Nothing is worth her!

This is my first attempt at a short story. Kindly read and leave me your valuable comments:

“Why don’t you buy something to gift her?” asked his friend. “Don’t you want to show how much you love her?”

They were all shopping for gifts either for themselves to carry as souvenirs of the trip or to gift it to their loved ones. The weather was typical of the place – misty and cloudy with chilly winds blowing across the hill. Seenu’s friend had just bought a namesake gift in the name of his latest infatuation and was not even sure whether he would gift this to that girl. This made the question more ironic.

What would Seenu reply to that? Did he not want to show Shaila how much he loved her? Did he not have enough money to buy that elusive gift which would show how much he cared for her and how much he thought of her? Could he not have bought some little ornamental thing and pass that off as his gift to her? Why was he simply staring at the shop and meandering around while the rest were busy buying something for their loved ones?

He was just lost in his own world. Since the time he had set foot on that hilly terrain, he had realized that he would miss Shaila. He would miss her every moment during the trip. It was the perfect spot for couples wanting to be together. It had everything – the pleasant weather, romantic locations, and cozy little cottages, and wide walkways, sights of the lush green mountains, milky waterfalls, and occasional tender drops of rain. This kind of weather would make everyone long for a companion. His case was no different. And the fact that he had gone there with his office friends and the unexpected last minute changes in the trip made things even worse for him. He just tried not to think of her much and enjoy as much as possible with his friends. But her memories kept coming back…

The weather was part sunshine, part cloudy and part rainy. It was the same kind of weather when Seenu had first told Shaila what he felt for her. He just told her how much he loved her and wanted her as his companion. She had responded by telling that she would stay with him forever, and that no matter what happened, she would always love him. Too bad, the situation did not allow him to take her with him this time. The setting of the place was very similar to “Cloud Nine” – as wonderful as the lyrics of the popular Bryan Adams’ hit song:

When the moon is bright and the stars are out…
Whatever comes it’s gonna be alright…
cos’ tonight you will be mine- up on cloud number nine…

The rain came down in small droplets, each little droplet reminding him of her sweet, innocent looks. The fresh breeze from the mountains carried her fragrance. The sound of the mountain birds carried her melodious voice. The white misty peaks reminded him of her pure love for him. She was just everywhere that he saw. He just wanted to be with her so badly. And yet, that was the only thing he could not do…

How could he express his love and care for her? Could a small ornamental gift fully express what he was feeling for her? Could some costly present fully carry the enormous emotions that were rushing through his heart at that moment? He looked at all those items and just decided against buying anything. Someday, he would gift himself to her. He would dedicate his entire life for her happiness. He would take her to that very place and ask her to choose whatever she wanted from the entire lining of shops. He would try and fulfill all her wishes. Because she was the most precious gift that god had given him and he would spend the entire life in trying to make her feel like a queen.

It was then that he answered his friend who asked the question, “Nothing is worth her!” He meant it.

Disclaimer : All characters are fictional. Lyrics from the song by Bryan Adams. Producer : Bryan Adams

Paris... Done!

People thought someone like him with no extraordinary powers could never be in the great league… people thought his career was over when he surrendered his coveted crown last year to his nemesis … people said he would never be able to win on this surface ever… people thought he would never win again…

And then, he came back and won.... again!

There has never been a moment in my life where I have regretted not knowing a language as badly as yesterday when I lamented not knowing French. The man, the living legend, arguably the greatest player ever to hold a tennis racquet ever – Roger Federer had just won his fourteenth slam – his first Roland Garros title, the only grand slam to have eluded him so far. He had finished a career slam – only the sixth person in the history of the game to have achieved the feat. It was a real emotional moment for the great man. No one else could describe the moment better than himself and there he was doing exactly that in fluent French. I just watched his facial expressions when he spoke, the tears in his eyes, the ecstasy in his manners – they said it all. This was one title which he had to win to prove himself. Now that he had done it, Federer's name would go down in history as one of the modern day greats.

Roger Federer is my favorite sportsperson ever. I never followed tennis before but he is the reason why I started watching the game. I say that not because he has now won all four grand slams or that he has equaled Sampras’ record of 14 grand slams. The one distinguishing quality that makes me admire him is because of the charm and grace he exudes. He does not have extraordinary powers like the others. He does not have the power and stamina like Nadal. He is just pure talent and hard work which is why normal people can relate to him. He restores the people’s faith in old age graceful techniques in an era dominated by hard hitting, high stamina players. He is grace personified. Whether in victory or in defeat, he never has a bad a thing to say about anyone and that is one of the characteristics of a great sportsman.

People make fun of his “on field crying”. But at least he does not give animal like shrieks and does not shout abuses at everyone like the others. Besides, the crying also shows how hungry he is for success and how human he still is. He works very hard for each of his matches and never blames anyone for his failures. He never gives up anything easily and the pain of losing hurts him. Thus he has every right to display emotion after achieving his hard-earned success.

Some people criticize Federer that he never wins against the big players in big games. That too against his nemesis Nadal, his record has been pathetic. But if that was the case, how could he win 14 grand slams? Also, the other big guys like Nadal and Djokovic have never made it to the semis as many times as Federer. It is really a tough task to consistently reach the final four of major tournaments, let alone winning it. That too, he now has a slam on all the surfaces which only five people have managed to achieve before. Some people say that they would have been more happy if Federer had beaten Nadal on clay rather than Robin Soderling. But it is not Federer’s fault that Nadal lost to Soderling in the fourth round match. With all due credit to Soderling, I would like to make the following statement – “In his prime, Federer would have never lost to someone ranked above 20 in the fourth round of a tournament. It took a great player like Nadal and an epic five setter to snatch the coveted Wimbledon trophy from him last year. But Nadal, considering that he is in his prime right now lost his strength – the clay court French Open to someone ranked way below him” This alone proves the difference in their consistency. Nadal still has a long way to go.

When Nadal was ousted last Sunday, everyone thought Federer’s job was easy. With his nemesis safely out of the way, all that the great Fed had to do was win the title. But this made it the most difficult for Federer. Knowing that this was his best chance, he still had to win this one. And he almost came close to losing it to Tommy Haas and Del Potro. But the champion finally found form at the right moment and stood up to be counted when it mattered. This victory has now given him the confidence to take on any player on any surface. This way, Soderling has definitely helped Federer. Sometimes even champs need players like him to rediscover what they truly are capable of.

Most people have already started answering and debating this question – Is Federer the greatest tennis player of all times? According to me, this question is rather pre-mature. Federer is undoubtedly one of the best players of all times. But the question of whether he being the greatest can be answered only after the end of his career which is still a long way away. Also, his record against Nadal needs some polishing. It is a privilege for most of us tennis lovers that we have two of the greatest players of the game competing against each other. Nadal may eventually become the greatest player of all times. He just has to win the US Open to complete a career slam and a few more slams to come close to Federer and Sampras. And with the strength, fitness and talents that he has, Nadal might go on to become the greatest. But no man’s success can inspire us like the great Federer’s because he seems just like us. No player can ever earn the respect and admiration that Federer has earned by virtue of his grace and humility. That alone makes Federer take the top place in the list of all time greats.

Last year, after the defeat at Wimbledon, most of the Federer fans were devastated. All his fans were faced with the same question – what next? This year’s trophy has given everyone of them a reason to cheer and celebrate. The champion has come back to break the shackles. Take a bow, Roger!!! Now that he has taken all four grand slams, it is time that he realized that the greatest competition for a champ like him lies from within. Stage is all set for a comeback at the prestigious All- England Club. I wish he does it this time and stamp his authority on the game like no one else. Go FedEx Go!

The Underdog rises!

“My strength was my weakness” says Advani

“My weakness was my strength” says Manmohan

This was one of the comic strips featured in a leading newspaper recently. It sums up the story of the season – the resurgence of the underdog; the victory of the person considered to be the weakest. All through the election campaign, the BJP claimed that it was the strong force in this elections and its prime ministerial candidate was the best in business. They even started attacking Manmohan Singh directly by calling him a “weak” prime minister. Manmohan did nothing but wait for the election results. When they finally came, the party which considered itself the strongest had fallen flat on their face and the weak prime minister had returned for a historic second term at office.

This year the electorate has chosen a very stable government. The belief in people that this government will save them from the economic crisis showed when the sensex soared more than 2000 points in a day when the government came back to power. The people have made a good decision in choosing one of the national parties with wholesome majority, but being an avid supporter of the other national party, all I can say is that this decision was not the best. After all the years of service to the nation, the strong candidate did not deserve such a humiliating defeat. But I feel that the BJP has got itself to blame by being over-confident and indulging in negative campaigns.

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When I wrote about them in an article two weeks back, little did I hope that the royal challengers from Bangalore would be qualifying for the finals of the Indian Premier League. But as in politics, this season of cricket has been just about that – “the rise of the underdogs”. Who would have imagined that the teams placed at the bottom of the table last year would be playing in the finals? All through this tournament, the teams that looked the strongest on paper have fumbled when it mattered the most. And in contrast, the teams considered to be weak have had the last laugh in tough situations.

It is still an irony that an Indian captain has never been able to lift the IPL after 2 spectacular editions. Out of the four semi-finalists, three of the teams were led by Indian captains. The Delhi Daredevils were the strongest in the tournament. And yet, when the big match came, they were sent packing by the explosive Deccan Chargers captain Adam Gilchrist. Even the final game had Royal Challengers’ name written all over it but the team gave in to the pressure and ended up on the losing side. For all the efforts the legend jumbo had put to take his team to the finals and even restricting the opposition on the big day, he did not deserve to be on the losing side. It is such a nice irony – all through the league, Bangalore managed to win the tough games and beat the strongest sides in the tournament when they were considered the underdogs. But on final day, they looked the stronger side and still managed to lose the game. The underdog had to win!

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This is perhaps the best of the three underdog stories. While all the above stories were being written on a national or international level and had the entire media attention, the script of this story was being written silently in a remote village of Karnataka. And that’s what makes this story extra special. A young girl from a poor agricultural family in one of the most backward districts of Karnataka scored the highest marks in the recently concluded Pre university examinations. The girl, Shruthi S K belongs to a poor family of Jyothirlingapura, a village that is 15 km from Harapanahalli taluk headquarters in Davanagere. Her father is a farmer and her mother works as a domestic help. They did not have electricity in the house till middle of the year when they got a light-bulb under the government’s “Bhagya-Jyothi” scheme. The girl used to travel in either private or state government buses everyday to her college and then come back home and study. Her success story is really an inspiration for all students. When so many students in the city who go to the expensive coaching classes and still complain about the lack of proper study facilities, this girl has proven that when you have the will power to succeed, no one can stop you from achieving your goal. The achievement of the girl is truly commendable. I wish her story inspires many more students like here to achieve success.

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I leave you with these three stories to ponder upon. If you have been constantly labeled as an underdog or a weak person, please don’t lose heart. Every person is unique in his/her own way and will definitely come good in their respective fields. History has proved it time and again. If you have the will to succeed, nothing can stop you in your endeavors and you will definitely win.

5 things the elections have taught

“Let me see how these people will go it alone this time. They will definitely need my help to survive!” thought Laloo.

“I am the king maker this time. No party can rule this nation without my support” thought Maya.

“I will take my revenge on the other party of my state by keeping them out of the next government” thought Jaya.

“With all the exercises going on to secure allies, who knows, I might end up being the prime minister once again” thought Gowda.

“The communist party is still strong and we can control the next prime minister like a puppet” thought Karat.

So there they were… the so-called leaders of the nation in the warmth of their bungalows, on the night of Friday the 15th of May 2009 hoping that the next day, as soon as the results were announced, the leaders of all the national parties would come begging for their support and that they could dictate terms for the next five years with some 10-50 seats under their control. They even had secret ambitions of leading the nation themselves. They would be the "king makers". They would be the power centers. They would be more important than the nation itself. They had every reason to feel like that with almost all the exit polls predicting a hung parliament for the country and the decisive roles these people would go on to play for the next few years. How wrong they had been!

Today, all those Paswans, the Yadavs, the Mayas, the Jayas, the Naidus, the Gowdas are alone in their homes, watching the TV with a sense of disbelief. Each one of them has been made to eat the humble pie. No one will turn to them now. Forget about dictating terms, they don’t even know if they will be presented with at least a ministerial berth if they decide to support the government. They don’t even know if they will be approached for support in the first place. They have realized that there is only one “king-maker” in this land – the common man. The Indian voter has spoken – "We don’t need a government that is run by one person and controlled by many others in the background according to their whims and fancies. We need a government that responds to what people want".

The elections of this year are really significant in the entire history of democratic India. Our country is now at such a phase where a strong leadership at the centre is absolutely essential for the dreams and aspirations of the nation to turn real. Also, the time has come to send out a strong message to the world that democracy would eventually be the best form of government for a nation as big as ours. For all this to happen, a clear and concise mandate by the Indian voter was absolutely crucial. And the voter has finally spoken… and in a manner that only an Indian voter can!

To me, the results of these elections mainly convey the following five important points:

1. Democracy Wins
Yes, no matter how skeptical you are about its advantages, democracy ultimately wins. This election was all about creating awareness among the young and upper middle-class voters by means of campaigns such as “Lead-India”, “Jaago-Re”, etc. It was about telling everyone how important it is to cast your vote and be counted in a democratic nation. Although this did not translate into an increased percentage of voters on the Election Day, it has proven to be success. More and more people from upper middle class and the younger generation have realized the power of voting. Many people could not vote this time as the campaigns to enroll their name in the voters’ list was started a little late. But I am sure; these elections have certainly created the urge in people to participate in the voting process. In the coming years, the number of people who vote will surely increase. And with the voter getting more and more intelligent, this is real good news for democracy.

2. Only development is the issue
One thing that has been decisively proved by the voter is that all the pseudo-issues do not matter. The voter votes for only that party which promises development. People just ignore the candidates who have a tarnished image. And the candidates have slowly started realizing that they cannot win an election with money alone. They need to be accountable. This is one of the greatest messages according to me. It has worked a great way in restoring the faith of the people in the institution of democracy. Also, the Election Commission being very strict about the spending of candidates has made it tough for the rogues and criminals to win. Caste, religion, money did not matter. Varun Gandhi’s hate speech did not help the party, neither did Shibhu Soren’s criminal record..

3. Performance matters
The clear message sent out by the voter this time around is “Perform or Perish”. Those leaders that enjoyed power but did nothing for the voters were rejected out rightly by the people. While those who showed improvement significantly were bestowed with more power. Veteran leaders who have shown improvement in their respective states like YSR, Sheila Dixit, Navin Patnaik, Nitish Kumar, etc were voted back to power while the ones who did not do much good to the people were defeated.

4. Nation comes first
Our country has adopted a multi-party system where anyone can form a party, win a few seats and hope to have a say in the national level. But over the years, this has been misused by selfish local leaders for short term gains. The recent example of the election commission’s worries when it had to register yet another symbol for Chiranjeevi’s new party shows how confusing and trouble-some multi party system can be. But the voter has become smart enough to distinguish between national parties and local parties. Giving the grand old party a clear mandate is a step in this direction. This means that the time is up for any local leaders who think that they can dictate the terms of the nations having a few seats with them. This means end of days for veterans like DeveGowda, etc.

5. Exit polls are an utter waste of time
This has been proved time and again. After every election, the media, especially the television channels, conduct too many exit polls and keep screaming at the top of their voices that their exit poll results are the most accurate. They even start discussing the post poll alliance that the parties should look for and the potential future prime ministers even before the results are actually announced. This election has clearly proved the futility of such polls and it is high time that these are banned. If the exit polls were really such accurate, why did we need to conduct an election in the first place?

These are exciting days for the nation. We have a new set of leaders at the centre and a party with clear mandate. There will be no pressure on the party from its allies like last few years and it is free to act on its own. But the leaders also know that they cannot take this mandate lightly and become complacent. They have to take up progressive measures for the all-round development of the nation. How these people eventually fare will be known to us only in the days to come. But for now, there is only one king – the Singh. Let us all wish him all the best and hope to see our nation progress in the coming days. Jai Hind!