I am very glad the Indian team physios have spoken out in defence of SachinTendulkar in lieu of the atrocious allegations made by Mr.Manjrekar in his now infamous article. It was surprising that being a close friend of Sachin's he would have come out with such an article. Nevertheless, i hope the physios have cleared any misocnceptions harboured by Manjrekar and other critics about Sachin's injuries so that henceforth people think twice before jumping to ridiculous conclusions about his form and committment to his work.

               I don't understand what Sanjay Manjrekar was trying to establish through his article,"Sachin dont be afraid of failures" in the 'Times of India' today. He thinks Tendulkar is afraid of failures. To quote his first lines,"Sachin Tendulkar has played 362 ODIs n 132 tests. Its time he started thinking like a man whose played 362 ODIs n 132 tests." Surely, a man with such experience n records in international cricket neednt worry about failures! He continues to say that Tendulkar retains the same eagerness n enthusiasm to play but is still unable to accept that his body may not be as supportive. Excuse me, Mr.Manjrekar, I dont think u have done ur homework very well. Tendulkar has mentioned it dozens of times when answering the dozens of questions thrown at him about his injuries that after 16 years in international cricket, it is not as easy for the body to behave the way it did earlier in his career. He came to terms with it long before the writing of this article which may also explain the apprent change in his style of scoring runs over the last two years.
           Manjrekar goes on to say,"I have found his recent,long absences from the game quite strange." and then he goes on to narrate some baseless events n leaves it to the readers to draw their own conclusions. He makes it seem as though Sachin's injuries weren't real or rather made to seem more serious than they actually were! He seems to think that Tendulkar's absences from the game were planned! Im outraged that knowing Tendulkar's committment to his profession and the team,such things are being written and said about him. "The Tendulkar of today gives me an impression that his main focus is not to fail!And he wants to give himself the best shot at that by competing only when he is in his prime, physically and mentally." I dont understand what the writer is trying to say here. R u saying, Mr.Manjrekar, that Tendulkar should be competing even when he is not completely fit to play his best?? Wouldn't that be taking his place in the team for granted and putting the team at a disadvantage?? For a team to succeed consistently, every player has to contribute. Hence, isn't it natural that if he's had such serious injuries, he would want to wait until he sincerely feels 100% fit, physically and mentally before he starts palying again??
        The article has been written in a very sly manner, praising the batsman and at the same time throwing doubts on his credibilty as a player and his dedication to the team. As a Sachin fan, it annoys me to read such atrocious nonsense being written about him. I have complete faith in him and I know he will make his critics eat their words through his performances and leave no room for doubt in anyone's mind about his abilities. At the end of the day, it is Tendulkar alone who  understands his game best and is hence better off  than seeking the advice of such people who have clearly and rather foolishly given up on him.

Some regard it most precious,
Some have no regard for it,
Some consider it eternal,
Some know its not.

Some hate its uncertainties,
Some try to make it secure,
Some lead it dirty,
And some lead it pure.

Some have found no better teacher,
Some never sought to learn from it,
Some allowed it to be their guide,
Some let it be their master.

Some are forever guarding it,
Some just give it up for others,
Some mess it up with their own doings.
Some let their doings make it better.

Some see it as a beautiful painting,
Some see it as a blank wall,
Some think they’ve had enough of it,                       
Some think they just cant get enough!

            U sure cant get enough of life! …..Right about this time every year, one comes across quite a few articles in da papers of youngsters ending their lives in fear of their results…I messed up my results but man, am I glad I didn’t do something stupid like commiting suicide!…it makes no sense, no sense at all! Cuz its not the end of the world, there is SO much one can do with their lives if u make up ur mind to! Life is too precious guys; we all tend to mess it up at times but even so, its not worth giving up.

P.S- the poem above doesn’t reely have a direct connection to what I had to say…I jus came across it while going thru my documents…had written it years bac, its still unfinished but it revolved around life so I thot I’d use it to put my point across.

Hey guys, i found the poem below in a book n thot i'd share it with u:

To laugh is to risk appearing the fool,
To weep is to risk appearing sentimental,
To reach out for another is to risk involvement.
To expose feelings is to risk exposing your true self.
To place your ideas, your dreams, before a crowd is to risk their loss.
To love is to risk not being loved in return.
To live is to risk dying.
To hope is to risk despair.
To try is to risk failure.
But risks Must be taken, Because the greatest hazard in life is to risk nothing.
The person who risks nothing, does nothing, has nothing and is nothing.
They may avoid suffering and sorrow but they cannot learn, feel, change, grow, love or live.
Chained by their attitudes, they are slaves, they have forfeited their freedom.
Only a person who risks is free.

I have been getting into quite a lot of trouble lately...i have surprised myself in the guts i've shown n the risks i've taken....the poem kinda made me feel good about myself u knw....like its really brave to be taking risks....n thats true, cuz u cant learn unless u dare to risk it....playing it safe doesnt help in the long run...we tend to stagnate....but one should know to differentiate between risk taking and gambling...risks r calculated n planned and gambling is like shooting in the dark...taking risks helps u gain experience and if it fails, we know what not to do the next time...healthy excercise reely!..n nice justification for my actions ; )...so if u have conviction, go ahead n risk it! Cheers

Yesterday.....it seems so far away...
Yesterday....it had all my joys...
Yesterday....my loved ones were at my side....
.......Today....i stand alone....
Peering through cobwebs of sorrows,
Searching in the horizon,
For the yesterday....
My yesterday....sigh! it seems too far away!

P.S.- yes, board results out...surprisingly not suicidal yet...shockingly poetic instead!...was worse than imagined...neva got so low in my life!....learnt a good lesson tho....

 Lack of sleep, constant sweating, rapid heart beat, high blood pressure, stress, anxiety and loss of appetite. No, its not hyperglycemia. Parents, if u notice any of the above symptoms in ur child, he or she is suffering from an acute case of Result phobia. That’s right fear of results, fear of underperformance and fear of not living upto a sea of expectations.
           Just today morning I received a call from a family friend in Mumbai. Instead of the usual (and more courteous) “How are you?”, I was greeted instead with “How were ur results? How much did u score??”. And asked with such anxiety that it would seem like a matter of life and death. Frankly, it is nearly a matter of life and death for many. But the problem is that the ‘many’ here doesn’t really refer to the students, it refers to their parents and the rest of the family who in many cases show more pronounced symptoms of result phobia than the child itself! Mrs. Raghavan, the family friend was not the only one. I happened to receive three more calls enquiring about my board results which are still a day away ( Thankfully!). With the Maharashtra board results so close, it is not a good time to be in my shoes or for that reason in the shoes of ne of the thousands of students who’ve taken the exam. It is during this time that u suddenly realize how many relatives and friends one has! Calls keep pouring in to enquire about our results. It makes me wonder why anyone beyond my family would be or should be so bothered about My result? Something tells me, its not genuine concern. Perhaps, people get some sort of sadistic pleasure out of it. In any case, it only makes me look forward to my results even less.
          My point is this- It is us, the students, who take the exam, who are forced into attending ever so many classes, who have to handle the stress of competition and the pressure of living upto the sky-high expectations of parents, each of whom believe their child to be a genius! We are the ones most affected by the results. It is our future at stake. It can make or break our self-confidence and indeed our careers. Parents of course are also equally affected and that is justified. The rest of course have nothing to do with it! Nothing at all! Then y must I be obliged to inform each of them of my result?! They didn’t bother to wish me Best of luck, no, but they’ll be there to offer their fake sympathies and give their clichéd advices on life and career. They don’t really care what happens to me, they just have to satisfy their curiosity n hope that I fare a bit worse than their own child so they can feel better about it. Now that is simply evil, if u ask me! I am answerable to myself and to my near family. People who sincerely care and who want the best for me. So I’ve decided I’m not going to take any calls tomorrow. Even if I get a ninety percent ill celebrate it with my near and dear ones because I know itll mean the world to them.
        In fact, me and my pals, we made a pact yesterday. We are NOT going to ask each other about our results. Results aren’t going to change nething for us.….cuz between us, nothing else but friendship matters; between us, we don’t need to give ne answers or explanations; between us, its just Us- us having a good time together and being there for each other as we have been so far. To our parents, if we don’t perform well, we promise we’ll put our heart and soul into whatever we do and make it up to them. And as for the rest of the world- u should jolly well learn to keep ur annoying nose out of other people’s business!

                                                                                                         31st May,2006  
If yesterday was bad, today was worse…..I still haven’t won my friendship back and today a bit of the guilt I was fighting against yesterday has entered and settled itself inside me….i don’t think its planning to leave very soon…by evening, my results were out and I was not mentally prepared to handle my parents….they weren’t angry, no, I cud have handled that….they were hurt….it was killing me to see them like that…..i had no explanation to give….it was all my fault…..
........Like I had mentioned yesterday, the past week has been a roller coaster ride…..started off having a great time with my close buddies…somewhere in between a relationship that ended before I could realize it and that nearly ruined a much more important relationship with a  dear friend….left me feeling confused and upset….i thot I cudnt feel worse till today when I found out I could!….i don’t think I can sleep a wink knowing how I’ve let down the people I care for….i’m scared I’ll lose the one assured source of support and comfort in my life….who will I turn to then?….but thinking about it isn’t going to help…..sooner or later, I know things are bound to get better…..i just need to be patient and have faith….He will bring me out of this, wont He?

Im so upset.......in the past few months i have felt like shit, felt like a load of crap, felt useless, worthless, jobless, aimless.....but i havent felt quite as bad as i am feeling rite now....today im movng around in fear of ruining a very very dear friendship and of losing a very dear friend, one of my best friends.....all cuz of me.....or so i am to think......the worst part is im helpless...becuz nuthing i say or do now can change wot has happened....and its killing me to know dat i cant make things allright....its also killing me to find dat im still unable to blame myself for this....its not ego, its my conscience.....i dunno if my conscience is misplaced but it has supported me in my actions.........
........da past few days have been such a roller coaster ride...everythings been moving so fast that i havent really had time to think.....think....maybe dats smething i shd have done....no hang on.... i did think, i thought a LOT.....i guess i just wasnt thinking right....dats wen u need smeone to guide you....at the moment, i have no one to confide in....not for a while......but im so restless...had to get my frustrations out in some form..... i guess dat xplains da reason for this absurd blog....if u cared to give it a read, my apologies to u for an absolutely senseless post....for the time being, im gonna practice patience......cheers

         “Like Voldemort of the wizarding world, Ganguly is the ‘He-who-must-not-be-named’ of the cricketing world.”               
          
         What is with this new BCCI policy of ‘gagging’ our players?? Y are our players being treated like five-year-olds being asked to shut-up by their parents?? I saw the interview of Sehwag in question and found nothing wrong in what he said.Yet, da next day’s headlines ran “Sehwag warned for Sourav’s comments” akin to a pupil being warned of punishment by the principal and this pupil dutifully came out with a statement the next day saying “Sometimes, I regret saying things”. All da poor chap said was dat he missed having Ganguly in the team, a feeling I’m sure quite a few team members share. He credited Ganguly for the support he received from him and hoped he'd make a comeback. A genuine, sincere statement I thought. He did not voice his opinion whatsoever on Ganguly’s selection in the team or on whether he’d actually make a comeback or not. But alas! With the BCCI, wot was said didn’t matter much because the mere mention of the name Ganguly is enough to rake up a fresh controversy. Like Voldemort of the wizarding world, Ganguly is the “He-who-must-not-be-named” of the cricketing world! Just like wizards fear to take his name, players fear to name Ganguly lest they should receive a spanking from the board. So players, u don’t mention Mr. Sourav Ganguly, whether to criticize or to pay respect to. U just delete it from ur vocabulary n if an unfortunate acquaintance goes by the same name, well I guess u could suggest a change of name!
             Even on the burn-out issue, the players have been forbidden from having a say. Of course, y wud neone in their right minds ask the Players for their opinion on the issue of Player burn-out?!! Atleast dats wot Mr.Shah seems to think. Yes, happy we are indeed to see the reigns of our cricket board in the hands of such bright officials.                                 
            But at the end of the day, every player wants to steer clear of controversy, even at the cost of sacrificing his constitutional right to speech. So next time they are called for an interview I guess they just pretend they have a contagious oral disease that prevents them from speaking. Im not sure if the journos wud buy it but it’ll keep the Board officials happy no doubt. In typical Shatrugan Sinha style, “Khamosh!” is the order from the principal and wot do the pupils have to say? “Yessir!”

   One day you and I will reunite with this earth,
   Fall into the sands of time,
   Never to return again as you and I.
   One day, we'll be a handfull of ashes,
   A body burnt with a soul still alive,
   A soul set alive-
   With the wisdom of death and the bliss of salvation;
   Free to float beyond the boundaries of existence,
   But caught once again in the immortal hands of time,
   Only to realize the further we drift away,
   The closer we reach,
   To the edges of creation.
   And even the bliss of moksha cant match the ecstacy of rebirth,
   And we rush to embrace it,
   With arms wide open,
   Through the sands of time and
   Through the earth we return,
   Reborn from the ashes and reignited with life....
            ...Life, we cant do without,Life, we cant be without,
         Life, even with all its ups and downs, a treasure we cant
         part with.Truly, arent we lucky to be alive??