The GOD, Sachin is 47 ! Happy Birthday 🙇‍♂️

God is Great !
God is Kind !
God is loved by All !

Circa 1987, the original GOD of cricket Sunil Gavaskar declared recluse and all of sudden, India felt orphaned for what matters them the most ‘Cricket’.

2 years down the line in 1989, a small boy walked on the field in hostile conditions against aggressive opponents Pakistan. Waqar Younis’s bullet speed delivery found the boy’s nose and bleeding was all over to see. The world sighed but the boy walked back composed to his crease. It was the first indication that the GOD might be reincarnated.

1993 and the boy found himself bowling the last over in HERO Cup semifinals. Miracles do happen and the boy took India to victory against South Africa. We wondered whether the GOD was for real.

Year 1998 and the youngster was going great guns against the mighty Aussies and out of nowhere appeared the ‘Desert Storm’. Sharjah weather was never so harsh but when the nature goes against a common man, only ‘The God’ can withstand the calamity. Our belief in GOD got established.

A year later, the star single handedly took against the original rivals Pakistan in Chennai but failed for 136 as India lost the game. For the first time we saw the idol in pain. Minds started thinking whether GOD is human too!

With Dada at helm and team in supreme form, it was matter of time that Shoaib Akhtar was thrown out of the boundary ropes in 2003 World Cup. But the team returned empty handed in finals and even the GOD could not break the jinx.

A completely out of form superstar scored 241* against Aussies in Sydney in 2004 proved to the world that its only GOD who can control his emotions.

A long wait and the final frontier was ultimately won over. India became World Champions for the second time after 28 years in 2011. The GOD cried and so did the followers.

100 centuries , 50k first class runs, unbeatable record is just a by product of the genius who brought people together, made them forget their religions to cheer the GOD through one common DNA called ‘Cricket’ and the GOD never disappointed.

Finally in the year 2013, after 24 years of blessing his disciples, the GOD declared that he was a MORTAL too!

The GOD of Sachin Tendulkar will always remain our favourite cricketer but the world of cricket will never be the same again.

The human of Sachin Tendulkar turns 47 today and may he blessed to rule our hearts for many more years to come.

Take a bow GOD of Cricket, ‘Sachinnn.. Sachinnnn..’

Image Courtesy: The Sportstar

Disclaimer: The blog is a personal tribute to Sachin Tendulkar and does not intend to comment or compare his contemporaries.It celebrates his birthday with like minded fans.

Ramayana: A Management Perspective

When DD announced re-telecast of Ramayana and Mahabharata and with the new IN thing WFH, I could manage to pip in for few episodes which as a child, I had watched with a religious mind, as a war story and to learn ethics.

The re-telecast gave me an opportunity to look at these serials from a management perspective, especially Rama’s management skills.

King Rama is still revered and will always be in our hearts as an ideal son, true brother and a role model husband. However Rama also possessed excellent management skills which stand true even to date.

The first glimpse of the real prowess were realised at the time of ‘Sita-Swayamvar’. Rama did not rush towards the bow( till his guru ordered). He observed others, understood the challenge and when it mattered, won over the challenge posed.Wait for the right moment is an important aspect of management.

When Raja Dashratha, asked Rama to go to Vanvasa, without blinking his eyes Rama accepted the verdict. By no means, it’s on the lines of following the commitment given by the management to its stakeholders. A real management representative will adhere to the organisation expectations and goals.

As the time to confront Ravana was a reality, it was by all means a Big Bang opportunity. But, ShreeRam chose an agile approach to arrive at the final result. Rama first focused on team building to have King Sugreeva(and his army) on his side. Then he had his due-diligence completed through Hanumana who got a details of Lanka, in short, ‘Scope’ in today’s world. A real management person will never take up any project or an assignment without understanding the deliverables in hands.

For Ramasetu, Rama chose Nal and Neel as architects. A real manager will handover the task to a competent person rather than going to his favorite follower. Skillset is more important than favoritism.

Rama ensured that the good performers like Sugreeva, Vibhishan were rewarded for their hardwork and given their dues when the time was appropriate.

Mythology might look at Ramayana as a battle between Rama and Ravana, but when one observes Rama, it seems to be a team effort. During the journey to Lanka, Rama let his team drive the goals and when it mattered most, himself took the pole position as leader.

As the war erupted, Rama chose to lead from the front. He was visible to his team all throughout. A typical management principle tells that morale of team is high when the leader is visible.

Sita and Laxmana were true believers of Rama’s capabilities. Trusting abilities of each other is a key to success and if either of them had faltered, Ramayana might had a different story unfolded.

Ravana on his part was a warrior par excellence but did not work on his shortcomings. A leader has to know the loopholes and lacunae for the task in hand. Even after repeatedly being told to revisit his strategy, he chose his own path and failed. A good leader is one who has good listening capacity and abilities.

End of the day, a leader who works on his plan succeeds and the one who drives it on his gut feel fails. A real management will work according its plan, goals and strategy and the one which doesn’t, is bound to bite dust.

King Rama, our beloved ShreeRam has so many qualities to be imbibed but in this 21st century, probably his management skills are the most desired ones which we should try to learn.

Image Courtesy: Naiduniya

Disclaimer: The article is written from management perspective and does not look at Ramayana from religious angle.

Corona: An eye opener !

No Restaurants ! No Movies ! No Entertainment ! No Outing !

Human evolution has come a long way since  Charles Darwin gave his insightful theory for the first time.

From jungles, the humans moved to small towns, to cities, to metros and bridged the international borders.

Scientists like Newtons, Galileos, Watts and Edisons made humans worth ‘Being’ as it brought meaning to a standstill life.

In parallel, the borders and being supreme became the norm for the nations and then the very battle for power and control changed the lifestyle adoption.

The race from being supreme to being normal first, has reached an interesting state today.

Borders are closed, Humans remain restricted to their own shelters, Travels are banned and exodus from international cities to native countries, cities and back to village is the latest normal. It sems that the cycle is coming full circle as humans rush to safe walls called ‘Home’.

Being at ‘Home’ has reestablished the importance of science and technology and after many years, you start thanking the greats of Edisons, Marconis and Bose(s) for what they invented and then the nextgen technocrats for how they changed the way we deal our daily lives.

The science and technology has made us survive with our routine in current situation as we realise that intelligence is artificial, office is virtual, learning is digital and family is the supreme.

Corona has made us sit back and reassess the ‘Lessons Learnt’. It’s just a glimpse of what is in store for the future. It’s upto us as humans, how to evolve further or Darwin’s theory might just continue its run in a reverse mode.

Image Courtesy: Tata Steel

Disclaimer: The article merely looks into the current status post Corona and is an individual opinion.

Corona ! A new way of life..

Corona!

What a beautiful name?
Simply put, it’s the crown everyone would want to possess but not anymore 😀

It came, it conquered, it destroyed !!

One always wonders why such beautiful names are synonymous with natural disasters? Scientists will have their own analogy, but common man would never understand Katarina hurricanes , Bulbul cyclone, Abu volcano and now this Corona virus.

Virus!
By all means it’s an agent which can multiply it’s negativity manifold and can impact human beings when they get in contact with each other. Antibodies then come to rescue to get rid of such virus and we simply say antibiotics worked. But the fact of the matter remains, it’s negativity which is thrown out by the antibodies.

The struggle with Corona has just began. With no remedy in sight, the ‘Corona’ has made the world divided and united at the same time !!

It has made people quarantined to stay away from their families, society as they are looked upon with all the suspicion and on the other hand they have been made famous with their names being circulated on the social media.

If Corona brought cheer to sluggish pharmaceutical shops as mask is no more the proprietary of 2 wheeler drivers, then those in tourism feel hidden faces have impacted their survival, at least in short term.

Movies, Bars, IPLs and get togethers are no more a reality but online shopping, Netflix and Hotstar are the new way for family bonding.

If work kept people away from home, Corona brought families closer with the new ‘IN’ thing WFH (work from home).

Corona has brought some fundamental changes to our lives.

Namastes are no longer orthodox, NEWS are beyond any religion, Vegetarians are respected for their lifestyle and the world has moved closer. But the virus will remain stronger, till it meets its antibody or till the humans figure out a way to fight it out.

Corona as it’s called is the name of the new disaster and we will feel it’s anxiety till it’s not out of our minds and the biological system. Till then, be safe,be alert, meet each other positively keeping ‘Corona’ out of your minds and take care of yourself.

Disclaimer: The views about Corona are personal and do not comment on any individual or any official.

Image Courtesy: CNN

The mystic Diva! Divya Bharti

As I was browsing through some newspapers, a small corner on one of the pages, remembered the late actress Divya Bharti on her 46th birth anniversary. 

All of 16 years and a special talent was launched on the big screen and by the time she turned 19, she was gone. Only 3 years in film industry and to be remembered even after 27 years of her death, then she was by all means a super talent for sure.

The death was not natural and many stories floated around. The buzz ranged from marital discord, some underworld connections to assuming that she was not able to handle the pressures of glamour world and its demands. The fact of the matter is, a young girl lost her life for no cause and the reasons remained suppressed forever.

The reality might be hidden and the truth never prevailed, but for those 3 years, Divya Bharti had a dream run and she gave all those superstars, jitters worth a remember. The girl next door image was enough for teenagers to find a new youth icon whose rise was meteoric and the fall was equally unfortunate (a literal fall to death)to make her a memory in no time.

Some people are born to make a mark in short life and their exits are remembered forever. Who knows? How the Bollywood history would have been written had the teenage sensation of Divya Bharti lived a normal life rather than being called the mystic diva.

Image Courtesy: Navbharat Times

Disclaimer: The article primarily brings in lost memories of a teenage sensation and does not comment on any cause of the untimely exit of the late actor Divya Bharti.

‘Namaste Trump’ is the new buzzword in Ahmedabad and the city has gripped itself in a makeover to showcase its best face to welcome the POTUS Donald Trump.

Ahmedabad is by no means another city and Sabaramati river front knows how much water has flown under the bridge in last few years and then Agra will see the most powerful man visit the  monument of love ‘Taj Mahal’.

The visits of US president have historically been used to show the strength of relations between a most powerful democracy and the most populated democratic nation.

The current visit of the big man is seen by many as personal, political or by all means a way to capture the Indian voters in the forthcoming presidential elections in the United States.

As the opposition raises its voice, one should go back to history and see what recent visits of respective US presidents has achieved for India.

The Cold War era meant, India had to walk a tight rope of non-aligned countries. It was with charming icon of Ronald Reagan that an Indian Prime Minister in Rajiv Gandhi caught the glimpse of young India making its presence felt in the US of A.

The senior Bush and almost the entire tenure of Bill Clinton saw a status quo relationship with India and with no majority government and policy paralysis at the centre, India lost an opportunity to build the relation with the powerful nation.

Clinton chose Hyderabad over Bangalore and had its own share of the opposition in terms of the venue. However the visit was a perfect launch of India as an IT hub which even today generates huge revenues for the nation.

By all means, it was Manmohan Singh, who had the guts  to openly accept the relationship with the US. The junior Bush and Obama played the perfect counterparts which ultimately broke the ice between the two nations.

NaMo has taken the relationship to a new level where both partners stand tall and equal.

Keeping the Presidents away from formal relationships in the past meant, our neighbours had an opportunity to get closer to the US and getting immensely benefitted in terms of financial and defence surge.

With 1.3 billion people as a base, India stands as one of the biggest market of the globe.

The future of relationships is directly correlated to market whether its defence, jobs, technology, medical sciences or human to human connect. Modi has identified this pulse and with such a large canvas available to global players, India has the key to a better future and it does not need to run behind the superpowers. The mutual relationship will benefit the country in the long run.

The time is perfectly ripe for India to play to its advantage rather than getting engulfed in controversies and play to its full potential.

How the future course of country changes will primarily depend on how we exploit the situation to our advantage.

Image Courtesy: Dainik Bhaskar

Disclaimer: The article is a self expression looking at the visits of previous POTUS to India and does not intend to make any comment on political vision of an individual or a party.

Delhi Elections Exit Poll

The Delhi exit polls clearly favour Arvind Kejriwal, halfheartedly accept Modi-Shah duo and completely decimate RaGa politics.

The Delhi results have always produced  surprising results. If onion prices threw Sushma Swaraj out of power, sent popular Sheila Dixit into retirement, the voters made it sure to make hero out of Arvind Kejriwal, thanks to anti corruption crusader Anna Hazare.

Kejriwal has successfully nurtured an image of a non corrupt, humble, pro-poor CM who believes in free for all schemes. The image is extremely difficult to break and to his credit, Kejriwal has successfully held on that image for 5 years.

Modi-Shah duo for that matter were always interested in improving the numbers in Delhi . They seem to be succeeding in the short term goal.

If the Exit poll comes true,, it would underline few important aspects of any election approach going forward.

Kejriwal has proved to be a quick learner. The day he realised that bad mouthing the central policies and the Prime Minister, impacts negatively on him, he has managed to stay away from all the publicity and focused on Delhi. It’s a general observation that whenever one targets a popular leader, election results are impacted(Ask Devendra Fadnavis what went wrong in Maharashtra).

A local face is must for every election. Gone are the 2014 days when Modi wave won the elections for BJP. Post Madanlal Khurana, BJP could never get a local stalwart and Kiran Bedi or Manoj Tiwary are no match to Kejriwal. It’s time, some local leader stands and deliver for BJP, else the broom will wipe out the ambitions of the saffron party.

The biggest looser is RaGa and his politics. What Kejriwal understood so quickly, RaGa has failed to realise. The more he speaks, more it hampers his party. A bad mouth can generate publicity but will never convert into votes. RaGa has to remember that he is Gandhi and needs to maintain a stature so people can follow him like his predecessors of the first family of the Congress.

The media to its negative credit has ensured publicity is the key. It has successfully held topics like Shaheen Baug, CAA, communal discord and kept afloat its TRPs. One wishes, media uses its reach to the people in a constructive manner. Watching them gives a feel that nothing goes good in this country.

The biggest positive takeaway from the outcome is the maturity of voters. They seem to have voted for the development and not for the optics. However one hopes, the politicians remove the masks on their face and ask for the votes and the voters on their part have the capacity to unmask the real faces of the politicians irrespective of the political party.

Disclaimer: The views mentioned in the blog are personal and do not align or reflect views of any political party.

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Image Courtesy: Jagaran