If Tomorrow Comes

I dont come from an ordinary family. No, we are not aliens,but what I mean is that from a very young age, I have heard of karma, reincarnation and seances and spirits. Yes, my grandfather was a medium and a pretty good one. His main goal was to learn about life after death. He and a few of his friends received many messages from departed souls, some of who were relatives. The messages gave a collective data about what happens to us after death. Is there a life after? When are we reborn? Are we born as goats in the next life if we have been bad? There were many answers, many of which were highly complicated and had to be deciphered.

For one, those messages had to be read and reread for many times to really grasp its true meaning. The language was tall order. These were not some random musings by some lost soul. These were clear, precise, philosophical messages about karma, our purpose on earth and much more that I still dont really comprehend. I was exposed to such things as a very young girl. I was by my grandfather's bed when he took his last breath. I understood that death happens.

It is inevitable. Many around me, even now, shun the word 'death'. It is as if I had uttered the worst 4 letter word to date. I was perplexed. If death was inevitable, why was it shoved behind the curtain? To hide doesnt mean, it is'nt going to get you. Death will get you, me and everyone else. It is the scariest thing in this world, no doubt. But by shoving it underneath and not having the guts to talk or prepare for it, doesnt that make it worse?

Recently, I lost my cousin. He was a true gem and I miss him dearly. Despite all my philosophical views about death, his death truly shook me. Everyday I still think about him. But being shaken up, it gave me pure insight into one thing. THIS COULD HAPPEN TO ME TOO! And there is no guarantee that I will be alive tomorrow or even the next hour.
But what I can do is this - I need to do the things I want to do, not what others expect me to. Whether I finish them or not before my death, is immaterial.
But the most important thing that dawned on me is that I/we NEED say the things that need to be said. We need to tell the people in our lives how much they mean to us and never shy from saying simple words like "I love you", or "Sorry" or "Thank you" because in stark reality,we really dont know if tomorrow comes! Do the things you need to do TODAY, say the things that need to be said TODAY, because in reality- we never know if tomorrow comes!

A scene from the superstar movie

Its dark and you are seated in a cool movie theater with a/c and a very good sound system. The story line is very good, the punch dialogues are driven all the way home and the script immaculate. The theme is based on Sport. Indian Sport. There are sprinters, cricketers, tennis players, hockey players, wrestlers, shooters, super women like P.T.Usha, Ashwini Nachappa, Saina Nehwal, Sania Mirza and many many more. The hard work, the sweat, the toil, the training of all the splendor of Indian Sport is beautifully portrayed. Then come the villains- no movie is complete without the goondas, right?. The Bhanot,Chautala style hooligans with a red scarf around the neck and a big mole on their cheeks. The villains want to remain at their posts in the Sports Governing body despite facing criminal charges. India has been relegated from International Competition till these guys step down. Some of these villains have started to resemble Amjad Khan in Sholay " Kitne Aadmi the Re"? Even Tom Alter shows up as the International Governing Body Representative in his fake British accent asking these villains to step down and give way to being a recognized body again. But villains are so obstinate that despite being unwanted by everyone around them, dont really get it. This is getting very frustrating for me. I shift in my seat uneasily. I hate being helpless- what can be done to resolve this? How do we get the hooligans out? And clean up Indian sport? There are some very strong and brave Anna Hazare types who protest and observe a dharna(fast). I salute them and I am moved watching their unselfish service to the country. I mean, they take time off their schedule for the sheer betterment of sports in India.But sadly, they are still unable to dethrone the kings of corruption. But then there is gale like wind blowing . There seems to be thunder and lightning. At that instant arrives my hero- the Superstar. He is the man, the myth, the legend himself. Just by whispering his name, all goondas tremble. Don..Don.. Baasha, Baasha... You see his feet walk and the sound of footsteps reverberate all around. He opens two big oak doors and walk into a room where these ruffians are.. He talks very animatedly to these guys. We are unable to hear the conversation, because there is suspense and intriguing music in the background. The villains are genuinely scared and are sweating profusely. They nod their heads and Superstar opens the door.The two villains are still trembling, but look relieved . Villains come barging in to Tom Alter and all the athletes and apologize profusely. They dont want to be anywhere near sporting administration ever again. What did Superstar actually tell them? For them to be scared out of their wits? What was it? Superstar simply smiles and says "I told them who I was"! What a beautiful dream that was!!!!

A small and inadequate tribute to one awesome human being

Like summer tempest came our tears, Dilip-May you rest in peace. At 2;30 pm on 4th Oct, I got a call. It was past midnight in India. My mother cried hysterically into the phone saying, my cousin Dilip was killed in a car accident. He was just 45. The grief and sorrow comes from so deep, that it sucks the entire body of will and strength. But I dont want to keep crying over his last few moments, I want to celebrate his existence. He was a chartered accountant , but taught classes as a profession. But what made Dilip extraordinary was his ability to find solutions. He was the go to man for anyone with any kind of problem. From mundane issues to earth shattering ones, he had the innate ability to think straight and resolve issues. His diplomacy was unparalleled. But he was the guy you never heard of, the person who worked behind the scenes to make it happen. He just helped people without expecting anything return. This, I know, he inherited from his dad. These are the people who will be by your side, bad or good and stick with you till you are good to go. His above par intelligence is usually sidelined, but his clear thought process and the ease and smile with which he faced life head on can be a lesson for all of us. His larger than life existence came to end because of a mere car drive. Only after his death, I realized one thing-Dilip had a unique relationship with each person he came in contact with. He knew what level of thinking each person could handle,he could stoop to the level of a young child or raise the bar to the highest level with a top bureaucrat. He is the guy everyone called as their "best friend". Whether it was my wedding or my book launch, he was there, strong as a rock, by my side. As I try to grieve and try to find logic in this senseless premature death,Dilip's ever-smiling face and his jokes will remain etched in my memory. I pray that God give his wife and mother much strength to get over this loss.Good bye Dilip- You were one of a kind!

Cricket and corruption

I dont understand why there is so much hue and cry, corruption is the ever-pervading element all around us in India-it was only a matter of time for cricket to be in it too... Having said that,I am disenchanted mainly because of one thing. Being in sports myself, you want to tell everyone that sport is above corruption, sports is heroism, sport is that pristine land that remains untouched by dirty money. But alas,I have been brought back to reality by the latest scandal in cricket.I feel a sense of sadness that the ultimate fan, the loyal,excited enthusiastic fan,has been taken for a ride. The zealous fan who has loyally watched every single game of IPL and has spent much money securing tickets, missed classes, appoinments and much more,has been cheated because the players have put themselves above everything else. Do these corrupt players even realize how much they owe the fans? Because without that fan, he wont be making that mullah.Imagine a complete boycott of IPL matches by the Indian audience.. that will tell these players something. Sadly,cricket cannot be considered just as a sport anymore. The amount of endorsements, tv rights and money channeled in, go way beyond the financial aspects of many multi-national companies. Spot-fixing as the recent scandal is called isnt supposed to "affect" the outcome of a match, they say. Who are you kidding? And what makes you think this didnt happen before? I hope to God, this isnt bigger than what it already is.

Hasty decisions

The AITA should have thought it through before announcing a depleted team against South Korea in February. It doesn’t appear that any long term plans featured in their decisions. Was this merely to show who the boss was? With all due respect to the young guys on the team, its hard to expect miracles from them. None of them have had such pressure on their shoulders and playing Davis Cup would have just been a dream for them, if not for this revolt. While the AITA is surely in the spotlight for making such despotic and impulsive decisions based on personal vendettas, the revolting players could have been a bit gentle, by at least accepting some of the changes like the Coach selection. After all, players cant just demand the inclusion of a particular coach. And I actually think Zeeshan can be good for the team since he is one of the few players who has been there.. This is the only area where the players judgment might have erred. Sadly, not opting to play for India was the only way to get their points across and be heard. Forming a "panel" to look into this is not going to solve issues as it may be quite one-sided. In all this, a sudden necessity for a liaison has risen, one who can work with both parties and get them both on the same table to talk and work this out. In this 21st century, they have to find ways to resolve issues through mediation, rather than resorting to these measures. Indian tennis has never been this stormy and its time to see the end of it.