Walk a mile in his shoes

*** Added as a note on Facebook on 9th April ***

A very good friend and a fellow foul weather fan of the Indian cricket team recently coined a term called AICF&M which stands for "Average Indian Cricket Fan & Media". Among many irritating qualities of the AICF&M is an extraordinarily short memory and a tendency to forget that the Indian Cricket team players are actually human beings.

The recent target of the AICF&M is Yuvraj Singh. The man who was the most critical player in the last two World Cup triumphs of the Indian cricket team had a forgettable outing in the 2014 final against Sri Lanka. He scored 11 off 21 balls at a crucial stage in the innings and deprived Virat Kohli of the strike. Now anyone who has played and watched cricket knows about its 'glorious uncertainties' as the commentators like to call it. Who knows, Virat might have got out when given the strike or MS Dhoni who scored 4 off 7 in the last 2 overs would've struggled more or India would have collapsed and scored even less. Even if India had scored 20-30 runs more, Sri Lanka were more than capable of overhauling the target.

As it turned out, Yuvi's slow innings played a hand in India losing the final. Was it as bad as Chris Gayle's 3 of 13 and Marlon Samuels' 18 off 29 in the semi final of the same tournament or Mike Gatting's reverse sweep in the 1987 World Cup final or the collective failure of the Indian bowlers in the 2003 final? Maybe, but the main question is that do we really need to punish the man so heartlessly?

No one is denying that Yuvi played badly. He had a bad tournament definitely and should be dropped from the team too. He will also be the last person in the world to ask for any kind of sympathy even though he has come back so admirably from a life threatening illness. But this is no reason for the AICF&M to ring the death knell on his career. If he does perform in the IPL and domestic tournaments, there is no reason why he cannot make yet another comeback in the team.

They say that you will never understand a person until you walk a mile in their shoes. Anyone who has played team sports competitively should be able to empathize with Yuvraj. I remember two instances in my school days vividly. We were playing an inter school two day test match tournament called the Fram Irani Trophy. As is the case with domestic tournaments in India, the first innings lead was of utmost importance since there was a big chance of the match being drawn. We had batted first and hadn't scored much but our bowlers bowled magnificently. The last wicket was at the crease and both teams were trying desperately to get the vital first innings lead.  I was fielding at cover when the batsman drove uppishly. I got my hands up in time but inexplicably the ball went through my fingers, triggered an over throw and we lost the vital first innings lead. I was distraught to say the least. My team mates and coach were livid and it was the most horrible day in my life ever. The second incident happened during a handball tournament. I was the goalkeeper and we were playing against a really good team with great forwards. They were really accurate and come what may I couldn't even get my hands to touch the ball let alone stop a goal. We lost by a huge margin and I was extremely depressed.

In both the matches, there were hardly any spectators on the ground. There was no press coverage whatsoever. No television and whatever came in the local newspapers was limited to a score summary with horribly misspelled names. So why did I feel so distraught? It's because in a team sport you know you have let your team mates down when you don't perform well. You know you have let yourself down when you make silly mistakes. If you have been in the same situation or somehow understand how I must have felt, just multiply that 10,000 times and you may get a sense how Yuvraj Singh must be feeling. This was a World Cup final played in front of at least 30,000 people and watched by more than a billion people around the world. Yuvi is an emotional person who plays with his heart on his sleeve. One look at his face after the match told you everything he was going through.

It is a harsh world we live in where news travels so quickly. Maybe 15 years ago Yuvi's performance would've been dissected and judgments would have been passed in prime team news and the print media the next day. People would've met the next day to discuss his future. But in this day and age the jokes started circulating around the world on Twitter and WhatsApp even before the presentation ceremony started. Some of them like the ones comparing him to Laakha in Lagaan were ridiculous. Some people who met him at the airport passed snide remarks. The most deplorable incident was the stone pelting done at his house.

There is no point in bringing up Yuvi's awesome debut against Australia, his Natwest innings, man of the series winning performances in the World Cup 2011 and his six sixes against Stuart Broad. It should not be because he played well earlier that he should be treated with respect. I wouldn't want even a debutant to go through the treatment meted out to Yuvraj right now. As a sportsman representing India, Yuvraj deserves our sportsman spirit, respect and humanity.

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P.S. God was kind to me after both my disturbing incidents. In the Fram Irani Trophy, I took a simple yet crucial catch in the second innings of the match which we won outright thus negating the first innings deficit. In the succeeding handball tournament I was able to save a few goals in final match as well as the penalty shootout which gave us the championship. I hope and pray that Yuvi will also make a fantastic comeback soon!

The Secularist's Conundrum

On Monday, 7th April 2014, India will begin it's longest and according to many people the most important election since Independence. The pre-election opinion polls have confirmed the 'Modi wave' and the lotus seems to be blooming. 

There is no doubt in my mind that from the point of view of development, economics, jobs etc. BJP is the best party for India. The Congress, AAP and Third Front don't even come close. Narendra Modi's Gujrat model, track record and proven credentials as mentioned very nicely in this article cannot be doubted. Sure there are questions about health, education, inclusive growth etc. but there is no doubt regarding the development. People who have been visiting or staying in Gujrat since the last decade and dealing with its extremely efficient bureaucracy say the same things. Unlike Rahul Gandhi who is just talking and that too sparingly and Arvind Kejriwal who is only interested in activism, Narendra Modi has shown his merit time and time again. It is not easy to win 3 elections on a trot. I think that the Indian voters are quite clever and they always support development. I'm sure people of Gujrat wouldn't have voted for Modi unless there was a reason even leaving aside the polarization of votes. Even Modi haters (and there are many) need to appreciate these facts just like Modi lovers need to appreciate the fallibleness of their beloved leader. So the real and only question which remains is whether you can forgive or ignore or brush aside or neglect the incidents in Ayodhya 1992 and Godhra 2002? And that is the big conundrum faced by the secularists.

I have thought a lot about this and have gone back and forth, but I don't think I will be be able to just blank out the pogrom of 2002 and horrible riots of 1992. Recently Cobrapost released videos of a sting operation about the Babri Masjid demolition in '92. Basically, it proved what was known all along that BJP, Shiv Sena, VHP and Bajrang Dal leaders had planned the demolition and it was not a mob gone crazy as they claim. While BJP has cried foul over the timing of the sting, Pramod Muthalik is confused why BJP are denying their involvement and says the sting is completely true. Sanjay Raut has defiantly said that the fact that Shiv Sena and BJP had conspired to demolish the mosque is nothing new. Some of the details really shocked me, like the fact that there was a training cum brainwashing camp a month ago and they wanted some Hindus to die at the hands of the police so that it will prove to be a catalyst. Apparently Shiv Sena were planning to blow up the mosque using dynamites if petrol bombs and other techniques failed. More than 2000 people died in the resulting communal violence. This does not include loss of property and the tremendous blot on communal harmony. The 1993 bomb blasts were also done as a revenge to this incident.

Godhra and the resulting communal violence is another issue. It is true that the SIT appointed by the Supreme Court haven't been able to prove anything against Narendra Modi yet. But the fact remains that Modi has not shown adequate remorse nor did he take adequate action to stem the riots. It was a political move to polarize Hindu votes or worse a planned revenge. There has been a sting operation by Tehelka on this too where in people have confessed saying that the state helped them and supported them. Maya Kodnani, who was convicted and sentenced to 28 years in prison was till 2009 the Minister for Women and Child Development of Gujarat in Narendra Modi's BJP government. Whatever be the situation, the 2002 riots will be a huge blot on Modi's efficient governance.

India does not have a direct democracy so let's take Modi out of the picture. So the real question is whether you want to vote for BJP or not. My stance is that I am not willing to vote for BJP even though I think that they are the best party for India at this moment. The reason is that I cannot bring myself to vote for a party which came into prominence and power based on planned communal violence and a publicly anti-secular policy. Leaders who instigated the violence like L.K. Advani and Uma Bharti are still very much active in tihe BJP. Their ideology and hunger for power has cost thousands of innocent Indian lives and a double digit economic growth is not enough for me to forget that fact. Shiv Sena who came into prominence by beating up innocent South Indians, planned to blow up the Babri Masjid and have done everything they can to spread communal disharmony in India are the long term ally of BJP. There is no way I can vote for these kind of parties whatever be the big picture.

So what're the options while going for voting? Congress is definitely not one. Their shamefulness while dealing with scams, only populous moves and "convenient" secularism is not worth voting for. Plus, they have also actively contributed to the pogrom of Sikhs in 1984. The AAP is the biggest disappointment of the year. For me in Pune, the only option seems to be the People's Guardian Party whose candidate is Arun Bhatia. A clean and incorruptible guy who gets things done.

The reality is that Arun Bhatia won't win. I think that he will get even lesser votes than last time when many young voters voted for him and his campaign was really active. There is almost a certainty that the BJP and its present and future allies (new ones always come up after the results) will form the government. I am optimistic that the Indian media, the opposition and our leaders in and outside politics will keep the BJP in check. They might have no other option than showing inclusive growth and development to ensure that their government stays in power. So all is not lost. But in the end your vote is your choice. You have to make the choice whether you can forget the deeds of BJP in 1992 and the pogrom of 2002. If yes, go ahead with BJP. I cannot.

TINA

I will clarify the title of this post before wild theories start emerging. TINA is an acronym for There Is No Alternative. I have often thought about it during election time when all the candidates are not worthy to be voted for but you have no choice but to choose the best among the worst. This time during the General Elections, voters will have a NOTA (None Of The Above) button available but sadly those votes will only be omitted from counting. Even if NOTA votes are a majority, the candidate having most number of votes will still win. There is definitely some more tweaking required in terms of NOTA.

This post though is about (surprise, surprise) Indian Cricket. More specifically about the possible future captain of the Indian Cricket Team. It is in that context that TINA becomes completely applicable. You cannot use NOTA as an option because you must always have a captain and in cricket, unlike most games, he is extremely vital. As I write this, India have just lost another series abroad and that makes it 4 series and 12 matches without winning abroad. As always after a series defeat, the knives are out. The vultures have started swooping. MS Dhoni's captaincy is on the line and for once I agree that it is not entirely wrong.

MS Dhoni has always been a defensive captain. Every captain has a particular style, which in my opinion is a combination of the captain's personality and the quality of the team. Some are ridiculously aggressive like Michael Clarke who I think might be the most aggressive captain in the history of the game. Some are conservative like Alastair Cook. Dhoni's style and method is like that of a python rather than a Cobra. He doesn't make a lethal strike but believes in slowly crushing the opponent by cutting off their supply of runs. It works fantastically in ODIs where slowing the run rate causes batsmen to throw their wicket. It also works great in Test matches at home where an in-out field along with a turning pitch and confident spinners is a potent combination. However it doesn't work in Test matches abroad at all. One of the main reason is a lack of a quality bowling attack. This contributes greatly to Dhoni's style of captaincy.

Much as I hate to admit it, I don't think that MS Dhoni should continue as India's test captain in the long term. He is definitely not the only reason why we have not won the last 12 matches abroad but the defensive tactics are not helping. Obviously it's not possible for him to be Michael Clarke because Clarke has the luxury of having 3 extremely good fast bowlers with 1 of them being in the form of his life (Wait till India goes down under :P). But cutting the losses is not helping. We're not only losing matches but also not winning some which we ought to. With a more aggressive captain we might continue to lose but we will also win some matches abroad which will give confidence to the team.

Now comes the TINA problem. Who will be the captain if not MS Dhoni? Let us look at the choices:-

Virat Kohli - The best batsman in world today tied with ABD. Good captaincy experience with Under-19, RCB and Delhi. Definitely the most likely successor but do we really want to put him under pressure so soon? Knowing his temper, the chances are high that Ishant Sharma will come under a barrage of abuses, verbal as well as physical. It will be much better to wait for Virat to mature a bit and let the batting order settle down before making him the captain. Plus it will be good for him to start with a home season as captain rather than away in England and Australia so that he gains some confidence rather than being scarred immediately.

Cheteshwar Pujara - Very good batting form currently but doesn't have much captaincy experience.

Rohit Sharma - Good captaincy experience with the Mumbai Indians but is a long way from absolutely cementing his position in the batting order unlike Kohli and Pujara. Telling him to lead the side right now will definitely be unfair.

R. Ashwin - Seems like an intelligent cricketer but has no captaincy experience and is not sure of his place outside of India just yet.

Let's not even go into the fast bowlers. With injury and form you don't know if they will play the next series let alone captain the team.

Hence the ideal solution right now is to let Mahi continue as the captain in his own unique way. Let him weather the storm in England, Australia and lead us into the World Cup. Once we're at that stage, Virat will be more mature and Rohit will most probably have cemented his place in the team or begun another comeback. Either way we can have one of them as the captain. Or maybe in England and Australia we will see an aggressive Dhoni, Ishant of 2006, rejuvenated Zaheer and hence we won't need the discussion again :)

Chalk and Cheese

A couple of months ago, I completed 5 years as a working professional or to be more accurate as an I.T. professional. Since I am a stickler for dates, let me tell you that it was on 14 July, 2013 that the 5 years were completed. The first three and a half years were spent in BMC Software, a multinational product development company. That entire experience, which I was privileged to share with two of my closest friends, journeying from Project Trainees to Associate Product Developers deserves a completely different post.

I joined ITscape, a product development start-up on February 6, 2012. It was a tough decision to leave BMC as I really enjoyed working there. I was lucky to have great colleagues, friends and I was enjoying my work. But professionally, I felt it was the correct thing to do and I always wanted to work in a start-up either founded by me (I still dream of starting my own company one day) or people whom I trusted. I knew things would be different when you move from a company with more than 6000 people to one with less than 10. But needless to say, the difference is like Chalk and Cheese.

The first difference which I noted during my first week was the absence of emails in my inbox! In a big company with thousands of people, you are forcibly part of many distribution / mailing lists. As a result you tend to get a lot of emails during the day and night. As you go higher up the chain, the number of lists and subsequently the number of emails increase proportionally. People want to keep you "in-the-loop" and many a times it is indeed required. But here, in a start-up with just 10 people and majority in the same location it wasn't required and there used to be days where I didn't get a single email. In the beginning it felt quite unnatural but I've really got used to it now and it's a relief. The same holds true for the number of meetings.

One important difference while working in a start-up as opposed to a big company is that the stakes are much much higher. In a big company, in case you don't perform too well or your team doesn't deliver a good performance, it doesn't have a big impact (I'm talking about people like me who were on the lower end of the totem pole and not top executives). You might lose out on some deadlines, you'll cop some flack from the management and your own appraisal or bonus won't be satisfactory. In a start-up however, such slip ups can result in you not having a job next day as your company didn't secure the required financing and had to shut down! The stakes are that much higher and every individual and the team's performance has a lot of impact on the company's future. Similarly, the rewards and satisfaction are also amplified in case you do well. The news that you just got a (paid) customer is literally music to the ears and cause for a big celebration! In a big company if you're doing well, you already have so many customers and new ones being added constantly that unless you're in sales and it matters to your targets, you don't even know about such things. 

The most important difference for me is that you get to and need to learn a lot of new things while working in a start-up. The reason is, there is really no other choice. You can't say I can't do something or this is not something I was hired for. One way or the other the task  needs to be done. In a big company, with so many resources at the company's disposal, you get constrained to your specific skill sets. Of course there are exceptions and also highly motivated people who make it a point to keep learning new things. But I think that it is easier to learn something if you have a need for it and in a start-up there're always 100 things which need to be done. It helps a lot if you have helpful and skilled colleagues to guide you in things which you don't know a lot about. I've been lucky to have such people around me and consequently have learned a great deal in the past 1.5 years.

One thing which a big company allows you to do is plays sports competitively. I was lucky to be a part of BMC's Cricket, Football and Basketball team. And I can never forget the enthusiasm and competition in BMC's annual Internal Cricket Tournament. When I joined ITscape we didn't have enough people to make a cricket team let alone play a tournament. We are getting there though slowly and steadily ... 

I don't want to discredit work in big company. I've been lucky to have worked in companies at the opposite end of the spectrum and have enjoyed my time in both companies. There might be some people who are not cut out for life in a start-up while some might not like the life in a big company. I believe that if you work hard and remain positive, you can achieve success any where. To give a cricketing analogy (since I always have to have some reference to cricket), there are some people who love Test Cricket while some love T20. But there are some including me who love both as in the end they're just different versions of the same beautiful game.

Bitter the defeat, Sweeter the Victory

I am an average Sportsman. I have played and still try to play many sports. I've attended coaching camps for Cricket, Tennis, Badminton and Basketball when I was in school. Some lasted more than the others, but I would say that was more due to my aversion to fixed schedules and timings. This aversion also made me miss many of my academic lectures and private coaching classes. That's one of the reason why I'm a fan of the "flexi-timing" policy in my company right now, though some would say I do push it a bit far some times. But coming back to all the sports which I've played competitively, I would never call myself above average in any of them. Apart from eating a lot of food in a single go, there aren't many things which come naturally to me. Even that talent doesn't seem too awesome after seeing episodes of Man v/s Food.

Though I am average, I am also proud that I have represented my school, college and company in Cricket, Basketball, Football, Handball and Netball at various times in my life. Obviously that brings to mind the thought that the teams which I have been a part of were not really good. That might indeed be a fair call if you look at win-loss records. I have rarely been part of teams who have dominated their leagues like the earlier Australian Cricket team or the current Spanish football team. Most of the times I've been part of teams which don't have resources (human or monetary), struggle to come up with players even on a match day, don't have adequate bench strength and who get the worst luck in terms of draws or refereeing. However this is not at all a rant about the teams that I've been part of over the years. I feel lucky and privileged to have played with my team mates over the years.

I call myself lucky because had I been part of a dominating team I am sure I would not have played so many games. Some times it's good to be a big fish in a small pond as you get that many more opportunities. But I was definitely privileged since I got to play with team mates who despite all the odds of being an underdog, played beyond their potential and showed terrific fighting spirit to come up with some spectacular wins. 

I've listed 3 of those wins below, all of them from inter college Basketball matches. There were many more in various sports but to limit the size of this post I had to hand pick these.

• Modern College of Engineering v/s Army Institute of Technology (Basketball) - This is was one of the best victories we've had in four years of engineering. This match was played in our Second Year (2006) where as usual we were the under dogs. The match started badly for us and we were down by many points when an unusual 3 pointer from almost half way down the court brought us back. We went on to win the close match and it gave us great belief that we can win even when we're down by many points. The best part was headlines in newspapers the next day which said "Engineers beat Army men" and "Engineers stand tall".
• Modern College of Engineering v/s PVG (Basketball) - This was Modern's biggest upset in Basketball till the year 2008. PVG was tradionally a very strong team and it was a team which I had deep respect for. They played fair, ran a lot and had excellent coordination. We had always been on the losing side against them but in this one match everything came together for us. It was a big upset and one of our biggest wins. I didn't play a single second in this match but enjoyed every moment of it. I have in fact been on the bench a lot of times. Many times people who don't play sports competitively have asked me what's the use of being on the bench. They say it's better not to play if you're going to be on the bench. I pity these people because they don't understand what it takes to be a part of a team and how important the bench is to a team. All great teams have one necessary quality - their bench is very strong.
• Modern College of Engineering v/s College Of Engineering Pune (Basketball) - This is clearly the best match I've played in. We were playing at the the COEP ground, in their own tournament and in front of more than 200 partisan engineering students. It was them against 10 of us along with a few loyal supporters. Needless to say we were totally out numbered and being heckled continuously. The match started horribly for us. At the end of the first quarter the score was 17-2. In the second half we slowly started our comeback and towards the end we were neck to neck. So much so that the match went in over time. One over time wasn't enough and the match went to double over time. In that period our captain and best player twisted his ankle and was replaced by a rookie. But enduring everything we won and in the end the only noise in the stadium was the celebration of the 10 players and their supporters.

I believe that playing team games competitively has advantages beyond the obvious ones of exercise and competing. It teaches you a lot more than you realize. But the most important thing which it teaches is how to lose. I think it's important to know that in life, you may not win all the time and sometimes the only thing you can do is give your best. I have nothing against individual games but to me the feeling of celebrating a hard fought win with your team mates is unmatched. Even though I've been on the losing side many times, I have had my fair share of victories. And it is the knowledge and experience of losing which makes these victories even sweeter. In the end I believe that if you can say "I gave my 100% ...." it doesn't matter what comes next.

Keep your head bowed!

They say "Pay your taxes, hold your head high". Well, not so fast. If you are a part of the Indian IT Industry then I would ask you to wait. That's because come the month of January, employees all over India will become busy in submitting bills and receipts to claim tax exemption  Nothing wrong with that. It's a provision given by the Government. But the key point here is that for expenses like petrol and telephone, it's mandatory that it should be an expense done for business purpose and not personal. 

Every year there is an obscenely large amount of bills that are submitted and accepted but have nothing to do with business. The bills per se are not fraudulent but the expense is clearly a personal one. Medical bills and rent receipts are a different story. Many of them are clearly fraudulent. Medical bills are procured from corrupt (this word has lost its meaning) shop owners and rent receipts are printed, forged and submitted by people who are living in their own or parent's house for donkey's years. This goes on year after year with no obstruction whatsoever from employers and no one thinks twice about it. If you are one of the few people who do not submit fake bills and fraudulent expenses, give yourself a pat on the back. But look around and you'll see that you're in a terrible minority. 

I've had heated discussions with friends, colleagues and even employers on this point. I have tried in vain to convince my colleagues that this is illegal not just unethical. I've tried to make employers put in some stringent policies for avoiding this but to no avail. Over the course of these discussions I've heard many excuses:-

1) Everyone does it - Well, this excuse has been heard many times but in whichever context you use it, it is definitely not applicable. The fact that everyone is doing it does not give you the right. It still makes your actions illegal. The only consolation is that you're not alone.

2) What is the government doing for me? - I don't want to sound cliched but John F. Kennedy's statement "Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country" stands true here. You may not like a particular government and think that it is corrupt. But that in no way gives you the right to not pay taxes. If you think that your taxes are always going to end up in some corrupt politician's pocket, you are wrong. Your money might also be helping fund the Pulse Polio campaign which has made India polio free. The fact is you cannot rationalize using this excuse and the real truth is that you just want to save money.

3) I need to save money - Tough luck. If it is correct to use illegal means to save money and essentially make money, then we need to release a lot of prisoners in our jails as many of them indulged in theft as a way to get out of poverty. Saving money is good but only if it is done by legal means. Just because you don't get caught doesn't make this legal. It's just like following traffic signals when the traffic policeman is not present. You know you won't get caught or have to pay a fine, but you still follow the rule (hopefully).

4) Catch the corrupt politicians first - Yes, they need to be caught and taught a lesson. As a country, India needs to improve a lot in terms of corruption. But it starts with every individual. We have no right to berate the corrupt politicians and talk tough about them if we ourselves are indulging in corruption. Yes, avoiding taxes by fraudulent means is corruption. Just because it's not under the table doesn't make it any less grave. So before you do a fast against corruption to support Anna Hazare or talk about severe punishments for A. Raja and Suresh Kalmadi, think whether you have earned the right to make such statements. 

The sad part about all this is that the employees who are indulging in these practices to "save money" are ones getting 6 figure or even 7 figure salaries. You may think that these small amounts will not make a difference but it does. As an example and that too a very conservative one, let's consider that only half of the Indian IT industry (about 15 lakh individuals) end up not paying just Rs. 1,000 in taxes by fraudulent means. Essentially we end up not paying the exchequer Rs. 1,50,00,00,000 in taxes. That's 150 Crores. This is still a very very conservative figure. So think again.

What are the solutions to this? Well, if you're not in a position to formulate policy or make your voice heard to the management then you can definitely make some changes in yourself. Don't give fake receipts and fake reimbursement claims  Encourage your colleagues, friends to do the same and be a role model for others. However the onus lies more on the employers and policy makers. Every company should have a strict policy of dealing with fake receipts and claims. If you are a small company it's easier. You know what is a business expense and what is not. You know who lives in his own house and who lives in a rented accommodation  For large companies, it's important to do surprise checks and punish offenders. It's only when people know that they will be punished severely for saving couple of thousand rupees that they will think again. If there's no punishment, it's just a bonus. 

Whenever we see a traffic cop, we think of him as a corrupt guy taking money without giving a receipt. We take pride in saying that we were caught but we insisted on a receipt from the policeman. Where does this pride go when you submit a fake receipt for rent or petrol? The next time you bad mouth a policeman for being corrupt, compare yourself with him. This guy stands in the sun, in all the pollution, works in terrible shifts and gets a measly salary for his work. You work in a plush A.C. office, get free or subsidized food and a fat pay cheque every month. If you can justify yourself by any excuse for not paying tax, then he is more than justified in taking money without giving a receipt. 

The truth is BOTH are wrong. There is no justification or excuse for indulging in illegal and unethical behavior. The sooner we realize that as Indians, we will take a bigger step towards eradicating corruption.

Cricket at 5A, Panchadri Society

First of all for those who are having trouble understanding what is "5A, Panchadri Society", it's the first line of my residential address. It's the place where I have been living for the past 24 and a half years and the place I believe to be one of the best locations you can find in Pune. And since I also believe that Pune is one of the best cities in the world, that makes it one of the best locations in the world!

The reason why Panchadri Society is so great is because it's situated on one of the busiest roads in Pune - Law College road but it's almost half a kilometer away from all the traffic, pollution, Barista, CCD etc. Panchadri also has abundant greenery, enough to rival that of some parks. Along with that it also has ample open spaces which is a feature not seen at all these days in housing societies. This ample free space is the perfect setting for playing all kinds of sports right from Dabba eyes-spies, football, basketball and most importantly Cricket!

Playing Cricket at 5A Panchadri has been a regular feature till 3 years ago (One of the many side effects of entering work life). Ever since I was 5-6 years old we have been playing cricket in our society almost every evening. In the vacations we used to play in the morning too. And in one summer vacation we actually put up a halogen lamp in a balcony which enabled us to play way into the night. Of course there were many hindrances which are common place in almost all societies namely breaking of windows, outsiders should not be allowed to play, no playing between 2 to 4 in the afternoon, no playing after 8 in the night etc. Though they did not deter us from playing we made a lot of adjustments like changing our rules drastically to discourage stroke making, cleaning bathrooms and replacing broken windows immediately and actually refraining from playing till EXACTLY 4 in the afternoon.

Till the year 2002 we used to play in a narrow area between 2 buildings. However the turning point came in the same year when the extremely rough driveway in our society was relaid and an extremely smooth driveway was made. Apart from increasing the lives of car tires this relaying of the road gave us an awesome pitch for playing cricket!

Courtesy a brilliant piece of welded metallic stumps from Australia we started playing on the tar road by bowling up the slope. The slope has quite a steep gradient but bowling on it felt great. Bowlers got nice bounce and batsmen felt the ball "coming on to the" bat as Ravi Shastri would say it. It also opened up a previously closed range of shots for us like the cover drive and straight drive. This time the windows were very far so the chances of breakage were minimum. Even so that did not prevent the odd breakage courtesy some adventurous and average batsmanship.

However it was hard to play competitively and though we loved the full pitch bowling and batting, the real fun began when we started to play "1 tip 1 hand" half pitch under arm matches. The competitive matches full of sledging and controversies were so addictive that we used to play right to the point where the ball was not visible at all due to the dark. Coincidently we played the most when it was the time of PL or "Preparatory Leave" during our Engineering days.

Due to the slope on the pitch we had christened it as "Lords". The memories at Lords are legendary and often relived with great enjoyment when the lucky ones to be a part of it meet after a long time.

Cricket at Panchadri is not just about playing. The "watching" part is just as memorable if not more. I have been lucky to be born in a cricket loving family. Right since I was a kid it's been the standard norm in our house that whenever India is playing there is nothing else allowed to be seen on TV. I also remember an incident when on a vacation in Simla we made the whole touring party wait as it was the ending stages of a cricket match. Consequently the tour left without us which in my view was the best thing to happen since we could at least watch the match in peace!

Over the years we have watched a lot of matches at my house. Each of them has been special which has made my house "lucky" for the Indian team. We have also watched football but of course it does not has the same effect of watching India play. Man United matches are great but the joy in watching Sachin pulling Caddick for a six is simply something else. I have tried to list some of the memorable matches watched at "5A Panchadri" in chronological order. Here they are along with some video links if you're interested in reliving the great moments:-

1. India vs Pakistan, 1998 Independence Cup Final - This match was one of the most exciting ones I have watched and I still remember the moment when our very own Punekar Hrishikesh Kanitkar hit Saqlain Mushtaq for a 4 to complete the highest ever chase at that time.
2. India vs England, 2002 Natwest Series Final - I remember this match well since it happened on my father's birthday, 13th July. Unlike Mohammed Kaif's parents we did not leave the house at 164/5 and were able to witness one of India's greatest wins ever. Also the highest chase at that time.
3. India vs Australia, 2003 World Cup Final - Now this should never count as a memorable match for any Indian BUT the atmosphere in my house when Sehwag was batting is something to go down in folklore. We knew that if anyone can achieve the impossible it is Virendra Sehwag. And when he was hitting the Aussie bowlers every shot was celebrated with the sound of about 25 plastic bottles which were demolished on that day.
4. India vs England, 2007 T20 World Cup - This match was made memorable by 1 man - Yuvraj Singh. The 6 sixes which he hit against Stuart Broad also introduced the "huddle" in my house which later became a common feature throughout the World Cup.
5. India vs Pakistan, 2007 T20 World Cup Final - Needless to say anything about this match and the atmosphere in my house as well as FC Road later on ...

I may have missed out on a lot of matches but I do hope I get to add to this list during the World Cup 2011 in India!