Thoughts in general

Decision making is probably one of the most crucial aspects that a kid or a youth needs to learn. Prior to making my way to the US for my bachelors, I don't remember having to take many decisions.  My parents always assisted or took decisions for me.  However, I believe decision making is an art that needs to be inculcated in kids from an early age even letting them take decisions on even trivial things like deciding between 2 candies, 2 dresses he/she may like.   When I left home for higher studies, this is one aspect that I hated as I had to take every single decision myself and stand by it.  I must say that it was especially difficult in the beginning as I was solely responsible for the consequences of my decisions.  Decisions need to taken in every sphere of life: I am not earning or earning enough.  Do I spend my hard earned savings on something I don't need even though I may look cooler with those shades or perfume or a new top or whatever. My be...

As a kid, when you pick up the bat and hit your first ball, it feels heavenly.  There won't be many kids who don't like batting.  However, when the kid starts growing up and starts playing well, expectations start growing from within the house & from coaches to perform.  Once this happens, I personally feel the joy of bat hitting the ball or just having fun playing the wonderful game somehow starts dimming.   Disclaimer:  I am not a psychologist or a certified professional cricket coach.  All the tips below are from my experience of overcoming challenges during my life and almost all of them relate to how you face or react to a particular situation. Here are my tips to approach batting: 1. Just enjoy the game 2. When you prepare to face the first ball, take a few deep breaths and release it slowly 3. You need to hear just dead air and your eyes focused towards the bowler 4. If you get beaten, repeat #2 and get ready again. If you do this, I guarant...

The Steve Smith incident that happened couple days ago got me thinking about "Win at all cost" attitude that is instilled in the kids nowadays at an early age. Unfortunately, both coaches and parents are culprits here. Generally, kids go to play & learn cricket because they found it to be fun, either watching it or while playing it in the gullies. My cricket coach always wanted me to perfect the fundamentals of the game, before he would even put me in the nets. He would no t accept any shortcuts. However, he always insisted that process of becoming a better bowler or a batsman was more important than a win or a loss. This doesn't mean one need not work hard for a win. Swami Vivekananda has a famous quote where he says that "The means to an end is more important than the end itself". In this case, Steve Smith wanted to get an advantage by scruffing up the ball and get it replaced to get more reverse swing going or damage the ball so that the umpires...

I am going to specifically direct this blog post to Narendra Modi & Amit Shah.  Being a huge fan of both, I would like to point out a sense of disillusionment creeping in in the Aam janta.  There are various perceptions amongst people, some true and some untrue.  Let me highlight a few of those: Narendra Modi is only moving in foreign lands, giving speeches to NRIs and ignoring the Indians in India Narendra Modi is saying that we have achieved almost zero corruption in government offices, that things in India are already awesome in the first 18 months etc Congress is going to town saying that this government is more for corporates than for the Aam Aadmi and I know of many BJP supporters who are actually believing it Narendra Modi promised to bring back black money but I don't see any results on the ground Frustration amongst BJP supporters that opposition propaganda is not being countered effectively No people have gone to jail for corruption which was the ma...

I was 16 yrs of age, having just graduated from 12th, when I first visited the US. Memory is fuzzy about the events more than 20 years back. However, re-living past memories is sometimes fun and this is the primary reason for starting this multi-part series of my experiences in the US. Let me set up some of the events that happened prior to the start of the long trip to the US from India. I underwent hernia operation, got my 12th results and went through a visa interview.  Between advices given by well wishers about what to expect and what to do in the US, I was a confused lot. I am shy by nature (or at least I was at the time) and hence, a bit apprehensive about how I would be received by my relatives there.  I supposedly had met briefly in India, but didn't recollect much. Having studied in Porbandar and having gone through my school primarily talking in Hindi, I was a little embarrassed by my command over English.  In hindsight, I think my doubts over my command o...

Sometime on May 23rd, I received a call from Priti bhabhi regarding a get together for Mama and Mami on June 7th.  It was sudden but I was super excited to go.  It would be after a long time that I would be able to meet so many family members.  Kashyap was going to come from Pune and this was the 1st time in a while where we didn't have our families with us.  It felt like old days where we could hand out a little. I reached couple of days early on Friday.  As is always the case, Bharati mami had made all my favorite things - Rotli, bateta nu rasa vaadu shaak, cut mango etc.  I am always amazed as to how she always remembers all that I like.  I never have to ask...anything I desire is always there. I sat with Kanu mama for a while that day discussing politics, finance, environment & whole gamut of issues.  When I was young, I used to write postcards to Mama. It was partly to improve my English writing. I used to get the postcards back in...