Sachin, the phenomenon . . .

Two decades of any man’s life is long enough to see multiple cycles of ups and downs (In fact, world’s largest economy has already seen two recessions in less than a decade). In this process, every human makes choices based on the available options and goes ahead with life. In many cases, the choices made can drastically change the turn of events in one’s life. Now, all this is relevant for a normal human. For a super-human like Sachin, it has been just one course – CRICKET, CRICKET AND MORE CRICKET. Through the last two decades, he has seen - his senior colleagues retiring with some fading away while others making a good fortune clinging on to the sport in other forms, some colleagues getting disgraced with one of them landing up in lower house of the Parliament (I guess he is still saying “our boys didn’t bat well, field well, bowl well. We hope to win the next match” not realizing the fact that he has to talk policies and welfare…who cares….it’s all hypocrisy!!!), some colleagues unable to stand up to the fame and money that the sport brings, while many others learning from him to their betterment. All the while, we find the little master going out and playing his game, excited and happy at his success as well his team’s success. And when they lose, he is as dejected as a 3 year old would be when denied a Re.1 éclair.

At 37, Sachin is still strong and playing, inspiring some and antagonizing few others. He is a role model for the youth of India and a subject of great respect for his peers from all over the world. The best part of this phenomenon is that he never expresses his dissatisfaction to the umpire nor does he provoke his opponents. And when provoked, we all know what happens….if you still don’t know what happens, please ask Shoaib Akhtar, Shane Warne, Steve Waugh and others. Off late, I also get a feeling that he is conveying a subtle message to the corporate world who moved out from him citing reasons like “we are a young brand and we look forward to the youth” blah blah and ended up signing controversial film stars and other cricketers who aren’t certain about what they would do next. I am sure they are regretting their decisions.

Every Indian like cricket, but Sachin brought passion to this game and pulled more people and ad revenues. I still remember one of the first knocks that he played as an opener in a New Zealand ODI. That was the turning point for Indian cricket. And now, he is pulling more and more to the shortest form of the game as well. With him around, teams can be valued even at a billion dollar :) Let the phenomenon continue …….

Swiss Musings - The dilemma

Swiss is beautiful. Swiss is scenic. Swiss is...I wish I settled here, enjoying all my life. These are the thoughts that many of us have when we come across places like Swiss. Is it justified? I am not going to be the mouthpiece of people of my age group. But I can definitely put down my thoughts.

Each place that I have visited so far has attracted me. But Swiss has been the most captivating of all. I thought the way to live a life of enjoyment is to be in such a place. Maybe that was a spontaneous thought. But in retrospect, I guess there is nothing to beat the charm of India.

I would miss the vocal Madrassi, the never ending water shortage, power failures, the stench of the gutter, well placed pots around water lorries, the crowded temples, ‘colors’ of Ispahani and.....

I think the impressions of a better life outside India could be thought about, but it can never be without India.
Me - Sami

Swiss Musings - Does a good company matter?

There is this famous saying: "Tell me your company and I shall tell what you are". I am not quite sure if I can be judged this way. About 13 of us toured Swiss over the last weekend.

What is a tour without guys who can't take the ownership to enquire details; guys who can't crack jokes; guys who can't pull the legs of their pals at the most opportune time. Our group had a perfect mixture of all types of characters. There was always somebody to enthral the crowd, somebody who looked restless, somebody to dampen the spirits and somebody who found solace behind their cameras and MP3 players.

Swiss became very popular among the Indian youth with the runaway success of DDLJ. One always remembers the way Kajol and King Khan get lost, only to fall in love. Even we had an experience when one of my pals, unsurprisingly, got lost. All attempts to reach him were futile. Uppermost worry in our minds was that we never had an extra ticket to accommodate the girl ;) he was gonna bring along. Surprisingly, our dear friend spotted us on a mountain peak, but without a partner. We were relieved. When this person showed the potential to get lost frequently, somebody wanted to tie a bell (of DDLJ fame) around his neck!

And then was a gang of people who took out their digis at the sight of a scenic beauty or at the sight of others taking out theirs!
What is a group without an argument? We had them adequately. But the topic that was discussed was in stark contrast to the conclusion arrived at. It does happen sometimes. And there were some moments when we shared some deep thoughts between us.

It was a perfect group to go around with. I conclude that a good group does matter to tour beautiful places!
Me - Sami

Swiss Musings - The writing is on the wall!

For a class that starts at 9 AM, I unintentionally wake up at 8 AM and enter the class at 8.45 AM, unlike my normal behaviour of barging in at 9.15, to the dismay of the profs. The day I am early, I feel it was a conscious effort by me. That is how the biggies in India feel these days. The turn of the century was actually guided by some sound economic policies by the strongest economies of the world. This in turn helped India propel into recognition. But how much are we going to attribute this to the result of sound decision-making?

Take the case of tourism. I am quite new to western way of living. But my aspiration to tour Swiss is made so easy. I browse through the Internet, get the best deal for flight; browse through the hotels across Zurich, email a few of them giving the details and the reservation is done. Since I hold a Shengen visa, I need not get a visa to travel to Swiss (this is the advantage of unity in diversity!).

The commute across Swiss is made easy by the purchase of a single pass that is valid for any mode of transportation: train, cable car, ferry and bus. The important destinations are well connected to the amazement of the visitors. And the most important of all, any place that one visits in Swiss, one is likely to find couple of very well maintained restrooms.

This is how tourism as an industry should be nurtured. As India is being spoken of at all levels across the world, people are naturally going to be interested in visiting the vast lands of India. It is time for the biggies to see the writing on the wall!

Me - Sami

Swiss Musings - Acceptance

Sometimes, I wonder if it is worth fighting for something that you are not anyway going to get. Well! I learnt this lesson when I went Interlaken, Swiss. I am a guy who either trusts somebody completely or be doubtful of somebody throughout. KRS is somebody I trust entirely when it comes to travelogues. When we initially started planning for Swiss trip, KRS forthrightly advised us not to miss Interlaken. He proved right.

Interlaken is one of the most beautiful places that has a mixture of modern life, scenic beauty and adventure activities. We were thrilled to try out few activities like bungy jumping, rafting, paragliding and canyning. Unfortunately, the weather broke our thrill and none of the activities were going to take place on the day of our visit. We had an alternative. We hired a bike to go around the place. And what a wonderful experience it was.

Just imagine the joy of riding a slow moving 49 cc bike across the narrow roads leading up the peaks of Interlaken. It was indeed an enriching experience for six of us. And this was the first biking experience outside India for most of us and what a way to start it in a place like Interlaken. A downpour accompanied our return journey to the main city. This made the ride even more adventurous. Each moment of the ride is treasurable!

Me – Sami

Swiss Musings - Bewitching place

When a mention is made of Europe, an average guy immediately thinks of places like London, Swiss and Paris. I have visited good number of places in Europe and I would place Swiss on top of the list. I, being a person inclined towards nature and beauty find Swiss to be enchanting! I wish I visited Kashmir as well. Maybe this would be one of my dreams.

Sometimes one wonders if God was in the most cheerful mood when creating Swiss. Such is the beauty of the ranges, lands, scenery and location of Swiss. Add to it the utmost care with which the people have been preserving the place, Swiss, as a leisure spot stands unparalleled. In my recent tour, I visited Rigi Kulum, Luzern, Mt. Titlis, Engel berg, Zurich and Interlaken. I was pleasantly surprised when I witnessed a perfect harmony of man and nature, technology and implementation, urban life and rural life, reason and purpose.

Just wondering if the same could be expected across societies!

Swiss Musings - India Unlimited!

At over 10000 feet above sea level, with visibility less than few meters, in a remote mountain peak in Switzerland, would anybody ever imagine in his wildest dreams that he would find Indian population beating any others. This is India unlimited!

On my recent trip to Swiss, I visited a place called Mt. Titlis. This is about 10000 feet above sea level and one could get a glimpse of Swiss from this peak. It was here that we saw groups of Indians almost everywhere. I would rather say that Indians were omnipresent in and around Engel berg. In the peak alone, I would have seen more than 200 Indians. To add is the fact that there was a restaurant serving Indian food, menu: Pav bhajji type dish, Carrot halwa, Jeera rice, Paapad, Palak. It was a sumptuous lunch.

This would not be peculiar at places like California, Denver, London, Australia or Singapore, but at Mt. Titlis, this indeed was a point to ponder.

Let me run through the composition of the crowd. One chunk of people had come on Europe tour arranged by tour operators in India. One chunk of people had come from Ambuja cements. These people were being rewarded for their extra ordinary performance in the past year. And when I am talking about Ambuja employees, I am not talking about graduates and double graduates who are spending their time off from their chore of number crunching. I am rather talking about the cross section of employees, worker level to management level. These facts prove that India is truly shining. And the population is going to be a boon for India, since it this population that crosses the minds of Elle CEO, Swiss President, Uni lever Marketing Head, Coke Country Head and hoards of other heads.

It is high time we Indians recognise our potential and spearhead the growth of the next century!

Me - Sami