Sports authority of India – Are you watching?

19 years old from Poland Iga Swiatek just won her first grand slam title in Paris defeating this year’s Australian open champion from USA Sofia Kenin. By doing so, she became first player male or female from Poland, a country of less than 40 million people (one sixth of Uttar Pradesh) from Europe to win a grand slam tournament. Agnieszka Radwanska from Poland had previously come close to win Wimbledon in 2012 but was beaten by Serena Williams. She played a great tournament just losing 28 games. No player was able to take a set from her and none of the set went to a tie break. That shows how dominating she was throughout the whole tournament. Not to forget her doubles run where she reached semifinals partenirng with Nicole Melichar of US. She hasn’t won any title, major or otherwise before coming into this tournament. Her best result was 4th round in this year’s Australian open. Though she did win Wimbledon 2018 but as a junior not as pro. One can argue that field was weak as world no 1 Ash Barty did not participate sighting COVID reason, Serena Williams withdrew from the tournament, world no 2 and 2020 US Open champion Naomi Osaka was out due to hamstring injury but that cannot be her fault. She did beat world no 2 and top seed Simona Halep in round of 4 in straight sets and also defeated world no 4 Sofia Kenin in the final to win her biggest tournament of life. Her overall game is very solid and forehand is even better. Apart from her game, she is so calm and composed which is very rare for a 19 years old player. When asked in the post-match presentation what her dad, who is an Olympic rower taught her, he taught me how to be a professional – said Iga Swiatek. Indeed one needs to be professional first because there will be ups and downs in the match as happens in life and one need to know how to deal with these situations. There is a lot to learn for us from this event. How can a country of just 40 million people produce a grand slam winner amidst pandemic? A young girl to go on to win a tournament as big as French Open without anyone breaking her a sweat. What are we doing or not doing to produce these champions? I am pretty sure sports authority have enough money to provide facilities to our young boys and girls to train better and eventually hold a coveted singles trophy in these major tournaments. Sports can do a lot not just for players but for a country too. It can bring a lot of money and lot of employment opportunities, especially in a globally recognized sports such as Tennis and Golf. Hope our people are listening and watching this. Hope things get better. I am hopeful and waiting for a day when someone will hold a single’s trophy at London or Paris or Melbourne or New York!

Is teaching for 8 hours enough?

 

When we are in schools and colleges, our main focus is to get a good job. The same is percolated to institutions and teachers so they also have curriculum based on jobs’ requirements.

But isn’t job or office only for 8 hours? What about the rest 16 hours?

Competition is important so is empathy, reaching to the top is everyone’s goal but through fair and honest way and not through deceit. Lending a helping hand to someone in need even when you are rushing to office will be appreciated more than what you can think.

We are not taught how to live life away from four walls of the office which is more than what we spend in office. It is even more important now as we are living in a digital era where human to human interaction is waning.

If you open any social media sites these days, it is mostly full of hate. People who hurl abuses or ridicule others are also professionals. They might have been the brightest student in the class but their language in social media speaks otherwise. Why can’t there be some common decency?

Some may argue that this cannot be taught as it comes from within but then how can hate come from within and not respect to one another, not disagreeing respectfully?

When we are faced with difficult situation we often breakdown because it is not taught how to stand up against challenges.  We certainly learn as in when we face these challenges but these can be inculcated so that we don’t fear challenges.

So much chaos is going on and it is only going to get worse. We should be taught how to lead healthy and happy life and not rich and ostentatious one. We should try to better prepare coming generation to be more compassionate, empathetic towards one another. Every race, every gender is equally good if only they get the same support.

Hope for a better tomorrow.

Have a great weekend! Stay safe.

Education should be for knowledge not for exams

                                                           Photo - Mangalorean.com

Recently government of India promulgated new reforms in education policy after 34 long years. As the world is changing at a rapid pace, education should also need to be kept relevant. It will help people to find right job as well companies to get employees of right skill set. Things needed to be changed specially in this age of digitized and connected world and government took notice to bring forth these changes for good.

We were taught in an environment where we focused more on exams than understanding the subjects. At the end of the day results were the benchmark and not what we actually learnt. This pressurized both parents and kids so kids did not get any opportunity to focus on anything other than scoring good marks. This led us to mug up things at times if we did not understand any topic or subject, just to pass the exams.

Any new change comes with set of new challenges too specially in a country as diverse as India. How the syllabus is going to be changed, how these new changes will be enforced especially when it comes to language, additional requirement of properly trained staff and also and most importantly the budget.

I hope these consideration have already been vetted otherwise it does not take much time for a situation to change from good to bad if not implemented properly as we have seen in the past, some of decision taken by this government.

Also, I hope the budget allocated is spent in a rightful and transparent manner. For example - when we spent 2.7% of GDP in education (which is less than many developing countries) still good 17% of it remained unused in FY 2017-18.

Out of all this one thing I do not understand is the obsession of changing names by this government. I am not sure what are they going to achieve by changing name from human resource development ministry to education ministry other than wasting money on paperwork.

As the government has clearly put the focus on skills and knowledge from exams I hope the same happens in politics too. Politics should be for governance and not for elections. There is always some election happening in some part of India. And when there is an election in India it becomes like a festival. Cabinet ministers, members of parliament, state legislative members are all on the roads to campaign for their respective parties leaving their day to day work. Honestly, current government has made this a habit to parade all their high profile ministers to engage in campaigning whenever there is an election rather than running their respective ministry which I unequivocally detest.

And last but certainly not the least, I strongly propose police reforms too in India. We haven’t made much progress on this front. We inherited the police system from British Raj and it is almost same since then.

Police should be to keep law and order in check in their local area and not to always serve the politicians and their families.

I hope things change as the world is changing, we adapt new ways of learning. We acquire more knowledge and less information. We get more governance and less noise. We get better policing where we feel safe and secure and less politics.

With this – Happy Rakshabandhan to you all !

Who to vote in the next general election?

As election draws closer, you get to hear a lot that if Congress wins it will make Maoists and terrorists happy and if BJP wins India will become a Hindu Rashtra. Both are very dangerous arguments. India will remain India and it will remain a democracy irrespective who forms the next government. Many thinkers and politicians said the same after we got our independence that India will be fragmented into pieces, but we have come this far despite all our problems and issues, and we are doing good if not the best.

Your job as an electorate is and should be to vote and vote for the right candidate. Candidate who can take care of the people in her or his constituency. There are many local issues like water, electricity, need of schools, hospitals, roads, sanitation, agriculture. Someone who can provide a better life to her or his people and not someone who will just make empty promises. Someone who will not divide based on religion, caste but will try to unite people.

Election should not be one-man vs the other or one-party vs the other. Our political system is different and there are many choices. As a voter you cannot be and should not be devoted to one party if there are better alternatives. As Dr Ambedkar said “in politics, Bhakti or hero-worship is a sure road to degradation and to eventual dictatorship.” One should always be mindful of that otherwise you forget what is right and what is wrong.

What we want is a nation where everyone is free to wear, eat, speak whatever they want within the freedom provided by the constitution. There is misuse of this power at times but then law should take care of that.

Many a times we happily share negative or damaging videos of someone you don’t like. We are served what sells the most. We should try to refrain from that as denigrating someone is not going to make your case stronger. Nobody is going to be helped by pointing fingers at each other. It will only generate hatred towards each other.

At the end you should do your bit to help in nation building. Do not drive on red signal, do not throw garbage on the door, switch off the electricity when you leave home, help someone who is in need, smile often, and more importantly ask questions when you feel something is not right.   

Whoever wins or loses, India will win!

Recognize good people

We got up early morning to watch 26^th January republic day parade at India gate after securing our passes.  We drove till Lodhi Garden and parked our car there and then walked down till India gate. There was huge rush to get inside as lakhs of people came to celebrate the festival of democracy. Parade starts at 10 AM but people started queueing up from 7 in the morning in Delhi’s winter to get front row seats. Generally, security is beefed up ahead of republic day and it was no different this time too. As we were getting inside from our respective gate for which we had passes, we were checked thoroughly if we have any prohibited items except mobile phones. My two friends got in and I was just behind them. As my turn came I was asked to empty the pockets and keep everything in hand. As soon as they saw car key in my hand and asked if it is a remote enabled one and they got affirmative answer from me, I was told in stern voice that I cannot be allowed to get in and alerted all the official around not to allow this person. I didn’t know that remote enabled items are not allowed otherwise we would have taken cab to reach at the venue. I was dejected that I can not see my first parade at the grandest stage. I tried to persuade the security official, but they didn’t budge, and their concern was quite legitimate.

I came out but did not want to miss the parade. My friend who was inside called me to pass the key inside, but I did not want to breach the security. I thought to hide the key somewhere or dig it but there were so many people and it could have been lost.

I asked police personal cordoning outside the gate if he can keep the key. He told that we keep moving around and I may not be here after the parade is over and, they put on the jammer once prime minister arrives, so phone network will not be there. I told him you please take it now and I will get it from you wherever you are and if not today may be tomorrow because I just wanted to get in. He finally agreed and that allowed me to get inside but by the time I reached, we lost the front row seats. He could have simply refused but he understood and helped me witness one of the greatest events of the largest democracy.

I watched full parade with lot of pride and took so many photos and videos. It indeed is a different experience all together. Watching women march in unison, seeing jhakis of some of the states beautifully embellished by live act and music, catching firefighter jets high in the sky.

Once the parade got over, I was thinking about my key. I tried to call him as I had got his number, but his phone was unreachable as jammer was still on. As soon as I came out I saw the gentleman standing exactly at the same place where I handed him the key. I was delighted not just to get my keys back but by the thought of it that he took it upon himself not to bother me. It was a true class act.

His name is Mohit and he works for Delhi Police. I have his picture as well but not posting as I do not know whether I am allowed or not. Give him a big shout out if you happen to meet him.

Paanch kahaniyan – five stories

Women understand women better:

I travelled a lot using public transport when I was in Toronto for 2 years. There generally bus does not stop once it leaves the stand even if you are late just by a second or two. But I was pleasantly surprised when I saw a lady bus driver stopping for a lady who was carrying two heavy bags and it was quite cold and windy outside. I was thinking why we don’t have more women professionals, we would have been better off. They understand each other better.

Appearance does matter:

Generally, I take office cab to commute for work but one day I had to come early so I took metro on my way home after office. As usual metro was crowded so I was standing by a pillar. Three stations passed by and I still couldn’t get a seat. One guy who seemed younger than me got off from his seat and offered me his seat. Despite telling him that I am OK and asked him to stay put but he still got up and insisted me to sit instead. I couldn’t understand why he would offer me a seat. I wasn’t looking tired or sick. I thought he might have to alight at the next stop, but he continued for at least 3-4 more stops. It got me thinking. After much deliberation in my head, it struck me that it could have been the case that I was wearing suit and talking in English. Is this the only criteria? I was happy to get the seat, but it dichotomized me that how people get influenced just by appearance.

Balloon seller at the signal:

While coming back from office, we were waiting at the signal at AIMMS flyover when a ten something years old girl came to our car to sell her balloons. We were not interested to buy balloons, but the girl was relentless. She dropped the balloon inside the car and immediately after, signal turned green and our car started moving. We tried everything from persuading to threatening her so that she can take her balloon back, but she didn’t budge. We finally had to throw the balloon out. Yes, they are living a tough life but what if some mishap happens and there are so many vehicles on the road? Also, I don’t encourage young kids to be wandering in the streets selling things for partly sum.

Encounter with another balloon seller at midnight:

Like any other night we were out for coffee at midnight. After finishing coffee at Galleria market, while our way back we were accosted by a balloon seller. He was pleading so that we could buy a balloon from him. Then suddenly, he started saying, Sir you spend so much in party and food and this balloon costs less than that of a beer price. That kind of infuriated me. We also work hard to get what we get, may not be in as tough conditions as they do but it doesn’t come easy for us as well. I was so put off and decided not to buy his balloons. Should I have bought his balloons?

Kindness goes a long way:

Once I had to go to Mexico Embassy to get my Visa. I entered into office leaving my bag at the gate, but I had to come out to get my office ID card. I opened the gate and asked the gatekeeper if I can take out my ID card. He agreed and said "Sir,aapne jis tareeke se poocha, mai aapke liye kitni bhi baar permission de sakta hoon" (The way you asked me, I can permit you as many times as you want). After taking out my ID card, I closed the door gently and did all the Visa formality.

When I was leaving, the guy comes and says, "Sir, yahan to chaprasi bhi pair se darwaja kholta hai, aap toh bahut gentle hain (Sir, here even peon opens the door by pushing his legs, you are too gentle)”. I smiled, and he reciprocated. Kindness goes a long way

Ending with a smile because it is contagious.

These are true stories. Comment below if you have any interesting story to share.
Tis the season. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Shaayari

वैसे तो फ़ूल सारे पसंद हैं इस बग़ीचे के
लेकिन महकूँ तो महकूँ मैं गुलाब की तरह ।
कहा वो मेरे आँगन मे खेल कर बड़ा हुआ
आज वो धूप भी मुझे देता है पैमाने की तरह ।
यहाँ कोई हिंदू कोई मुसलमान कोई सिक्ख कोई ईसाई
जियूँ तो जियूँ मैं यहाँ इंसान की तरह ।
वैसे तो सब एक दूसरे के रंग में रंगे हैं
गर बुलाया जाऊँ मैं तो रहूँ उनके तौर तरीक़ों की तरह।
अब बस एक यही ख़्वाहिश हैं की हर तरफ़ उजाला हो
क्यूँ हीं ना जलना पड़े मुझे जुगनु की तरह । - अनिल

Perils Of Social Media And Free Internet In India

While I am down with cold and cough and enjoying this sedentary life for past 2 days, I thought of livening up my blog after a long hiatus. 

As we are living in a free world and in a free society and are always surrounded by gadgets and internet we often fail to understand that we are missing more than we are thinking we are gaining.

We are earning and working extra hard to upgrade our mobile phones but not to upgrade our education or food or to insure health. We pretend to be a having lot of information but when it comes to knowledge it is scant.

Our priorities are changing. We are making new friends whom we may never meet and losing people whom we have known since childhood. We seem to have forgotten the word repair – if phone is damaged we get a new one, jeans is torn we order a new one, shirt button has come off, we buy a new shirt. Gone are the days when one cycle was used for 2 generations. Internet is taking away our life and we are not able to notice it. Everything is available at the touch of few buttons. We are losing our patience and it has a broader repercussions. If friendship is not working or there is issue in relationship we don’t come together to amend it but try to find ways to get away with it.

People go to places to take photos and not to enjoy the beauty of it. By the time they are back home they only have snaps and can’t remember how the place like was. They will record the fight between two parties and also broadcast it live but wouldn’t come forward to rescue them. Word fear has come to our life and empathy has gone from our dictionary.

Internet has almost taken our most beloved possession – bargaining skills. It indeed is a skill. We order everything online now, even groceries. I feel sense of pride if I can bargain even if it is a few bucks. J

Internet is full of fake news, biased information and preconceived thoughts and we are so credulous to believe whatever is served by internet that we don’t even check the veracity of the truth. We have to check from so many different sources to understand the truth and sometimes that also is not enough.

Use internet and social media wisely. Let us not become servitude to the technology. It is not bad but if not used wisely, it can get worse.

Take care and Happy Diwali!

The Masters Sunday

 

The 82^nd masters is already a memorable one with so many stories. Starting from Jack Nicklaus grandson holing in one in par-3 contest on Wednesday, Tiger Woods returning to masters after 3 years, Vandini Sharma putting up stories about her brother in the associated press, Tony Finau shooting 4 under in his very first round in the masters after having to go through MRI scan in the morning, Phil Mickelson hovering around the cut line and the defending champion Sergio Garcia shooting 8 over on par-5 15^th.

It has been amazing week in Augusta. The champion will be crowned tomorrow. Who will slip into the green jacket? We will know that tomorrow but by looking at the leaderboard it looks like whoever wins it, it will be his first masters win as two times masters champion Bubba Watson is 8 shots off the lead.

Patrick Reed and Rory Mcliroy are at the top of the leaderboard with Reed going into the final round having 3 shots leads. Will we be witnessing another Ryder Cup duel? Will Rory be able to avenge his Ryder Cup loss? After these two at the top, there is Rickie Fowler who had a great outing on Saturday shooting bogey free 7 under and currently sitting at solo third and then one shot off the lead is John Rahm. Can John Ram give back to back masters title to Spain?

Everyone eyes will be on Reed and Mcliroy. They have a great rivalry and patrons love to watch these two whenever they play each other. Reed hasn’t been this close in the masters while Rory can understand the feeling as he was in a similar situation in 2011 but blew it up on Sunday. The pressure will be on both. It will be a matter of nerves. They cannot afford to get carried away or look too far ahead. It will be a great spectacle of golf tomorrow.

Rooting for Rory!

First of many masters for Shubhankar

I haven’t waited this anxiously for a Thursday morning before. The excitement is over the roof as the young Indian golfer Shubhankar Sharma will be teeing off for the first time at the coveted masters alongside two local boys Rusell Henrey and Larry Mize.

After great 4 months and terrific play at world golf championship in Mexico last month where he led through 54 holes, Sharma got the invitation to play in the masters, the first of four majors. He is only the fourth Indian player to play in the masters. It is a dream of any golfer to play in this tournament and then getting to play this early in life is indeed a special moment for him and for the entire nation.

While all the attention will be on resurgent Tiger woods, Phil Mickelson who is vying to become the oldest masters champion at the age of 47, Rory Mcilroy who will have an opportunity to complete the career grand slam or Sergio Garcia who will try to defend his title after Tiger Woods did 16 years back. Each one of them is chasing greatness.

The field consists of some great past champions and some exciting young guns, but there is man who can inspire billion people back home if he does well. It will help increase games popularity in Asia like Tiger was able to do for US and for rest of the world.

Sharma is playing well and he is high on confidence. He is calm and composed and is not stupefied by grandeur of the occasion or is overawed by seeing his childhood hero Tiger Woods.

I hope he starts well on Thursday and carries on the momentum. He has got the great caddy in Mitch Knox who has experience of caddying a major winner and have walked on the greens umpteen times which will help him making better and informed decision while hitting the shots or rolling the putts.

Asian golf is in good hands but we need more players and role models to draw more people into this sport. A masters winner here can open the doors for this change.

Hoping for a strong finish from Shubhankar Sharma on his first masters tournament. All the best!

Go Shubhankar!

He tees off at 12:32 EST or 22:02 IST on Thursday.