The last lot.

In India, every kid born in the early 90s would probably have been exposed to Cricket more than any other sport. It marked the beginning of the era of the Indian batting genius who went on to become probably the greatest batsman in the world- Sachin Tendulkar. Every kid was either trying to be a Dravid or a Ganguly and their parents didn't mind it all. Gully cricket was everywhere, from manors to masjids. Cricket was a game which united the masses, poor and rich alike. It was a good way to spend time during the vacations as the youth had a balanced share of both exercise and fun. Local teams and small time tournaments were oh-so-common. Cricket was all about fun, passion and most importantly the spirit of the game. Even the kid who went to a city run municipal school and lived a hand-to-mouth existence was respected by his richer counterparts as a batsman if he was good at the game. The equipments needed weren't all that tough to get either. Unlike Baseball being USA's 'national pastime', Cricket was India's 'National ardor'. The so called national game of India- Hockey was (and is being still shown thorough neglect) but the government seemed more than happy for the way things were going for Indian cricket
Y2K arrived soon and it signified the rise of the video game era. Cricket slowly started to lose its popularity among the affluent youth. Video games were the in thing. Inevitably, the latter was here to stay. Kids preferred staying home and staying up playing video games and browsing the internet rather than playing outside on a sunny Sunday morning. The kids from the 90s on the other hand relished the sport even if it rained; infact the rain added to their enthusiasm. One may get bored of video games after a certain time of continuous gaming which is not the case of Cricket. After being coaxed to play outside most of them don't really try to enjoy the game. No one really dreams of being a VVS or Sachin. Heck, most of them can't bowl overarm or hold a bat properly.
But the intriguing part is, the entire blame is not theirs. Cricket known as the Gentleman's game has gradually, with time, turned into a businessman's game. It has become commercial, in India atleast. Selectors earn more money than an MBA grad who slogs 9-5 at his workplace. And the sad part is, the selectors aren't doing a noteworthy job. Nepotism and regionalism now haunt the potential folk. Tournaments have become leagues. T20s have taken over the longer format of the game. The IPL may have found many talents but it totally overlooked the fact that the greats of Cricket such as Sachin Tendulkar and Wasim Akram grew up playing on the streets and didn't have the means to get themselves enrolled in popular cricket clubs. Street Cricket in Mumbai remains alive only in Shivaji Park; and with football slowly getting popular among the youth, the Gentleman's game seems to have taken a backseat. The current convention considers guys not familiar with Manchester United and/or Cristiano Ronaldo as uncool. The upshot? They try taking interest in a sport which they don't really fancy and eventually end up liking it primarily due to peer pressure.
The internet can serve as medium for online Cricket tutorials too (although personal coaching is irreplaceable). India may have won the World Cup, but may have lost the battle to keep Cricket alive in its purest form.

Drifting away

In the middle of a monkey bridge
About to go down from both ends
Its was just too late
to make amends.
Everyone was on the other side
I just stood there yet to decide.
What caught my eye was the water around
Wandering sights set nowhere specific
I was nowhere bound.
From the other side they stare
It looked as though they didn't really care.
Introspection wasn't on the cards
Hope was faint
Thus inevitably the ropes gave way
Pushing me away.
Holding onto the broken frame wouldn't have done me any significant good
Letting go off them was an option to be discarded.
Happened as it had to
I plunged underneath
It was all dark..water everywhere..struggled to breath.
There lay ahead a waterfall
Waiting to add to my woes
Deeper I went..Higher the others rose
To be in their shoes I now dream
Dragged by the mad turbulence of the river, not a gentle stream
Daisies I could have plucked when they bloomed before me
I now merely marvel them from afar
I know where the trunk of happiness rests, but I still search the key.
I lost they won
Is all I can say
I'm dragged into oblivion
As I came undone.

Times to cherish in times to come

It's been a while since I wrote. A really long time. Now that things have settle down after a very hectic few months, I decided that I really have to find ways to enjoy. This enjoyment had to mean something other than video games or TV. Something had to be different.
So we took a vacation to Lonavala, a very scenic place in the heart of the Sahyadris. Mingling with nature and embracing it like never before was a different experience all together! A 16 km cycle ride, a walk amidst the clouds and a few misadventures ensured that the trip would be an enjoyable one.
After we returned, a few of us figured out that we were really missing the serenity of Lonavala and felt a dire urge to experience nature at its best again. Soon we found ourselves at Sanjay Gandhi National Park, a week after we arrived at the concrete jungle.
The cycle trip and consequent trek at Lonavala really motivated us to feel good about how long we can walk/trek/cycle. Trusting our endurance we went ahead and decided to take a 6 km stroll to Kanheri Caves. Celebrating each kilometer we traversed, we finally reached the 5.5 km mark, gasping viciously we were soon in for a shock. The last 500m was an uphill climb. The ascent sucked the life out of our already tired legs but eventually we realized that all that struggle was worth it. The waterfall which lay before us was really picturesque. Below our feet, we saw the whole of Mumbai. There were couples galore, we jokingly mumbled to each other about how unfortunate we were to be in the company of each other and that we should have bought girls along instead! All that was followed by a tired walk back to the place where we started. We knew something was missing. And that something was a Safari. For just a dollar (Rs. 50)we saw the most majestic mammals to roam the earth viz the Royal Bengal Tiger and The Great Indian Lion.
Awestruck we were at the sight of such magnificent beasts. We soon made our way back to the entrance. And there we were surrounded by cars,shacks and a claustrophobic mechanical ambience. Contrasting atmospheres really made us look back and realize how much fun we had. Like they say 'You don't really know what you have until you lose it'.
The search to fill our stomachs ended when wee spotted a certain 'Hotel Ramdev' and rejoiced. Needless to say, we hogged our hearts out. After a much needed lunch we bid each other goodbye and headed back to our homes. An inevitable text soon arrived on my phone which exclaimed about how much fun we had that day and how tired we were. A few lines and laughs were shared. But trips like these remain etched in our memories for a long long time. The roasted maize, witty chats and comebacks, the lies we tell at home to elope from the monotonous parental nagging, the tragedies, the moments of togetherness and the gaze at the near future are just too good to forget