On Adversity.....

The post was originally scribbled down, sometime ago, from random readings to inspire someone, subjected to a bad dose of adversity, back to normal. It is being posted here with minor modifications after an accidental sighting of the same person who, by a queer twist of destiny, chose to join sides with one’s own sworn adversaries. 

Adversities are unavoidable in an increasingly competitive and vicious world. Adversities can originate from the actions of the society or the people around us and at times, sadly and surprisingly, even from one’s own family or friends. Maintaining our focus in the face of adversity is a tough task. All of us may have to come across problems in life and most problems are not without solutions. We have to develop the mindset that no matter how bad things may appear, we will survive. And once we tide over an adversity, we will emerge stronger to meet greater challenges. There may be innumerable examples of people from every walk of life surmounting adversities of various kinds from which we can draw inspiration.

Adversity can originate from society when someone tries to rise above the levels of acceptance sanctioned by it. The American Democrats have the mascot jackass or the donkey for their party! How come the party of Roosevelts, Kennedys, Clintons and Obamas associate themselves with that "stupid" animal? Having grown up as an orphan boy who refused to bow to the adversities in life, Gen. Andrew Jackson was the first commoner without an aristocratic lineage to seek the Presidential office. The conservative press ran a vitriolic attack on him, digging up information on his past. He was derided as the "son of a common prostitute" and the "paramour husband of a convicted adulteress". His heroic retort was "I never war on the females, it’s only the mean and cowardly that do". When he was referred to as Andrew "Jackass", an obvious reference to his lack of 'noble' birth, the defiant Jackson adopted the nickname and decided to use the image of that gentle yet strong-willed animal on his campaign posters. He was elected not once, but twice, perhaps the first orphan to be democratically elected as the President of any nation. It got stuck and later the US Democratic Party founded on the principles of Jacksonian Democracy adopted the Donkey as their symbol. That's some way to turn the tables on one's adversaries! 

For the more fortunate, ones with a home and parents, the adversity can spring up from the least expected quarters, the attitude of one’s own family. It was Winston Churchill who had said, "Success is not final; failure is not fatal. It is the courage to continue that counts". Few could have known better! Independent and rebellious by nature, Churchill did poorly in school, for which he used to get punished severely. He was the lowest ranked boy in the lowest class, an embarrassment for the family. He was rarely visited by his mother and wrote letters begging her to either come to school or to allow him to come home. His father barely spoke to him and considered him "a washout" of limited intelligence that could never succeed in life. Left to himself; he discovered a love of literature and writing, which would help him enjoy his life. The father, a brilliant scholar but a failed politician, died prematurely. Churchill, the son, went on to become one of the most inspirational leaders the world has ever seen. 

Adversity can also arise from an unruly mob when you are someone who has to perform in public, such as a cricketer, precisely the kind that Adam Gilchrist had to face when he was walking into bat against South Africa in Johannesburg. Beset with problems on the personal front, he was welcomed by the crowd with banners asking "Who's the father of your child?" and yelling out names for answers. He responded by launching a savage assault on the South African fast bowlers. True, he cried after reaching his hundred, but thereafter he decided to enjoy himself. He even targeted an advertising hoarding, about 30 feet above the ground, beyond the deep midwicket boundary, hitting which carried a prize of a gold bar worth in millions. Gilchrist nearly found it and jumped up and down as he watched the ball move towards its target. By the time he had finished he had taken 204 runs off 213 balls. "Gilchrist was playing with them like a cat keeping a half-dead mouse alive for entertainment,"; wrote Wisden. "It’s the toughest thing I’ve had to get through in my cricketing career and my public life as a public person," he was to say later. But he did himself no harm in the end. 

Try imagining yourselves in the shoes of each of the great men. It is not difficult to grasp the tremendous battles that might have taken place within their minds. The strength to fight the adversity lies within each one of us. More often than not the problem lies within us, we can control it and its outcomes. There can be no solution to the problem if we fall into the trap of hopelessness. It drains our emotional energy and allows the adversity to nail us down. Do not bail, refuse to give up. Borrowing from Arthur Ashe; "regardless of how you feel inside, always try to look like a winner".

Finally, what if the adversity strikes us in the form of fate? Meet it, accept it and go out with grace like Lou Gehrig, or cheer up the people around you, even as you go, the Duncan Edwards way. After fourteen years and more than two thousand consecutive games when one has to say farewell to the game in the knowledge that one has to die soon, a slow and cruel death from what is now known as one’s own disease; what better words one can say to the innumerable fans anxiously listening other than "Today I consider myself, the luckiest man on the face of the earth"? 

Even if it is death itself that is staring at us, give it a fight, a la Duncan Edwards; that "unspoilt boy" about whom the legendary Bobby Charlton, so miserly with his praise for others,said "he was the only player that made me feel inferior". He had fought on for 15 days with the multiple injuries sustained at the Munich air disaster. The doctors were amazed at his fight for life. Finally when they had almost given up, he opened his eyes and looked at the gloomy faces around him and he asked "What time is the kick off against Wolves, Jimmy? I mustn't miss that match", that one last spark, before being extinguished! 

So next time you have an appointment with adversity, no matter what, do remember that you are not going to let it have its way. Be in control and have a great life, as long as it is yours.

Retired Not Out!!

In the days of the ipl mayhem and instant stardom, let's pause to remember that it was on this day in 1983; that one man attended the call of national duty, overcoming his inner conflicts, to carry his bat from an overnight score of 7 to finish the day, unbeaten, at 154 and left the ground to fly home, not to return the next day and had his name etched in history as the only batsman to have "retired not out"!!

It was an incredible life lesson, Sir.
Thank you very much :)

It’s Never Ever too late to live Our Dreams!

Is there a thing called the midlife crisis?

When is the time to stop dreaming in our lives?

What it takes to live our dreams?

Can age & appearance be surmounted by the attitude?

Let’s Ask Susan J

Ask who?

Well, Ms. Susan Boyle is an unemployed 47 year old, who has "never been kissed" and lives alone with her cat and who dreams to be a professional singer!!

Can she make it big? See for yourselves and decide;

Cricket, A Religion for You?

The skeptic was unconvinced as usual. As cricket crazy school boys in the 80’s we used to collect the photographs of cricketers cut out from news papers or magazines and paste them on our used note books. It was cricinfo on paper. The ones with the largest and rarest collections were considered the authorities on cricket and looked up to for their comments and predictions. Those who could talk a bit of cricket history were considered the walking encyclopedias. We used to exchange the photographs and often the highest bid was for the New Zealanders since they were hard to find with the little cricket played between the two nations those days. With the very limited talent pool at home, the New Zealand team never had super stars other than the ‘Sultan of Swing’ Sir Richard Hadlee and the stylish batsman of classical mould, Martin Crowe who often skipped the tour of India. Nevertheless New Zealand did have their moments in the Sun. Their bunch of utility cricketers could bat, bowl and field and outsmart opponents of far superior reputation which helped them win the ICC Knockout Trophy in Kenya in Y2K overcoming star studded giants from the cricketing world.

Although they weren’t as flamboyant as many other teams New Zealand did produce some colorful cricketers, the charismatic cover point Ken Rutherford, powerful Chris Cairns, miserly and accurate Gavin Larsen, and that gentleman fast bowler Ewen Chatfield, perhaps the only fast bowler who never bowled a bouncer in his career by principle. It was really sad to read that someone honored with an MBE for his services to cricket had to drive taxis and mow lawns in old age to make the ends meet. Then during the ’92 World Cup saw One day cricket being turned on its head by one of the most innovative captains in the ODI history shocking the competitors with a pinch hitting Mark Greatbatch at the top of the batting order and the off spinner Dipak Patel with the new ball.

For a nation blissfully away from wars, perhaps the most heroic and poignant scene in cricket is also etched in its history. It happened more than half a century ago on a cricket field in Johannesburg. New Zealand was touring South Africa during the Christmas season in 1953. The second test of the series began on the 24th of December and Christmas was a rest day. At 10.21 p.m. on Christmas Eve the Wellington–Auckland night express plunged into the flooded Whangaehu River at Tangiwai, killing 151 people in New Zealand's worst railway accident.With a population of just over two million, many people had a direct relationship with someone involved in the tragedy. Although the full list of the victims was not yet out, the team was informed that the fiancée of 22 year old fast bowler Bob Blair was among the victims.

In spite of the tragedy the New Zealanders took to field leaving behind the distraught Blair, who was allowed to withdraw from the test, in the hotel. Flags were lowered to half mast and the crowd was informed of Blair’s personal tragedy. On a minefield of a pitch, South African fast bowler Neil Adcock wrecked havoc on the New Zealand line up in one of the most hostile spells of fast bowling witnessed since the bodyline series. Middle order batsman Bert Sutcliffe walked in with his team on 9 for 2. Before he could open his account he was felled by Adcock and had to be taken to hospital. But with his side devastated mentally and physically and half the side back in the pavilion, he heroically returned to the crease, his head heavily bandaged, his torso full of bruises and began one of the greatest counter-attacking innings in Test cricket history hammering 4 sixes and 4 boundaries.

He walked back undefeated along with the applauding fieldsmen only after New Zealand's ninth wicket fell, the follow-on heroically saved. He was interrupted however on his way back by the lone figure walking towards him from the shades of the stands. Dead calm descended on the stadium with a strong 23,000 crowd as Bod Blair emerged out of the shades into the bright sunshine.

“I’d like to feel I can help.” He told a stunned Sutcliffe as the two Kiwis walked back to the wicket arm-in-arm and the silence gave way to standing applause in one of the most poignant moments ever seen in a cricket ground. Noted New Zealand writer Dick Brittenden wrote: “Looking down on the scene from the glass windows of the pavilion, the New Zealanders wept openly and without shame; the South Africans were in little better state, and Sutcliffe was just as obviously distressed. Before he faced his first ball Blair passed his glove across his eyes in the heart-wringing gesture of any small boy anywhere in trouble but defiant.”

The crowd was treated to 10 minutes of 'joyous mayhem' as Bob and Bert added 33 invaluable runs, Bob even hitting a six to go with Bert’s addition of three more to the four he already had. "Sutcliffe had made 80 and remained not out, he had saved follow-on, and he was quite entitled to regard the tumult of cheering as a tribute to his skill and daring. But he stood aside at the gate, allowing Blair to pass in first". What they had done in 10 minutes had the stuff of folklore written all over it.

After last week's terror strikes on the Lankans at Lahore, Pakistan captain Younis Khan had made an impassioned plea to authorities to save the game in Pakistan or risk pushing future generations into the clutches of terrorists. "Our future as a nation is in our youngsters' hands. Sport helps to make good human beings. If the sport is not there, the children can do silly things. We have to be very careful about that. Nobody wants to see children going down a bad path and finding themselves involved with bombs and things like that. We all must do something to stop that happening” Younis was quoted as saying.

Cricket is indeed a great religion, the one which doesn’t preach to kill.

On that Boxing Day at Johannesburg as they disappeared, arms around each other, into the darkness of the tunnel in the stands; the two young New Zealanders left behind them a light and an inspiration which several thousand hollow and empty religious rhetorics might never kindle in the hearts of the youngsters who follow the game.

What it takes to be successful in life?

A question that bothers every young person venturing out into this world of opportunities and complexities. 

"I don't brood over issues. The more you think about it, the more complex it becomes. I want to keep everything simple. And I don't mean just the game. Matters off the field may not be within my control as well, so why lose sleep over things you can't control? What I can do is to give my best every time" says a 22 year old young man from a town we may never have had seen in a world map about his climb to the summit against heavy odds. 

"Whenever anyone outperforms me, whether in academics or sport, I tell myself that if he could do it, so can I. Whenever someone from the team is adjudged Man of the Match, I feel the honour could have been mine as well, It's not jealousy - my team-mates' success obviously gives me a lot of joy - but one basic question: 'If he could, why couldn't I?" he adds.

Simple thoughts Shakib, but great philosophy for life. 

Note: Although he is not as renowned as some of the contemperory practitioners of his profession and is relatively unheralded, Shakib al Hasan is the world's No. 1 all round cricketer in One Day Internationals as per the current ICC Rankings.

Down and Out? Have an Apple....

Down and out in life and work?
Badly in need of a heavy dose of inspiration?
I found few tonnes of it,

here