Who will transcribe all these? How will we share the work?," another colleague panicked.

But it all lasted just 5 minutes as an entirely different episode panned out soon that wiped out the smiles and enthusiasm, and it's too cumbersome to narrate again.

It was my first official day of the tour. I wondered silently, "Will it get any better than this?" Well, it never did.

2 Yuvi-Mahi show

This came immediately after the Unity Show. During a pracitce session couple of journalists including this blogger were engaged in a light conversation with Yuvraj Singh. The left-hander was in good mood while discussing various matters with us, and the session was progressing quite nicely along.

MS Dhoni, who came to the pavilion area for a short break, shouted on his way back to the nets "Don't tell too many things. They will write there is rift between you and me." There were laughter all around, though the chit-chat came to an end, but only temporarily.

At the end of the nets, Yuvi playfully punched Suresh Raina on the shoulders and then yelled at the scribes and TV journos "We are fighting.. we're fighting." Once again peels of laughter echoed at Lady's Bay.

3 Gayle storms in

There were not much to cheer for the men in blue in the World T20. But 15 minutes they spent with West Indian skipper Chris Gayle were certainly full of cheer. During a training session at Lady's Bay, Ishant Sharma, Gayle's team-mate in Kolkata Knight Riders, dragged the Jamaican to Indian camp, and moments of fun followed. Pathan brothers, Raina, Dhoni, Yuvraj, Pragyan Ojha and Harbhajan Singh were seen speaking to Gayle and sharing a lot of laughter -- a rare commodity in the Indian camp on this tour.

Later I asked Gayle what they were talking and he replied, "Man, this Gayle brings a lot of happiness." Nobody could have doubted that!

4. The Simmons effect

Ireland's entry into Super Eight prompted this story idea in me -- interview their coach Phil Simmons. So, I approached my old friend Barry Chambers (media manager of Ireland), the good Irishman was happy to see me and even happier to oblige my request. Here a slight deviation, we went out that night to a pub, and the Irishman was the winner by a mile.

Back to Simmons. I gave ring to him at 930 am, and the first thing I heard was a roar "I am sleeping maaaaan," before the phone got disconnected. I tried him again in the afternoon, but without any luck. The big West Indian called me back when I was in the stadium and I could hardly understand what he was telling amidst the din. But I assumed that he was telling me to meet him at 3 pm at Crowne Plaza the next day.

I arrived at Plaza at 230 pm, and after several rounds of security checks I was ushered to the receptionist. She said the Ireland team had already left the hotel for London, and of course Mr Simmons was asking for a visitor who was supposed to meet him at 1.30 pm at lobby.

I walked into a hotel for my lunch with that old line ringining in my heart -- assumption is the mother of all goof-ups. Though the wordings were slightly different!

5. Flight trouble

The in-flight entertainment system on long trips is a bliss since you don't have to sit and wonder what to do next after sleeping 4-5 hours. But one of the journalists found out it as in-flight no-entertainment system. Mr Gentleman Journalist (he is truly a gent) was very happy after getting a seat upfront that offered a lot of leg space.

But the trouble started soon as he was unable to locate the personal TV screen even after finding the meal-tray. He had to spent the next 9 hrs gawking at the flight's route-map being displayed at the common screen. We were in fits of helpless giggles all the way when he was narrating this experience. When we were able to stop our laughter, one of the fellow travellers asked "why didn't you asked the passengers sitting next you." Alas! There was only one passenger in the row -- Mr GJ.