28 Saal Baad

I must admit i was a late-bloomer in the 2011 Cricket World Cup campaign.

More out of 'not wanting to tempt fate' than lack of belief. And to add to that I was put off with the massive hype create by the media. It was almost as if all we had to do was show up and we would win the world cup !

It all started quite nicely when we beat Bangaldesh convincingly, it was big deal since we'd lost to them in the last world cup (the less said about 2007 the better!).

I was in Bangalore, coincidentally, the day of the India-England game so planned to go see the game at the stadium.... ended up being a nerve-wracking game. India was well on top for a good part of the game with Sachin scoring a brilliant century.... but then we played some pretty ordinary cricket with slack bowling and fielding and let England cruise to a winning position..... and then came the back-lash with Zaheer Khan bowling a superb second spell.... the crowd got into it too. Suddenly we were in a position to win. Ended up being a nail biting TIE!

With that game, suddenly i was interested in the world cup.

Ever since the momentous win 1983, I had followed India (much like millions of Indians) through heart-breaking world cup campaigns.....

1987, the first world cup in India, I went to see India beat Australia at the Ferozshah Kotla... only for the team to come undone in the semi-final against England at the Wankhede.
1992, the world cup down under where India really came undone and the highlight was beating Pakistan (that was to become a repeating and solitary highlight of subsequent world cups)
1996, the world cup back to India and the heady world cup quarter-final win against Pakistan in Bangalore... I was in Bangalore that day but had our IIMB convocation the same day... followed by the terrible terrible loss to Sri Lanka at the Eden Gardens....
1999, the world cup back in England... while we did beat Pakistan but for me the highlight was watching Sachin Tendulkar scoring a century against Kenya. Having just returned from India after his father passed away... he raised his arms and looked up to the heavens with tears in his eyes. Poignant moment. And then we went on to lose to Australia.
2003, so close and yet so so far. We were well beaten by a far superior Australian team. The highlight was the beating of Pakistan again. I will never forget Sachin beating the living daylights out of Shoaib Akhtar.
2007, India never showed up for the world cup, well actually I wish they hadn't!

And then came 2011... the world cup back in India and was likely to be Sachin's last. What a travesty it would be if he were to retire without winning a world cup.

India lost to South Africa and stumbled a little bit against Holland, Ireland and West Indies but got through to the quarter finals...... up against the "mighty" Australians. 3 Times defending World Champions.

This match was to show the first real signs in this world cup that this team were potential world champions.

Over the past few years, we had done some unthinkable stuff against the best, both home and away. No. 1 ranking in both test and one-days, won the T20 world cup too.... but the 2011 world cup campaign had been luke-warm at best.

Playing Australia in Ahmedabad changed all that, suddenly there was belief that these guys could go all the way.... Yuvraj, Sachin, Gambhir took care of that. With Pakistan winning the following day, it set up the biggest cricket match in world cricket. possibly the biggest match-up in world sport......

Mohali was the center of the sub-continent, maybe even the world for that one day when India played Pakistan in the world cup semi-final. India played out of their skins and Pakistan helped by dropping Sachin 10 times ! We celebrated like we'd won the world cup.... but the magic was in the fact that we were back in the world cup final for a third time and the dream was well within grasp now.

The world cup final comes around once in four years, say that to yourself once again, once in four years and your country will probably be in it just 3 or 4 times in your LIFETIME. thats how special that day is. India vs Sri Lanka at the Wankhede in Bombay, doesnt get much bigger than that ! the first half went well and we restricted Sri Lanka to a decent enough chase-able score. The whole of the nation couldnt wait to see Sachin and Sehwag lead the chase and annihilate SL. (In the break we watched Manchester United come back from 0-2 down to beat West Ham 3-2 with a Rooney hat-trick, that was a good omen for sure).

To say it started badly would be mild, Sachin and Sehwag gone in no time, the stadium silent, a country gone quiet. We sat in the room, some quiet, some abusing, some ready to go home. I'm thinking to myself - is this the day the young boys will come of age and win this for india?

And so it was... Gambhir, Virat, Yuvraj and Dhoni delivered for India.... if you didn't see it, i cant explain the feeling to you and if you did see it, i dont need to. Still get a tingle down my spine when i think of it. World Champions again, 28 saal baad.

All over the country, people poured out onto the streets to celebrate.... dancing on the street.... high 5s everywhere....

The Bungee

Before going on this trip to Africa, I had DECIDED that i would do the bungee jump.... in the end, that was what pulled me through.

Signing on the dotted line for the indemnity against 'damages'... not that i'd be around to claim anything !

walking down the bridge to the platform with my heart beating furiously and then having to wait there for 20 minutes before my turn.... more than enough time to back out. But it had to be done.

It was quite the experience... un-bloody-believable... very few thoughts before... just petrified, i'm so scared of heights anyway.... but during was unspeakable.... all the blood just rushed to my head and hands and i could see the water and rocks rushing at me... incredible.... and then the jerk of the bungee.... 2-3 times... body going everywhere... zero control. outstanding.

Would i do it again? ummm yes i would, i think.

The Bridge... long walk to the platform

As Ready as i'll ever be

Don't look down. Whatever you do, don't look down

JUMP

Eyes open and enjoy it. Wow

Just hanging out, waiting to be picked up

The long walk / climb back up

Its time for Africa!

The Africa trip was conceived (of all the places) in Arunachal, on the banks of the Brahmaputra.

So we decided the next river would have to be the mighty Zambezi. A bunch of us got together and convinced Vaibhav Kala to put together a river trip for us on the Zambezi and bung in a safari leg too - in the Masai Mara.

What an amazing trip it turned out to be! The short (seemed like it was a whole day long) flight from Lusaka to Livingstone in a 10-seater plane where you could open the windows!

Pretty much everyone on that flight threw up their lunch, i was busy passing out airsickness bags, thank god i didnt need one!

As we flew closer to Livingstone, the aerial views of the Victoria falls were simply breathtaking, pictures look brilliant but the real thing was spectacular.

The walk in front of the falls was something you could feel as much as see, the roar of the falls could be felt inside your body and the mist all over your face!

Soon after, Ruch and i did the Gorge swing together, which was very very scary for me and the only way i got through it was because of her. Even more importantly, it took the edge off my fear and i was able to do the bungee jump later the same afternoon.

The Bungee was a highlight in itself.... separate blogpost for that !

The hectic, activity-ridden day was followed by the calm, relaxing and soothing upriver cruise on the Zambezi river. Beer and sunset with friends, life couldn't be better.

The following day we went for, what I thought was the scariest experience of the entire trip - a dip in the Devil's Pool.

The pool is formed right above the lip of the Victoria falls with a sheer drop of 885 meters on the other side. and yet it is completely safe (or so we were told)

The 2-day rafting was quite spectacular, the first of which was the single most exhilarating day of rafting I have ever done - and naturally the hardest and most exhausting too.

That amazing night of sleep on the beach in a sleeping bag under the stars was one to remember, i woke up in the middle of the night and my eyes opened to a sky full of stars - a carpet of stars in the sky. a spectacular sight indeed!

The 2nd leg of the trip was to the Masai Mara, which all but beat the first leg of rafting !

all the days merged into one of unbelievable sightings of Lions, Cheetahs, Rhinos, Giraffes, Zebras, Elephants, Hippos, Deer etc etc

And that too at such close quarters that some were scarily touching distance!

The trip ended (or so we thought) with a meal at Carnivore where we tried some exotic meats...

On a whim and a fancy, some of us decided to extend our trip by 3 days and go to Mombasa!
Was just the relaxing, unwinding relaxation we needed after the hectic rafting and safari 'holiday' we had just experienced.....

Interview: The 15x15 Grill

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·       What is your job like?

As trite as it may sound, I don't have a job, I have a passion that I am driven by. My work as the Managing Director of Candid Marketing is primarily that of developing our people into outstanding leaders and helping our clients build their brands, both of which are integral to my own growth.

·       What does your secretary think about you?

She thinks I am particular to the point of being psychotic, but I have always believed that god is in the details !

·       What’s the smartest business Idea you have ever had?

The idea that smart business ideas are just the starting point and what matters far more is EXECUTION. Not really my own idea but one that I strongly believe in because I have seen enough examples around me of great ideas falling at the altar of poor execution.

·       And the most embarrassing?

The idea that (some) clients would be willing to supersede their personal individual benefit for the growth of their brand. Unfortunately I have to face this fairly regularly.

·       Who has been your biggest influence?

My parents, I learnt the importance of integrity and belief in god from them. Keeps me grounded every day of my life.

·       How important Is money to you?

Money allows me to do things I enjoy, which in turn allows me to make more of myself and contribute to others' lives. The circle feeds off itself.

·       What is your most important work ethic or maxim that you practice everyday?

The harder I work, the luckier I get.

·       Has your personal life suffered due to work?

On the contrary, my personal life has always benefited from my work. I find that my personal relationships are at their healthiest when I am happiest at my work and vice versa.

·       How do you want to be remembered by your colleagues?

Sometimes, its just enough that you're remembered by your colleagues! On a serious note, I would like to be remembered as someone who added value to their lives professionally and personally and helped them to become better human beings and grow.

·       What time do you start and finish work?

The business we're in means that our time doesn't belong to us, it belongs to our clients. Having said that, I try to start work at 9 (unless I've watched a Football game the night before) and try and wrap up the work day at about 7.

·       What Is the most valuable memento in your office?

2 actually, My IIM Bangalore Degree and Cannes Lions Certificate of Honour on the wall.

·       Does retirement scare you?

Not really, because I look forward to watching a lot more football and coaching young kids. I can’t wait to be able to do that. 

·       Have you ever been tempted to start out on your own?

Very much so, gave in to the temptation even before Day 1 of my career.

·       What do you hate the most at work?

People with bad attitude who stand in the way of their own growth.

·       How do you unwind?  

I play football to unwind. Green grass under your feet and an area 50 yards by 100 yards, you can run but you cannot hide. Nothing more exhilarating than that.

Old Trafford is my real home.

It was in 1983 that i started supporting Manchester United. Today, I went to watch them live at my REAL home, in Old Trafford. I've been to the stadium before but not to watch a game, this was different.

I went all by myself, took the train up from London (Thames Ditton actually). Left at 5.30 AM, 5 hour journey. Well worth it. The match was against Tottenham Hotspur (a london club), so there were loads of Spurs fans on the train with me. Once in Manchester, and even more so at Old Trafford, I felt well at home amongst the multitude of red shirts... ready for the game, one we had to win to stay in the title race.

I went across to the ticket office to collect my ticket and on the way back towards the stadium saw Sir Bobby Charlton step out of his car right in front of me. I would NOT believe my eyes, stunned. Just stepped up along with 10 odd supporters and said hello. He stopped and shook hands with me and others, signed some autographs. What a moment. I had to sit down and settle myself. Unbelievable.

Went into the stadium a good hour before the game and took my seat, it was right behind the United bench... the players came out for their warmup and they were right there, almost in touching distance. This was turning out to be quite the day......

Soon after, the teams came out. Followed by god himself, Sir Alex. I felt a glow inside me, so special a moment.

I watched most of the game in a trance, managed to take a few photos. but watching the game was far more important.

All the others around me were season ticket holders and obviously knew each other well. They weren't really sure whether the stranger (me) was worth their time, just a tourist, or a supporter or what. By the end of the game, we were celebrating goals and hugging... amazing.

It was the kind of time you just dont want to end... i wanted it to go and on and on... i could have spent the rest of my life there... i guess thats why its my real home.

First glimpse of the stadium, from a distance 

Home.

Luckiest moment of my life, 'bumped' into Sir Bobby and shook hands with him. dreams are made of this.

The holy trinity of United. Best. Law. Charlton.

This photo is NOT zoomed in. Thats how close to them I was. Macheda, Evra. Giggs.

Watching Giggs' (and Scholes') movement off the ball was the highlight

Again, not on zoom, so close to god. Sir Alex

Comfortable, at home.

Last glimpse, time to leave home again.