Swimming Diary - Water, my love .....

I was only 8 years. I didn’t want to swim. I hated that swimming pool. The long black lines in its floor resembled a big black snake ready to gobble me as soon as I was entering into the water. The water was green in color and it had a smell of bleaching powder. When I was dipped into the water, my eyes were just becoming red and it was burning. That activity of forcefully making me swim in a dirty green colored water, without my consent was termed as “learn to swim”.

Once they taught me how to float, and then started the menace. They wanted me to move my hand and legs simultaneously in different sequence when I was floating and for each and every sequence of my movements, they called it as “free style”, “back stroke”, “breast stroke” and “butterfly”. I hated that “butterfly” stroke because, as soon as I heard that there was a stroke by that name, I thought that I could take off from water and fly like a butterfly. But because of my innocence at that age, I was really disappointed and gradually I ceased from practicing that stroke frequently.

After these strokes were taught, I was bit elated because, I knew how to swim and I was also so confident that if I were thrown into water I can swim. I challenged my friends and I was proudly holding my head up and told everyone, including my coach and seniors that I knew how to swim. All these big-mouthed words were coming out of my mouth, when I was just 10 years old.

Once my coach heard these, he challenged me and I gave him my word that if I were thrown into water of any depth I can swim. At first I was standing near 10 foot depth portion of the swimming pool and I was chatting with my friend. Suddenly, I was pushed into water. I was taken by surprise. I went 3 foot inside the water and even drank some water. Then I came to senses and I came to know that I am running out of oxygen. Gradually I came up by pushing the water by my legs in a frog’s style and came up to see the coach. He was laughing and I climbed the steps in the swimming pool, came out and went to him and told, “Nice try”. He told that it was a messy way, but good show for your age.

After a week, he told me to try the diving board. I clearly told him that I am afraid of height. He replied saying that, “perhaps, you have forgotten the word given to me. If you were to be thrown in water, you can swim and now am going to throw you from the driving board.” He lifted me and carried me on his shoulders and went to the top of the diving board and I was crying. He then let me down on the top of the board saying that don’t force me to push. I replied wiping of my tears, “I’d rather push you instead of jumping” and the next moment I was set flying in the air.

First time diving into the water from 30 meters height. I could get a whole glimpse of the swimming pool. As I was going down the breeze kissed my skin and I could feel the chill. My wet hair was fluttering and the sun was setting along with me. The water splashed, and I entered the water like a spear head and because of the height from which I was “thrown in”, I had to go down inside the water and I had to turn my whole body up to come up. I came up swimming in “freestyle” and I could see the rays of sun at the twilight hours, inside the water and view of the silhouette inside the water was amazingly beautiful.

I came up and my coach came down from the diving board and stared at me. After few seconds both of us laughed together. Then he went to teach the other children. After few minutes, I went to him and shyly asked him, “Can I do that again”. The reply came instantly, “my lad, the diving area is yours and hereafter there shouldn’t be any tears or fears when it comes to swimming”. I nodded my head and ran towards the diving board, shedding both of them.

HELPING HANDS

This guy basically had a preconceived notion that “beggary is evil”. So, whenever he sees beggars approaching him, he just stands still like a rock till they go away from him. He classifies the beggar community as those who are physically fit, but unwilling to work; those who use small babies as weapons of triggering emotions and begging; those who are genuinely or physically challenged and has been discarded by the community and I sincerely don’t know, what is the parameter he sets to call a beggar, “genuinely” challenged, though he hates to offer something in form of cash or any other things which will be useful for them.

He went to a temple, where he saw an old woman, who was accompanied by a small boy and she alone was begging. She was physically challenged, and the small boy was playing here and there. He parked his bike as soon as he saw this lady and the boy he ignored as if no one was there and went to temple and came out and left. He used to visit that temple every alternate day.

Once, after coming out of the temple, he saw that small boy who was with that old woman, near his bike. At first he got disturbed and went with full of anger towards that boy. As he neared his bike his anger was melting down because he came to know that the boy has cleaned his bike and he also gave him the key of the bike which he left it carelessly. He bent down and took out his purse and gave him a twenty rupee note saying that, you protected and cleaned my bike and you earned this. The boy went and gave that money to the old woman, who kept it safely and gave him some coins, with which that boy bought some peanuts.

Next day, our guy was partying with his friends for a birthday party and while having his food in that hotel, he thought of the last night event, where that old woman hardly didn’t have anything to eat and could afford only a meager amount, that too for the boy and not for her to buy peanuts. Here, he was having some junk food, which is costly and was sponsored by his friend. He thought in two angles. One, the money is being spent merely for his presence. So, whatever his friend is going to pay is effectively the worth of his presence. Two, he didn’t earn that food and he is effectively a beggar according to his own maxim. It kept on pricking him till the next day.

The next day, as usual he went to temple. He didn’t park in the routine place because it was full and he parked where that old woman was sitting as it was the only free space. She saw him and smiled and he ignored and went to temple. While he came out, the old woman told that his bike was parked at “No Parking” area. Our guy, with an anger in his faced replied that, you are also sitting along with my bike and you have parked yourself in a “No parking” area and told her “let me show you who I am”. The old woman panicked. He crossed the road and went to a small shop and bought her and that boy some “idlys and dosas” along with side dishes and when he was buying this he thought that this is hardly 5% of what he ate yesterday and she deserved this because she taught him a valuable lesson.

He crossed the road, approached her and gave her and asked to eat them before it becomes cold. As soon as he started his bike, he found 3 more boys from no where and totally 5 of them were sharing the food which was for only 2 persons. Tears were flowing from his eyes, when he came to know that all beggars are not cheaters or lazy people. He was so happy that he was seeing them sharing from his rear view mirror and next moment he was hit by a lorry.

As soon as he regained his conscious, he found a group of people in ragged clothes (who were beggars according to him before he met with the accident) surrounding him in a General Hospital. They told him that his mobile was broken and they couldn’t contact his relatives and as a precautionary measure they brought him to that hospital.

Even though he gave something to eat, to few set of hands, a big group of HELPING HANDS came to his rescue, when he was hit.

IPL vs. WWE

As the second season of IPL is firing up, similar to Wrestlemania in WWE, this whole show of cricket is a well organized and appreciable drama for which you require talent to fool people around. Just like how Undertaker is maintaining his Wrestlemania undefeated streak, Lalit Modi has succeeded once again by conducting IPL 2.

This is how, from the very entry music, the chills created by The Undertaker (a.k.a. Deadman) and the mind games he plays both in the minds of his opponents (provided, if they are really wrestling) and in the mind of audience. No one can ever replace this man's record and create a new history as this man did in the World of Wrestling Entertainment. With superstars like Undertaker, Kane and few other critically acclaimed wrestlers, this "entertainment" has transformed into "mania".

The same is happening in the case of IPL. Apart from the normal T20s (i.e small matches in WWE for Tag team championship etc.), this IPL, (oh god, spare this ICL.... its an accident) is like Wrestlemania. Gone are the days, when cricket was also called as "Gentleman's game". Spending millions of money from small promos like pen, t-shirts etc. till buying Andrew Flintoff for Chennai Super Kings.

And i wonder why this concept of cheer leaders was borrowed !!

This man created ripples by creating unnecessary scenes and drama, starting from Indian Politics, by the name of security lapse for his IPL2. Its not sane enough to expect security personnel in India guarding stadiums at time of elections here, and he must also be wary of the capabilities of our Home Minister's potential to turn a small prick into an elephant, as he did for giving some funny interviews and reports regarding the provision of security personnel. The show, however didn't stop here. It took a flight to South Africa (mind you, along with Cheer Leaders).

Once again high drama was created there. Some of the notable ones are the interviews of Kolkatta Knight Riders' coach and Dada regarding his captaincy in the media and how Saurav tried that Sreesanth's show, (remember how he cried after getting a slap from Harbhajan) and some on field dramas like misfieldings, and how players forcefully drop the balls which would've successfully landed in their hands and the most hilarious incident in the match between Deccan Chargers and Chennai Super Kings on 04.05.2009. I don't know how Dhoni was coolly watching a silly misfielding by Jakati and an easy run out of Dwayne Smith’s. It could have been 1 for 4, but perhaps CSK's captain would have got instructions to do a "clumsy drama".

Come on folks, wake up !!!! These are all pre-fixed matches which are done legally, under the framework recognized by ICC. Cricket is not viewed as a sport any more, but similar to that of CRICMANIA which is unhealthy. Money is unnecessarily channeled for a sport which is already hooked up, unless it's genuine.

The worst part of all these issues is that, in the recent past few politicians wanted cricket to be made as the "national sport".

Let us not forget that hockey is our "national sport". If at least some 25% of what is being spent on cricket is spent for hockey, our National sport will flourish.

Open Book: HUMAN MIND

Open Book: HUMAN MIND

Open Book: If you lie, you shall cry

Open Book: If you lie, you shall cry