just like that

19th March,2006 will be an important day for all of Sachin fans. That was the day he was booed off his homeground after his dismissal. Sachin, atlast, they said had become mortal. People begun to come up with statistics saying how he has underperformed in the last few years, how he no longer deserved a place in the team, how he has never won a match for India single-handedly - the no. of hows seemed endless. This post is not as much about a debate about all that but just an attempt to view his life from the side of a great fan of him.

Leave alone others, even Sachin couldn't have dreamt of the great heights he were to reach when he first took strike in pakistan in 1989. Over the next few years, he became the undisputed god of a cricket crazy nation. I grew up idolizing him as did million others. That WorldTel signed him shortly afterwards for an astronomical sum was a surprise only to those who didn't follow him. I think some of his best knocks were during the 1996 World cup. The way he would tear apart attacks was truly a sight to behold. He was easily the best batsman in the world right then. But his best was yet to come. We have seen batsman win matches for teams but Sachin in 1998 won an entire series for India. The knock he made under the lights after that desert storm to get us into the finals is easily one among the greatest innings ever.

For me, it is not as much about all those knocks as it is about Sachin, the human being. To remain as simple and unassuming as this man has been is a lesson to any youngster, whether he is into cricket or not. That his words could calm an entire nation, which was furious after India's miserable performance in the first two matches of the 2003 world cup, speaks volumes about the great force behind that child like, smiling face. Time and again, so called experts have criticised him and his response has always been only through the willow.

Although I continue to be a great fan of his, I have to admit the fact that the spark is missing nowadays. He is still undoubtedly one among the best around, but, even he would acknowledge the fact that he is nowhere near his best. For cricket own's sake we need the "little master" back. Now that he is off for a couple more months due to a surgery, it is a good time for him to sit down and find out where it is going wrong. As Kapil Dev rightly pointed out, only he can judge exactly where he is , both physically and psycholgically.

I have always dreamt of India winning the World cup. Next year would probably be the last time Sachin plays the World cup. Nothing can be a greater feather in his cap than winning the World cup itself. For the sake of millions of fans like me, Go Sachin, Go! Win us the World cup!

The time has finally come for our seniors (known as PGP2 here) to pack up and move on. Two fun-filled years at this wonderful place and off they go, to start a new phase in their lives. Most of them are happy having got their dream jobs – after all, this is what we all came here for.

As far as my interaction with PGP2 goes, I must admit that it was very limited. Living on a floor where there are no seniors doesn’t help the cause in any way. I still remember the first time I had a serious chat with one of the PGP2 people. It had been less than a week after I had come on campus. I was at the dinner table, eating all alone when one of the seniors (Who I will later come to know as Arun) sitting two chairs away invited me to join them. Arun, who was also from Chennai got me introduced to a few more PGP2 guys at the table. He had lots of wisdom to share with me, particularly considering the fact that I was eating all alone even after a week on campus. I soon developed a respect for him and he was the one person in PGP2 whom I could approach without any apprehension at any time.

During the course of the year, I also came to know of Govar and Jam. Jam (I still keep forgetting what his real name is) is the man when it comes to quizzes. He was a de-facto member of all the interest clubs, conducting quizzes for them. However, what impressed me most about him was the way he involved himself with the summer placement process of our batch. He was there right through the entire process - shouting, chiding but at the end of the day getting the work done. He is unofficially known as the “saare panch” placom member. He was quite active during the parties too doing both the D’s – drinking and dancing. I have had a couple of friendly fights with him as to which batch is better – PGP1 or PGP2.Govar, on the other hand comes across as a secluded person. A self-confessed computer geek, he is well respected by our entire batch. He is supposedly one among the best bloggers in India. And the best thing about him is that he comes across as a very simple, down to earth guy when you talk with him. None of those “I know all” types despite him actually being one.

Now, we come to the guy with whom I was always comfortable with – Angshuman. I was a part of a marketing game in IRIS, headed by this guy. We had a great time as a team (also consisting of rashmi, sandhya, cijin and arun) while preparing for that game. It is through him that I came to know Kida, another amazing guy. There were a few others like dejo george, who inspired me a lot. I actually sent in a nomination for the events coordinator of IRIS, simply because I wanted to follow in his footsteps and do a great job. There are a lots of other people about whom I heard a lot but never quite got the opportunity to interact and know better.

Now that they suddenly have to leave, it is a strange feeling. Though I don’t feel sad or anything that these guys are leaving, Iam not happy either.Those long queues during snacks, the intense matches, the nightlong parties, the mindless spamming on the newsgroups – all this simply wouldn’t be the same without these people. Nevertheless, I guess life moves on.
Ok then, for the entire batch of 2006, I wish a wonderful time ahead in their lives. All the best people!