In Hindsight...

Have you realized that doing something new for the first time might be difficult, but doing the same thing again will not be as difficult as it was earlier? Have you ever been in a situation when you are in doubt about which way to go, confused and baffled about the road ahead and then when you are actually through, you sit back and reflect on it to realize that it was all so simple? You are often encountered with instances where you have different alternatives to select from, you end up spending a lot of time on it to make sure that you select the right one, and then once it is done in totality, you look back and think it was so obvious on how you should have dealt with it and wonder if it was worth the time and effort!

Usually, when you face something fundamentally new about which you may not have a clue, you really don’t know how to go about it. You try to gather your thoughts from your past experience, from popular wisdom, by consulting people who might have been through something similar and try to manage it. Whatever you do, you are never sure if it’s the right way or not, but you think that it’s the best way out. You try to speculate on how things are going to unfold based on your actions and other reactions and take that stand, which you feel is the best suited for that circumstance.

However, after that moment has passed by, when you begin reflecting on it, you may realize that you could have done something else, or something you did could have been done in a different manner, something could have been avoided and so on. This usually happens because the moment has already unfolded. The time has already elapsed. You already know the outcome of your actions and what repercussions they have had. You know how people have reacted and what they opine about the same. All these parameters now become inputs for your thoughts when you begin reflecting back on it. That’s when you begin feeling certain things were so obvious and you can’t believe you actually missed out on them.

It is not necessarily about instances and situations in particular. It happens in everyday life. Lots of things keep happening in and around you on a daily basis. You do not necessarily give heed to it because you think that is how it is meant to be normally. You do not try to read too much between the lines about minor changes that you see happening around you regularly. But when you realize that something has happened which you had not expected (and more so when it might have done you more harm than good), you go back and probe in detail. When you start doing it, you will find it much easier to connect the dots. You will start remembering small incidents which you never thought were part of a big story. All loose ends get tied up and you can see a clear picture in front of your eyes.

In a way, it’s important not to worry too much about what people say about something once it has already happened. People will keep talking because whatever they have to say doesn’t have any consequence whatsoever on what has already happened. They have no liabilities whatsoever whereas you had to think about everything when you had to decide on what to do. You did something because with all your commitment, you thought what you did was the best thing to do at that point under those given circumstances. Given a choice, or a second opportunity, you too would perhaps handle things differently.

Because, in hindsight, everything can be done better!

Patriotism

It was 26th January just about a week back and we Indians celebrated Republic Day.

An interesting conversation I overheard in office.

A senior colleague inching towards retirement to a freshly graduated engineer: “Hey how was Republic Day? I did not see you in office for the flag hoisting ceremony. Another holiday and you would have partied all night long and slept all day through, huh? God alone knows what where has all the patriotism gone and what will happen to this country!”

My first reaction on hearing this was, “???”. The young chap was wise enough not to drive the debate further and cleverly giggle his way out of it. But think about it.

Does patriotism only mean hoisting the national flag twice a year and saluting it? Standing in the movie halls when the national anthem is being played is patriotism? Singing out or humming Vande Mataram, Ae Mere Vatan ke logon and some Manoj Kumar starrer songs on I Day and R Day alone is patriotism? Exchanging messages and mails talking about patriotic things on R Day and I Day is patriotic? Waving plastic flags and wearing clothes with the shades of the national flag on those days is patriotism? Only those who die on the front, protecting the country against the external enemy or those who injure themselves seriously protecting the civilians against internal enemy are patriotic?

I would beg to differ. No doubt our soldiers are patriotic. But to say they alone are patriotic would be wrong. Patriotism need not necessarily be seen or heard. According to me, anyone who does anything which benefits the nation directly or indirectly is patriotic. Someone who makes sure he discharges all his duties towards the nation like voting during elections, paying taxes on time etc is also patriotic. Someone who follows the laws of the land say at the traffic signals which directly helps the society and its inhabitants is also patriotic. One who makes sure that he doesn’t litter the place and ensures that his country/state/city/village remains clean is also patriotic. One who works selflessly to educate fellow people from his society and help them stand on their feet is also patriotic.

“Patriotism is not short and frenzied outbursts of emotion, but a steady and tranquil dedication of a lifetime”, remarked Adlai Stevenson, a US politician and statesman of the 19th century. I had heard it as a kid. And I still remember it, word to word! With a change in generations, only the perspectives might have changed.

Once when in school, I didn’t attend the R Day function at school because I had never watched the Republic Day parade in Delhi and desperately wanted to watch the same. And I clearly remember how my principal had ridiculed me in front of the entire school assembly about how I was not patriotic! The conversation between my two colleagues reminded me that very incident!

Of Strong Opinions and the need to let go at times...

Have you ever been a part of a heated debate or a discussion that fails to neither die nor reach a conclusion? If not, have you at least been a witness to such a discussion, either in private or public? Can you recollect how some people get so involved in the discussion, that they totally forget the surroundings? The volume goes up. Hands start moving. Temperatures rise. And sadly, no quantifiable conclusion at the end of it all.

Just trying to analyze, one of my major observations is that when someone is involved with something so passionately, you find it really hard to let things go. Then you tend to get a bit more aggressive without even realizing it. More often than not, you fall in love with your ideas and opinions. This usually blinds you to other points of view and perspectives.

Now, this can get compounded when you realize that there exists a difference of opinion and fail to acknowledge that there is one. So why does this happen? Probably it has got something to do with the way we are brought up. We grow up learning to take pride in what we have, what is ours. It can be anything, an inanimate object, an out of the blue idea, a person in your life, an abstract concept, an accidental discovery or even an award or recognition. We feel proud when we achieve something and it’s natural to become possessive about that. Now when you are overly possessive about something, it becomes difficult to let that go especially when it has taken a lot of efforts to achieve that.

But if you look at the bigger picture, it is very important to let go of certain things at times. If you expect your opinion to be accepted or considered, you should be equally open to other opinions. A difference in opinions may always be a blessing in disguise, as it allows you to get into the detail and evaluate options in a much better way. No doubt, too many opinions may get you confused about which way is right and which way to go. But it is always better than having only one opinion when you are never sure if it’s the right one. Diversity in thoughts only gives you different perspectives, which eventually might make you consider something which you might have otherwise totally ignored.

It is as simple as these two small lessons I got as a kid. First one being, all these things are like a heap of sand in your fist. The harder you try to clench your fist, the more the sand flows out. And the second one being, unless you let go of things in your hand, you cannot grab newer and perhaps better things that are coming your way.

So the next question that arises is how! How do you make changes to the way you are conditioned, to let go of anything as and when required. The older you grow, more difficult it gets to change your ways. Any thoughts?

Because, the heart still bleeds blue....

Remember that towering six over long on, by MS Dhoni in the Wankhede around nine months back? Moment of the year. It’s not easy for anyone from my generation, to forget that moment and those that followed - the plain reaction on MSDs face, running back to grab the stumps, hugging Yuvraj at the other end, Gary Kirsten erupting in the Dressing Room, followed by others in tandem and then a wild rush on to the ground, the broad smile on Sachin’s face and the aggression in Bhajji’s body language. All that came after a long wait and after a lot of pain. Surrendering meekly after being close to the top in 1996, performing below average in 1999, being closer and stumbling at the final hurdle in 2003, shocking first round exit in 2007, we had seen it all.

The World Cup victory of 2011 came with a lot of efforts, from a lot of people. It was a classic case of team work, where every member of the team made significant contributions throughout the tournament to ensure we emerged as champions. Behind the screens as well, a lot went into it. From the coach to the support staff, from the families of the players to the players themselves, a lot of hard work, single minded dedication, unwavering focus and sacrifice. If you want to know the magnitude of it all, dig into the archives of Cricinfo and you’ll get loads of them. This team has shown that they have it in them, the character to win consistently, the hunger to achieve, and the passion to scale new heights.

Yes, we’ve lost 7 tests abroad, in a row. We’ve failed as a team. Our team hasn’t lived up to the expectations of this huge country, where a billion people come up with as many opinions. Yes, the batting has failed, when the bowling clicked. The bowling did not complement when the batsmen made hay. The leadership has been anything but inspiring, unlike in the past. And there is no doubt about it.

But hey! It’s alright! What’s so unforgivable about it? It’s not the end of the world. It might just be the opportunity, the missing piece, which could motivate them to come back hard. Remember 2007, when similar emotions flowed through the entire nation, following our early exit from the World Cup? Did we not win the T20 World Cup within 6 months? We did right? When we are ready to accept that positive change, we must also be ready to take defeat in our stride positively. The problem with us is that we take things to the heart and react way too spontaneously when it comes to cricket. The team wins, and they are honored like Gods. They lose and they should go to the gallows! Isn’t it a bit too extreme on the cricketers? After all, they are humans!

Yes, we may not have dominated the cricket world for as long as Australians did in the previous decade or the mighty West Indians did in the 70s and early 80s. But to me, it only means that things are not one sided. That the level of competition has improved. And in a way, it’s good for the game of cricket as a whole! A world of see-sawing and a world of ups and downs would only make the game even more exciting. Did anyone really enjoy Formula One when Michael Schumacher used to win races singlehandedly? The matter of interest only used to be who else finished on the podium. Or tennis, when say a Martina Navratilova or Pete Sampras won slam after slam after slam. Sportspeople like them glorified the sport, the game, because of which it has become so competitive and interesting these days.

Yes, a lot may be needed to be done about our cricket. A lot of mistakes might have happened and unless we learn from them and correct ourselves, things may not change soon. But, it’s just a game at the end of the day! Nothing has been lost other than the rankings. There is absolutely no need to lose respect for the team. As someone said, form is temporary, class is permanent. At this point, the team is down on morale, on motivation. And it is precisely at this time, that the team needs its fans to stand behind them even more. Give them that assurance that we will support them, come what may!

Yes, we may have fallen, and it might have been a really mighty fall. But it’s not about how hard you fall, it’s about how high you bounce back. And I firmly believe this team, to bounce back and do so strongly!

Because, this heart did not stop bleeding blue after 2^nd April 2011. It still bleeds blue….