2013-11-18

Tribute to Master Blazer and Bharat Ratna, Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar


A lil but shy teenager walked in the stadium with his bat and smashed the ball twenty four years back;
The hordes of Cricket fans gasped for breath as they saw the young man smashing the ball and driving seasoned opponents to the wall;
He was a young prodigy that must be groomed, cricket experts and seasoned players thought;
Little did they name that the young man would unite the country and strike an emotional chord with the nation;
He broke records after records, scored innings after innings, smashed centuries, tons and sixes;
Yet, he was human and failed at times;
After the high came the low notes and lull in his career,
he was not spared by critics yet he choose not to smash their heads;
He sets his sight on his game and, after all, this is what winners do;
His name is Sachin Tendulkar that resonates in all ears across the country and he is the son, brother, father of India;
He didn't let critics bug him and, in no time, he was back with a bang.
You hurled stones at him and he turned them into milestones;
He is the dream of a nation and every child, in the galli wants to grow up and became Sachin Tendulkar;
Centuries followed, milestones, innings and runs escalated like balls of snow;
He remained true to his 'self' and despite the milestones as well as achievements that only God could do, Sachin remained true to his roots and never forgot family background;
If cricket is religion, they say he is God:
Yet, the famous 100 100 tons eluded him much to the fans' chagrin and despair;
We batted for the World Cup where our God of Cricket will smash the 100 100 tons;
Yet, it was not meant to be but he won the world cup for us,
his team mates carried him  like he carried Indian Cricket on his shoulder for more than two decades;
Finally, he smashed 100 100 tons and centuries to prove he is beyond centuries;
Then, one day everything had to come to an end and we were shocked to hear that the Master Blaster and Grand Lil' Man will wave his favorite sports good bye;
We shed tears, after all how would we cope without Sachin, our hero and inspiration;
On his last day, he gratified our hearts with smashing innings and gracefully exited his home turf, Wankhede Stadium;
We thought that it was the end of Sachin route but we were wrong;
The hero reserved the last inning after the last match,
he spoke his heart and smashed another milestone straight in our hearts;
We shed tears as we watched him speaking from his heart when he shared the role that his eminent parents, mentor, wife and fans played in his life;
This is the true measure of the man who inspired us on the need to keep pushing ourselves towards the cliff and success will belong to us;
On the last inning, he united the whole nation as we batted for him and showered love, affection for what he has given us;
He is the last hero of our times as he brought a nation together, young and old, regardless of caste, creed or sex;
This is the power of the man, a phenomenon that cannot be expressed in words but felt within;
Cricket will never be the same without the God of Cricket and inspiration to millions across the globe;
Hey, take his name with respect, it's Bharat Ratna Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar.
God never retires and his name will always resonate in stadiums and for the love of the game.

This poem is dedicated to one man I have admired and loved, Bharat Ratna Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar. I admit that I followed cricket very late in life and was introduced to Sachin after 25 years but what struck me was his humility, modesty and how he brought a nation together despite the fact that he achieved so much in life. The true measure and success of a person is not laurels but the positive attitude and humility. I admire Mr Tendulkar a lot for someone who was determined to succeed in life and never lose focus in life during the rough times.
Thanks Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar. You shall be missed always on the cricket ground but will be loved forever.
Vishal


2013-11-17

WoW: The Shiva Tattoo


He wanted to ink this beautiful Shiva Tattoo on his neck but he was struggling to make both ends meet in Mumbai. After all, he promised never to go back home no matter what comes and he will make it in the city of dreams. After all, he was a struggling actor and his college pal has offered him a roof under the head. The whole world is going gaga over Lord Shiva and, after all, actor Sanjay Dutt and Amish's Trilogy, Immortals of Meluha, Secret of Nagas and Oath of Vyaputras made Shiva sexy.
One morning, he walked all the way to Colaba Causeway and past through the crowded corridor frequented by hordes of Mumbai where they are heavily bargaining for discounts on fake Gucci, Levis Jeans, Rolex watches and Von Dutch. He stopped near a pan shop and asked for a classic mild cigarette. As he lit the fag, he was struck by the sight of tiny bearded man sitting on the pavement. He couldn't stop himself and walked up to the guy, "Bhaiya, how much do you charge for a tattoo?" The tiny fellow face lit and sprang on his feet, "Sit down, bhaiya. I will make a beautiful tattoo that will win you hearts and your girl friend will never leave you."
He smiled sheepishly, "Do you make Shiva Tattoo?"
The tiny man straightened his body confidently and said, "What are you talking, Saheb? So many young boys and girls come to me and I make such beautiful tattoo for them at a good and affordable price."
"How much do you charge for one tattoo?"
"Only 300 rupees, Sirjee."
He haggled with the tattoo guy, 'No! No! It's too expensive and cannot afford that much."
The tattoo guy smiled, "C'mon! Sir! If you cross the road, you will find a tattoo shop and you will not be charged lesser than 2,000. Sir! Yeh Mumbai hai. Everything comes at a price."
He still wasn't sure whether he can trust this guy and who knows, whether he properly scrub and clean the area where the tattoo will be applied.  He walked away from the tiny fellow vying for customers but the guy would not let him go away from him. 
The tattoo guy chased him with the idea to clinch a deal, "Sir, 250 okiee 220.."
He ignored the tattoo guy but the guy kept stalking him for almost an hour and finally grabbed his hand. 'Sir, it's morning and make a good day for both of us and tell me your price.
He stopped and said: "Listen! I am dying to have Lord Shiva tattoo but I have only 150 bucks."
The tiny man smiled at him: "Sir! I take between 250 to 300 but you've taken Lord Shiva name, for you it's only 150." 
The tattoo guy led him in the by-lane as he signaled him to climb the wooden stairs. He removed his t-shirt and the tiny man cleaned his neck and in less than 30 minutes, the tattoo was done. The tattoo guy showed him a mirror and on seeing the tattoo, he jumped with joy, "Wow! Bhaiya! This is awesome and can you click the tattoo picture with my cell phone." He thanked the tattoo guy and walked way. It was a happy day for him and couldn't wait to show the tattoo to his flat mate and  best friend, Rohan, and girl-friend, Neha.
The tattoo guy put the 150 notes in the pocket of the dusty blue jeans and walked the streets on Colaba hunting for college kids dying for a tattoo. All of a sudden, a blast was heard. People were running and shouting frantically, "Help! help! Let's run away. It's is a terrorist attack."
A group of people run towards the tattoo guy, "Can you come along with us. A taxi has exploded near Gateway of India and a young man is stuck inside. Please help us," they pleaded.
The tattoo guy left his bag and materials on the street and run towards Gateway, along with the guys, and saw the taxi in flames. It took them half an hour to open the door of the cab to remove the young man's body that was soaked in blood. Suddenly, he saw a tattoo on the neck of the man fighting for his life. He had seen that tattoo before! If only he could remember where....

This post is part of Write Over the Weekend, an initiative for Indian Bloggers by Blog Adda.


2013-11-16

Tagging on a Saturday

Borrowing a cue from one of ma favorite blogger, sweetest and beautiful friend, Sneha's post (check the link http://snehabhatsepo.blogspot.com/2013/10/guest-post-tag.html), I am tagging myself to play this fun game we all love doing as kids. Uff! Finally! I did it and tried to be funny.

Rules:
1. You 'may' not remove any questions
2. If you don't wish to answer a question, you may leave it blank
3. No detailed description, for details people can connect seperately
4. Once you are done, you have to tag 5 people from the list of your followers
5. Live a message to the people to say they are tagged

I tried to be as honest and witty so that ma lovelies get a glimpse of me. Any wit end on ma part that fall flat on your face is disclaimer that I am in no way responsible for your irritating mood or the day gone wrong. Enjoy


Vital Stats
Me: Simply Vishal
Nicknames: Bachchan (Given by my closet college pals for my admiration for AB), Pappu
Do you have a middle name?
Hate the middle name..How I wish I could live without it, Brahmindrasingh
Birthday: June 24
Zodiac sign: Cancer
Male or female: Male
Occupation: Journalist
Residence: Mumbai/Mauritius/Pune. In short, global address
Screen Name: New Kid on the Block

Appearance:
Hair color: Black with brownish streak
Hair length: Long but unkempt
Eye color: Black
Best Feature: Eyes
Height: 6 ft something
Braces?: No
Glasses?: Yes..specky
Piercing: Nopes
Tatoos: Nopes but dying to..c’mon baby, show me what you got?!
Righty or Lefty: Righty

Your Firsts’:
First Best Friend: Adi
First Award: Never got one
First sports you’ve joined: Football
First real vacation: Goa
First concert: Amitabh Bachchan concert (as a kid)
First love: aye shapat..aha down memory lane..well too many coz I have a track record of falling in and out of love. I am an emotional sucker:)

Favorites:
Movie: Sholay
TV show: Kaun Banega Crorepathi/Comedy Nights with Kapil
Color: White
Song: Too many
Subject at school: English
Candy: Mint Chocolates
Restaurant: Savera in Pune
Drink: Coffee
Store: Levi’s
Animal: Horse
Book: Too many, long list..Harry Potter, Midnight’s Children, Shantaram and many more
Magazine: Filmfare, India Today and yeah, Cosmopolitan
Shoes: Woodlands

Currently:
Feeling: Sleepy head at work
Eating: Nothing
Typing: What else do you think I'm doing? Tagging myself by moving my fingers in the air!
Online: Yeah. What do you think I am doing? Flirting with the bachelorette….
 Listening to: 90s pop songs, title song Dil Ka Kya Kasoor
Thinking About: college days, first crush, silly dating-fling kinda, the ex
Wanting: running back to Mumbai
Watching: lap-top screen
Wearing: Banyan on shorts
Want Children: Dunno
What would you name your children? Pappu aur Feku..sounds  good, na?
Want to be married:  No
Careers in Mind: author of rom-com books/ actor and director

Where do you want to live?
Do you speak any other languages? Hindi, English, broken Marathi and French
Have you ever?
Kissed a stranger: Nopes
Had alcohol: On and off
Smoked: Chain smoker
Ran away from home: Na! How would I survive without home-made food
Broken a bone: Nopes
Got an x-ray: Nah
Broken someone’s heart: Not ruthless
Cried when someone died: Yes
Cried at school: yes
Been out of country: Yeah. I’m out of ‘desh’
Bought Something You’ve never worn: I always do that and give it away

Do You Believe In?
God: I am an agnostic!
Miracles: Yeah..chamatkar aur umeed se jeethi hai duniya
Love at first sight: How I wish! I am an eternal romantic
Ghosts: Yeah..I am fascinated with ghosts and wanna meet one
Aliens: Dunno but should be fun and exciting
Soulmates: Yes
Heaven: No
Hell: No
Kissing on first date: No coz it's a matter of luck

Finally:
What kind of style would you define yourself as having?
I love experimenting but at the same time love retaining old world charm. It’s a blend between the classic, jazzy and experimenting. Love the style I’m comfy with
What’s one thing most people don’t know about you?
There are certain things that I keep to myself and believe that spelling everything out is not the real ME
One thing in your closet you can’t live without: I swear by my Levis Jeans and white shirts
Guilty pleasures: Chocolates, sweets and my whisky

I am not tagging anybody but feel free to copy or paste. I wrote the whole thing since lovely Sneha made me do the hard work as one cannot copy-paste from Rendez Vous.

2013-11-10

Echo from the heart

Soothing music echoes in the deserted room,
as the cat looks around searching for the master;
The white feline runs around to search for the gentle voice, whispering' Meow'.
She dashed out of the room as the male voice gradually wanes out;
The cat jumps on the ruins of the historical building outside the deserted room;
She sports a look of despair to express, "Where have you gone, Master?"
The feline frantically search for the familiar voice singing,
but, it seems that the song is echoed only in the room;
She is confused and couldn't understand what is wrong with her ears;
Perhaps, it is an illusion or an inner call to the seeker;
If only she could speak few words, she would have called for him,
tears rolled down her cheeks;
Yet, the song was soothing and it touched her heart;
Deep inside, she knows that the song of life was reaching out to her heart beats;
She takes a nap on the floor as the song keep humming in her ears;
She turns around but couldn't see anybody;
She closed her eyes and dozed off;
The voice echoes in the room as a shadow looms around;
Yet, she was in a deep slumber and couldn't see him.

With Love
V

2013-11-03

Diwali Abhinandan



Diwali, the festival of lights where thousands Diyas are lit across India and countries where thousands of Indians have settled, their culture with them. The day we all wait where we look forward to gorge on sweets, light diyas and wear new traditional and ethnic clothes. In India, streets are beautifully lit up, children bursting crackers, sharing of Mithais and performing the Lakshmi Puja. In the evening, families will light diyas in the house as we wish for loads of happiness, fulfilling our dreams, lunch with family and friends as well as shops displaying heavy discounts. Diwali Dhamaka is all over the place as we buy new Kurtas, colorful diyas as hordes of people are seen longing at Marine Drive in Mumbai and the shops are crowded with people during the festive season at Laxmi Road in Pune.
I have never witnessed Diwali in Delhi where it is celebrated in a unique and colorful way with celebration going full swing in a charming way. I so hope to be in the North some day to experience the frenzy of Diwali celebration, the celebration of life, love, friendship and joy. That's the beauty of India where people of different faiths come together together the celebrate the rainbow nation that we are. Diwali is a national festival like Eid and Christmas, rightly so. 
I am missing the Diwali celebration in India since I am out of 'desh' and there is no better 'Diwali' like we do in India. I so miss the beautiful lightnings and fireworks displayed at Marine Drive at night where the Queen's necklace is adorned by varying colors of beautiful lights and the awesome celebrations in Pune, in the Peth areas, Mahatma Gandhi Road and Junglee Maharaj Road where a huge crowd swerve for shopping and dining at night in restaurants.
Happy Diwali and may the guiding light always shower in your life and add sparkle to your existence.
Enjoy the pictures.



With Love
Vishal

55 on Friday: Falling in love over last copy


I am participating in Writetribe.com 55 on Friday, a prompt provided by Vidya.(http://mi.vidyasury.com). Check out the lovely capture, bearing the footprint of Vidya, that set the pace for the superb 55er. Hope you enjoy my take.
Vishal
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FALLING IN LOVE OVER LAST COPY



The crowd flocked to the bookshop to grab the last copy of Harry Potter;
I waited for hours and finally it was my turn;
It was the last copy and behind me was the beautiful but dejected girl :
I handed her my copy;
She smiled and we fell in love over books and Harry Potter.

2013-11-02

Soothing whispers and the gentle breeze

Soothing whispers into each others’ ear, the bell of the heart tickled;
The cappuccino coffee thickly brews its way into the heart;
The heart melt as the two birdies kiss softly, strutting each other’s lips;
Sitting in the silence of the night, they chirped to each and laugh;
It’s a moment to be cherished over intimacy and coffee;
Their passionate love-making act shall never be witnessed by anyone, except demons of the night;
If the room could speak a thousand words, the birdies would be slanted by guardians of morality;
All they care for are each other’s desire, state of being as they lie naked on the bed,
The breeze brush their bodies gently as they caress each other gently.