Sachin - in their words

Some famous quotation about Sachin :

• I have seen God, he bats at no. 4 for India – Matthew Hayden
• I saw him playing on television and was struck by his technique, so I asked my wife to come look at him. Now I never saw myself play, but I felt that this player is playing with a style similar to mine, and she looked at him on Television and said yes, there is a similarity between the two…his compactness, technique, stroke production – it all seemed to gel! – Sir Donald Bradman
• We did not lose to a team called India. We lost to a man called Sachin – Mark Taylor, during the test match in Chennai (1997)
•  India me aap Prime Minister ko ek baar katghare me khada kar sakte hain. Par Sachin Tendulkar par ungli nahi utha Sakte.– Navjot Singh Sidhu
• Harder he works, the luckier he gets – Ian Chappell
• I’ll be going to bed having nightmares of Sachin just running down the wicket and belting me back over the head for six. He was unstoppable. I don’t think anyone, apart from Don Bradman, is in the same class as Sachin Tendulkar. He is just an amazing player – Shane Warne
• He can play in any era and at any level. I would say he’s 99.5% perfect – Viv Richards on Sachin Tendulkar
• Beneath the helmet, under that unruly curly hair, inside the cranium, there is something we don’t know, something beyond scientific measure. Something that allows him to soar, to roam a territory of sport that, forget us, even those who are gifted enough to play alongside him cannot even fathom. When he goes out to bat, people switch on their television sets and switch off their lives – BBC Sports, on Sachin Tendulkar
• He has defined cricket in his fabulous, impeccable manner. He is to batting what Shane Warne is to bowling – Richie Benaud
• India’s fortune will depend on how many runs the little champion scores. There is no doubt Tendulkar is the real thing – Sunil Gavaskar
• There are 2 kind of batsmen in the world. One Sachin Tendulkar. Two all the others – Andy Flower
• Sachin Tendulkar has often reminded me of a veteran army colonel who has many medals on his chest to show how he has conquered bowlers all over the world – Allan Donald
• On a train from Shimla to Delhi, there was a halt in one of the stations. The train stopped by for few minutes as usual. Sachin was nearing century, batting on 98.  The passengers, railway officials, everyone on the train waited for Sachin to complete the century. This Genius can stop time in India! - Peter Roebuck
• Sachin is a genius. I’m a mere mortal – Brian Lara15. Sachin is the greatest role model I’ve ever met – Gary Kirsten

Source: http://www.sachinandcritics.com/quotes_on_sachin.php, 

https://rammipr.wordpress.com/category/sports/

Sachin - his road ahead

A week before I was watching the WC match between Aus & NZ. It was such a fantastic contest between the leather and willow! Despite Aussies losing it, Starc won my heart. The precision and the consistent pace were worth watching. As a cricket player myself, I understand the hard work that goes behind every performance at the highest level. And whenever we talk about hard work, I can't think of anybody else than the Master himself. There have been a lot of talks about his talent, of he being a child prodigy, of his passion about the game but for me what stands out is the "discipline". Incredible!

Let's take some examples:

1. Sachin practiced 12 hours a day at the age of 12-13 and used to doze off at the dinner table. 
2. Sachin doesn't smoke nor drinks.  
3. He ensures he gets good sleep before a cricket match. However before the match against Pakistan in the 2003 WC, he had a lot of sleepless nights. He was preparing how to handle each bowler to such an extent that he would have played an entire innings - in his head!
4. He would have a lot of discussions with the bowlers to understand their thought process when it comes to challenging a batsman. He would set imaginary fields and tries to see how he can work through them.
5. In English tours, there would be a lot of rainy day situations during matches. The rest of the players would be having a day out but Sachin would be the only person practicing with a tennis ball to face the bounce. 
6. Sachin and Kambli started at the same level. Both were equally talented and gifted in their own ways however when it comes to discipline, this is a solid case study of discipline in contrast. Kambli's performance took off in style and he bettered Sachin in the international stage. Success got to Kambli's head and his focus shifted to off-the-field or non-cricketing activities while on the other hand, Sachin was meticulously working on his batting. We all know what happened in the end

I can keep on writing on this topic however my main intention was to pen on how Sachin can contribute to the future of Indian Cricket?

India is a country gifted with the passion for cricket. While one indulges in cricket at a very young age, we have decent academies to ‘teach’ them on the technicalities. The difference is taking it to the next level and this is where Sachin’s contribution would be invaluable.

For e.g. What if Sachin can be the ‘coach’ of the Under-16 or Under-19 National side? Sachin understands cricket like no other keeping aside his experience on the field. It’s obvious that he is a demi god and the youngsters emulating him are like “grass is green”. He can provide such strong perspectives on the technical aspects of the game and at the same time provide thoughts on how to approach a problem. He can teach the young players how to read the bowlers, how to adjust according to the conditions and so on. I feel he should be kept away from cricket administration and should mainly be given the job of laying a strong foundation to the future of Indian cricket by coaching the U-19/U-16 national teams. What say? :)

TEDx Chennai 2012 was quite an experience

I have been a part of lot of events till date but have never seen such an enthusiastic and bubbly crowd ever.. Immensely dedicated, disciplined & talented ppl like Balaji Vijayaraghavan Balaji Ramaswamy Natarajan ShyamSundar Etios Aarthi Rajagopalan Gayathri Seshadri Kabeer Nen, Vignesh Srinivasan & so many of them not only made us feel young but motivated further to work harder! Guys, take it from me - you have a sensational future ahead! my best wishes for that..
Hari Balaji maintains a low profile and let his work do the talking! Exceptional designs my friend! Sheer brilliance!
Sandeep Chaetan is an experienced brat and thru his digital magic, made the social net work for us!
Last but not the least, how can an opera run without its conductor - Samuel Eddy himself?! Taking the bull by its horn aint that ez and moreover spearheading an event of this length & breadth needs nerve, skills and in the current scheme of things requires a lot of endurance.. It wouldn't have been possible without his leadership and vision! - RESPECT!
It has been an incredible journey and today, we all can sleep contended & satisfied!
Give yourself a standing ovation,a royal salute & a lot of applauds! You deserve it the most!
I am heartened by the love and respect showed and pl accept my sincere gratitude for all those kind words of appreciation! These would go a long way in my "pursuit of happiness" in the form of photography!

Looking forward for many such events 

Hewlett-Packard lifts Blue-Sky Corporate League Trophy (2006-07)

Hello All,

On a sunny Sunday morning, with the whole nation celebrating the festival of colors "HOLI", we entered the ground with a sincere attempt to rewrite record books, bringing more color and glory to the team.

Our last column had analyzed the performance of team during the most frenetic stage of a one-day match - the run chase. This time the focus shifts to the start of the innings as well our lethal bowling attack, an aspect which is likely to be vital in key tournaments on tracks which are unlikely to provide much cheer to the bowlers. The days of openers playing themselves in and exercising early caution have long been replaced by a whole assembly line of dashing, throw-caution-to-the-wind style of openers, making the new-ball bowlers' task a pretty tough one as well.

This was really the intention of our opening batsmen yesterday, but unfortunately after we were put into bat by Irevna Research, it was a pretty jolter of a start as we lost all the key players, Hemanth (a mistimed pull), Ramesh (dubious caught behind decision) and Karthik Sridhar (failing to read the line of the ball) very soon. Lakshmi Narasimhan and Rajesh Muralidharan then started to consolidate the innings, essaying few delicate cuts and square drives, which did not last long as they too lost their wickets to over ambitious shots after scoring 20 each. Manchi Rajanikanth too fell for a poor umpiring decision. This left us stranded at 60/6 after 11 overs.

Yesterday, to our advantage, Hewlett Packard had the batting experience and depth plus the resilience of K Karthik and K G Sriram to play sensibly under pressure. It looked like they continued from where they left off in the semi-finals. Their shot making and running between the wickets were incredible which enabled us surpass the early storm. After settling in, KG Sriram threw caution to the winds with two exquisitely timed boundaries and an amazing six which kissed the hoardings on the terrace. KG Sriram was finally out for a brilliantly made 30 off 30 balls. If KG Sriram was only very good,  K Karthik was simply outstanding. His unbeaten knock of 52 (39 balls) was studded with 3 fours and two sixes - a straight six being the pick of them. This knock won him the "Man of the  Finals" award. He displayed silky elegance as his innings was a signature of beautiful brutality. KG Sriram and K Karthik shared a partnership of 68 runs off 52 balls. Lakshmi Narayanan was finally unbeaten on 6. After a bad start, we took the total to really competitive levels, ending at 166/7 after 25 overs, giving some encouragement for our bowlers.

With batting coming good after an initial jolt, the big question mark was the ability of the bowlers to hold it together when they are attacked in the field restriction period of an innings. To everyone's delight, we did raise the bar and the bowling was truly outstanding. We picked up wickets at regular intervals and kept applying the pressure with innovative field placing.

As usual, Vikash, Ramesh and Rajesh were the pick of the bowlers. Ravindran and K Karthik supported them beautifully with their excellent line and length.

Vikash has taken his bowling to ultimate levels which enables him pick up wickets at ease. He looks like getting a wicket of every delivery he bowls. He was totally dominant yesterday picking 3 wickets with in-swinging deliveries. Ramesh and Rajesh (The Spin Doctors) really treated us with an outstanding and economical bowling picking 3 wickets each. Hemanth showed his agility behind the wickets accounting for two crucial stumping. Vishal substituting for Karthik, took an outstanding catch at long on.

Finally, it boiled down to 25 runs off 2 overs with only a wicket remaining in the opposition ranks. Karthik Sridhar accounted for the final wicket effecting a run out from where the celebrations started to begin.........as Hewlett-Packard won the finals of the Corporate White- ball Blue Sky League Trophy by 19 runs.

"During the presentation ceremony late in the evening, everyone started saying, the team to watch out for in the future, is clearly Hewlett Packard. They have the firepower in their bowling  attack, they have the depth and firepower with the bat, and they have the momentum. All they need to guard against now is complacency. We thanked all our well wishers and vowed to carry this momentum forward..."

Allow me to sign off as the statisticians are busy updating the player profiles. Keep watching this column as some amazing player profiles are going to treat your eyes today.

Think before buying a DSLR!

Recently one of my friend asked my opinion on buying a DSLR and like many others, he looked confused. Some 7 years back I was in the same fix however I did some research and went for a high-end point & shoot after considering the below points:

1. Necessity: First & foremost - identify the necessity. Why do you need it? If it's simple usage like taking some family snaps, random outings, family events and getting that straight into Social networking sites, a compact Point & Shoot is more than enough. 
2. Time: DSLRs are complex gadgets and you need to spend a lot of time to learn it. There are thousands of intricate things from settings to composition and if you do give that time to learn, you are not going to get what you actually want. Are you ready to spend time to learn the gadget? On the contrary, point & shoot comes with preset modes and you can directly click you way with some basic options. Saves tons of time.
3. Patience: Do you have enough patience? If not, simply go for point & shoots. DSLRs are complicated and you need to have a lot of patience to learn the mechanism even for a simple picture.
4. Spend: One of the greatest advantages of DSLR is the interchangeable lenses. On the contrary, this is a bane in itself because the lenses are extremely expensive. We do not a lens which is typically like a "fits-all" and hence you need to have different lens suiting different occasions. Lens are costly propositions and it ranges anywhere between 6k to 200k, based on the requirement. Not only the lens, as and when you grow, you need to keep spending (read: investing!) on equipment & accessories like flashguns, tripods, monopods, filters, extenders, bags etc. If you put all of them together, DSLR is a very costly proposition
5. Control: Do you want the control over the images you take or do you want he camera to do it automatically? if your answer is "I don't care!", go for a P&S.

Here's my quick tip for a starter: First buy a P&S and learn the nuances of photography. Once you think you are comfortable and you genuinely see your interest going, go for a DSLR.

Today DSLRs are fancy gadgets to have and literally everybody have it especially with low rates, but unfortunately I have seen so many cameras slipping into a deep slumber and eventually getting featured in online and mobile classifieds portal.
There may be thousand other technically oriented or feature based points as well, but above points are something which is very simple and preliminary which one may like to consider.

My $0.20! 

Health is much more than wealth!

I still remember those days, very early in my childhood. We used to get drenched in rain with no second thoughts. The only ways of games were outdoors and the computer games or gizmos were unheard of. We could eat literally anything from outside from the local bhaiyyas bhel puri shop giving a damn about hygiene. We could roll on the sand, play on the dirt, give the puppies and the street dogs big hugs without thinking much about hygiene and “keedas” factors. Falling sick was a once-in-a-blue-moon phenomenon and that too a tablet would be enough to bring us back to our toes and be up & running. I give the credits to the strong immunity system for the foods and the supplement mantra of our times – Dabur Chawanprash.

Today things are so different. Take the case of my housemaids young daughter Tamizharasi. She comes from a very hardworking, average earning family coming from the slums. She was brilliant in academics and literally tops in schools but was not faring very well in extracurricular activities. She was not malnourished but she used to fall sick quite often. The illness was not major but it was as simple of a cold fever or running nose which used to impel her to stay indoors. While this was becoming a steady usual phenomenon, soon came the time of the board exams. The girl had done exceptional preparations and was quite confident to top the charts. But unfortunately during one of the exams she fell ill and could not take up one last paper owing to which she was not able to clear the boards. This instable health was impacting her personality and she was getting into a shell, becoming an introvert more and more. Our housemaid completely depressed about this entire issue openly discussed this with us and we took her to our relative who is a doctor. After a brief investigation, he gave some simple vitamin tabs for the short run and a strong recommendation of Dabur Chawanprash as part of the daily diet. My mom quickly related this to my younger days and gave her a three month supply of Dabur Chawanprash. After a couple of months things started changing drastically. Tamizharasi is a fit girl now and being bedridden has become a thing of the past. She not only topped the school in academics this year but also got a medal for 100% attendance.  

I am a young parent and it gives me jitters when I think of my little girl’s health. Our world starts and ends with her. I want her to enjoy everything in life under the open sky and above the earth. While it’s good to live in a world of sanitizers and hand washes but don’t your kid to enjoy that feel of the young new born puppy at that animal shelter? Health should not prohibit her from experiencing all those small things in life which are priceless. While we take that one small step from outside by giving her Dabur Chawanprash, it protects her from inside to build a strong immunity system which goes a long long way. Dabur Chawanprash has been a doctor in itself 2 generations now, it would continue to be part of us for a long time to come. Our children today are ours & our nation’s future. Make them strong and healthy with: https://www.liveveda.com/daburchyawanprash/

1oo quick fire round - Sach ka Saamna!!

A very 'scrap book' kinda activity yet very interesting questionairre picked up from one of my friend's blog! I took a lot of time to decide whether to post or not however, sometimes this may be helpful for a lot of people! ;)
So this is literally "Kadhai Illa Nijam" about me -

LAST
1. Last beverage: Ultra strong filter Kaapi
2. Last phone call: Gudu
3. Last text message: Vinita
4. Last song you listened to: Senthamizhai Tamizhmozhi
5. Last time you cried: A few days back,, watching Yashraj singing Meri Maa (Taare Zameen Par) in Indian Idol

HAVE YOU EVER
6. Dated someone twice? Naah!
7. Been cheated on? Naah again!
8. Kissed someone & regretted it? Now dats a ‘check’question.. 'NO' is my ans!
9. Lost someone special? Lost in terms of?! Separated by death.. No!
10. Been depressed? Yeah.. so many times.. whenever India loses in a game of cricket!
11. Been drunk and thrown up? Naah,, not an ardent drinker!
12. Kissed a stranger? Wat do u expect?! Of course, No!!
13. Lost glasses/contacts? Yes,, once in Besant Nagar beach while chasing the crabs!
14. Had sex on first date? Refer ans no. 12!
15. Broken someone’s heart? Yes.
16. Had your own heart broken? Yes! wish I had three hearts like an Octopus!
17. Been arrested? Not until now, but may be in future for excessive usage of the internet..lol!
18. Turned someone down? Yes!
19. Cried when someone died? Yes..when one of my closest & most respected periappa passed away!
20. Liked a friend that is a girl? Be more specific.. ‘like’ or ‘love’?! Like – yes.. many!!

IN THE PAST YEAR HAVE YOU
21. Made new friends? Yes.. tats one activity where am consistently progressive YoY!
22. Fallen out of love? YES!
23. Laughed until you cried? Yes, many a times with Gudlu da and Tubai!
24. Met someone who changed you? Yes again!
25. Found out who your true friends were? Yes.. and somehow most of my frenz are (touch wood!)
26. Found out someone was talking about you? Haathi chale bazaar, kutte bhouke hazaar!

WHAT’S YOUR
27. Name: Sriram
28. Nicknames: KG, Sri, Dada, Babumoshai, Sid, S-R-I.. (Note: In terms of usage, the first one supersedes the ans to Q 27!)
29. Relationship status: 'Single-ready-to-mingle' types!
30. Zodiac sign: Aries
31. Male or female or transgendered: Male
32. Elementary: My dear Watson, elementary!
33. School: Svarna - a huge catalyst in my life!
34. Colleges: South City (Kol), Guru Nanak College (I consider that as a school though!)
35. Hair color: Black
36. Long or short: Medium
37. Height: 5’11″

FIRSTS
38. First surgery: None
39. First piercing: Ears.. when I was an year old..
40. First best friend: Sumu and Nendu literally my 'langotia yaars' since LKG and we are still the bestest of frenz..(touch wood!).. later came Shiva who became a part of the journey,, part of all ups 'n' downs
41. First sport you loved: Cricket, obsessed since I was 4!
42. First pet: none
43. First vacation: toughie!.. Palakkad/Madras (I suppose!)
44. First concert: Difficult to remember.. shud be a carnatic music concert in RR Sabha (Kolkata)

RIGHT NOW
45. Eating: Nothing, chewing a gum
46. Drinking: Nothing
47. I’m about to: Crash on ma bed!
48. Listening to: Kadri sir’s Sax (Paatum Naane from the movie Thiruvilayadal)
49. Waiting for: another weekend!

YOUR FUTURE
50. Want kids? Who doesn’t!?
51. Want to get married? Of course.. Happiness is not the only thing in life!!
52. Careers in mind? Restaurateur, Trainer/Teacher, Cricket umpire, Creative Director, Cricket Journalist..

WHICH IS BETTER WITH THE OPPOSITE SEX?
53. Lips or eyes: Eyes!
54. Hugs or kisses: First the hugs, followed by the kisses!
55. Shorter or taller: Doesn’t matter!
56. Older or younger: Doesn’t matter again! Age is just a number! (*Conditions apply)
57. Romantic or spontaneous: another toughie.. both I suppose!
58. Nice stomach or nice arms: Gosh… stomach!
59. Sensitive or loud: Sensitive.
60. Hook-up or relationship: Relationship.
61. Trouble maker or hesitant: Trouble maker, as far as she isn’t a part of any of the banned groups!

DO YOU BELIEVE IN
62. Yourself: Yes, cos am a theist!
63. Miracles: Oh yes! Else do u think that Ganguly would have been the Capt for India for 5 yrs?!
64. Love at first sight: YES! YES! YES!
65. Heaven: of course.. I go there every year,, its called 'Kolkata'!
66. Santa Claus: Never after I saw Mr. Shivaji Ganesan dressed as one!
67. Kiss on the first date: Refer to ans no.12
68. Angels: Yes..

LIST FOUR FAVORITE COLORS
69. Black
70. Black
71. Black &
72. White…
73. Have you kissed anyone on your friends list? Nope!
74. How many people on your friends list do you know in real life? My mom says don’t talk to strangers!
75. How many kids do you want to have? One, or a twin or a triplet!
76. Do you have any pets? No
77. Do you want to change your name? What’s there in a name..?! NO!
78. What did you do for your last birthday? My friends buyed a cake, putted it on the table, I cutted it with a knife and eated it! Took my team out to Creamy Inn for some Italian softies.
79. What time did you wake up today? Early morning 9:50 am..
80. What were you doing at midnight last night? Talking to PK about the Goa trip!
81. Name something you CANNOT wait for? Royal Enfield Classic 5oo.. any takers?!
82. Last time you saw your father? An hour back,,, he was quizzing me on my tax planning!
83. What is one thing you wish you could change about your life? I wish I cud.. Unfortunately there isn’t a ‘control+Z’ functionality to life!
84. Most visited webpage: Google
85. Do you have a crush on someone? Nope!
86. Ever been in love? Yes.. so many times since class IV..Do u want the count?!
87. Piercings? Ears
88. Tattoos? I lou it! Already have 2 and planning for 2 more!
89. Righty or lefty: Depends..but right mostly!
90. On Internet since: 1999.. lived in the Dark Age prior to that I guess!
91. Video game: Yuck! Let’s talk tat’s real & not virtual!
92. When left alone: would listen to Kishore da and get hooked to the internet

ANSWER TRUTHFULLY
93. Is there one person you want to be with right now? Yes.
94. Had more than one boyfriend/girlfriend at one time? Nope. Inge onnuke vazhiya kaanam!!
95. Wanted to kill some one ever? Nope.. I believe in Gandhigiri!
96. Among you blog mates, who would you like to kiss? None.
97. Committed a blunder and regretted later? Yes!
98. Wanted to steal your friend’s boyfriend/girlfriend? Nope!
99. Wanted to run away from your loved ones in anger, because they didn’t listen? Nope!
100. Posting this as 100 Truths? Yes!

Sobaaa!!