Stay put, stay safe!

It's an understatement to say that Covid-19 has hit every country, every economy bigtime.
The worst part is that in places like India, even the lockdown has not been able to flatten the curve. You could blame it on the poor discipline of our citizens or on the migration influx or on the resurgence (albeit partial) in people's activity and movement, post-lockdown,

Every time the Corona count (of cases and deaths) reaches a new high, we scale a new low.
It's time to junk all negative news and just focus on being indoors. Some people think being cautious and preventive means being foolish or timid. I read someone say "I won't die hiding like a rat".

Sure, but the times are such that it will be perniciously foolhardy to just throw caution to the winds, and not take any precautions. However frustrating it may be, it is best to stay indoors.

Yes, you may be bored, yes your hands must be fed up of being washed a thousand times, but as they say, you gotta do what you gotta do. This is not the time to be a Sehwag, be a Dravid right now. Bide your time, stay within your crease and do not give any room for error.

It will look boring, no doubt.
It will sap you ever so much.
But it will ensure you are safe.

This is the only way we can make it to the other side of the pandemic, or of any adversity for that matter - by being courageous and prudent, by doing all that we can, and by biding our time.
It's not for nothing that they say, tough times don't last, tough people do.
May everyone stay safe, healthy and happy!
Amen, and let's see this off together.

Playing just like Dravid, is so very crucial today
After this is over, we'll also be Sehwag one day!

Happy Birthday, Master Blaster!

47 years ago, the world did not know that a cricketing genius had arrived.
Of course, superpowers aside, one cannot tell or predict a person's fate or life's trajectory right at the time of birth.

I suspect that would've been the case 47 years ago too.
Not even in the case of the one who, as is widely said, was born to bat!

No one could have predicted that April 24, 1973 heralded the arrival of someone who would go on to change the course of batting forever, besides being counted in the pantheon of the greatest-ever batsmen.
No one had known then, that the world of cricket had been blessed with Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar.

Sample these stats:
(Each stat/record stands head and shoulders above anyone else as of today, even 6 years after his retirement):

Most number of international matches by anyone ever.
Most number of international runs.
Most number of international 100s.
Most number of international 50s.
Most number of man-of-the-match awards.
Most number of man-of-the-series awards.
Most number of 90s.
Most number of 4s (boundaries) hit.

Of course, these records are at the world-level and in terms of all-time-records. Not just through the last year or any particular span, but across every era.
Every record is about most number of ____: EVER.

In other words, Sachin is simply, THE GREATEST EVER.
Not that he needed stats to prove anything, but they themselves state this fact rather indisputably, I'd say.

Well, that sure is enough reason for people to be in awe of his precocious talent, and try to emulate and play like him. Okay, atleast be inspired and try to play somewhere around something like him.
But honestly, as pride-worthy as his achievements are, there is something even better, even greater than his superhuman feats.

It's how he is - not just as a player but even more so, as a person.
It's his balance and execution.
Not just in the field, while batting but even off-field, in how he has conducted himself even more admirably.
His (mental) balance and execution (of his behaviour) in staying sane, grounded, motivated, sincere despite all the superstardom, god-like status, temptations and accolades everyday from everyone have been exemplary.

Sachin is the name of someone who bridged the gap between goodness and greatness with consummate ease. The living embodiment of an all-time great sporting superstar who never stopped being someone you wanted your kids to be like.

Sachin's talent and ability to break in at the highest level when all of 16 and succeed to be the best made people admire and emulate him.
But his impeccable conduct and role-model behavior, with not even a tinge of rashness and brashness, with nothing out of place, made people love, adore and respect him.

As someone (among just a few billion others) who has grown up learning and being wowed by not just about his batting but about life, rectitude and propriety from Sachin, wish you many happy returns of the day, superstar!
Thankyou for making us find light in our lives and for cheering us on to not only take on the world's best but also be (and stay being) the world's best. While also being the best-behaved all the time. Think of superstars who can qualify on all these aspects from any field ever and you will not need to go beyond your fingertips.
May God bless you and your every wish Sachin!
Stay happy, stay blessed, and thanks beyond words for everything you have been and meant to us!

Go Corona, Go!

Tough times require tough measures.

We are in the midst of a crisis which has attained globally alarming proportions.

No day, no news, no discussion worth its salt is complete these days without mentioning the dreaded C-word.

Yes, I am talking about COVID-19 aka the Coronavirus pandemic.

As India confronts time under lockdown, many families are self-isolated and quarantined - as a reactive or proactive measure.

What hurts the most, though, is the plight of the people who are hurt the most the migrant laborers and daily wage earners from other towns, who have lost their daily source of income.

People have had to leave for their homes en masse, with kids in tow. Let's do our bit by comtributing in any possible way we can, by helping them and/or contributing financially to the PM Care Fund or to/through any such genuine and appropriate forum.

They need us, friends.

Let's do it India, for our India!

Jai Ho!

Lessons from Delhi

History, they say, has a way of repeating itself.

Perhaps that's why, when the BJP and AAP got voted back to power in Lok Sabha 2019 and Vidhan Sabha 2020 respectively, we called it a 'historic' mandate.

Now, it doesn't matter which side of the political spectrum you are on. You could be a BJP-bhakt or an AAP-iya - endearing suffixes coined by you-know-who for you know-who and you-know-why.

What matters from both these verdicts (oh, and I am assuming we are putting any EVM disputes aside) in this context, is that people have voted on performance and trust.

Of course, one has to also factor in populist steps taken by both governments - sops doled out by the BJP, welfare budget, etc. for Lok Sabha 2019 (LS '19) - and the much-derided freebies by AAP for Vidhan Sabha 2020 (VS '20).

Such measures aside (and having been taken by both the parties, in a way, they tend to also cancel each other out), as I thought further, some definite patterns emerge quite clearly:

Leadership's track record and perception
It is a no-brainer that for LS '19 and VS '20, we always knew the runaway leader. Think leadership in each of these elections and you could clearly see the incumbent as the front-runner, by a long way. Sure, one could debate the merits of each leader and oh-what-has-he-done and deride any/each of them as frauds or plain marketers. But the fact of the matter is that - right or wrong - both Modi and Kejriwal did manage to successfully build a clear perception that they were doing everything they could.
Both did some good work for sure, which resonated with the people and even more importantly, convinced the electorate that they were the right men for the job.
At least in politics, it is often so much about how-you-are-seen-to-be-doing things than how-much-you-are-doing.

The TINA Factor
No, this is not about Mrs. Anil Ambani but about the fact that There Is No Alternative.
Both Modi and Kejriwal have, despite any possible lacunae in their leadership or party/government, convinced people that they were our best bets when we went out to vote.

Partisan preferences aside, in today's date, who else do you see as a capable (forget better) PM than Modi right now? Rahul Gandhi? Or, any of the other opposition leaders whose appeal and parties do not have even half the nation's confidence?

Likewise, did even the staunchest BJP supporter feel a Manoj Tiwari could be the right alternative for Arvind Kejriwal? Could you even see a comparable leader from any party in mind as a worthy opponent or alternative to Kejriwal?

Centre and state elections are different
Another offshoot of the point on the vote being a reflection on performance, alternatives, and perception at these elections is that the voter has treated each election on its merit.
I am sure I am not alone in believing that the same person who voted for BJP at the Centre could have voted for AAP in Delhi. And vice versa.
If you are doing good work (or at least better than any others in the fray), you will be recognized and repeated.

Therein, lies the crux of what Delhi (in its LS and VS variants) has taught us.
Look for the right people. Vote for performance (though yes, it is also based on perception).
I like the positivity in these verdicts. They tell us that people can rise above party-based politics and elect a leader who will be able to deliver.
Or, at least seen to deliver.

Jai Ho!