When you’re married for 34 years … do you remember

Do you remember all that your spouse did for you without sparing a thought for herself??

Do you remember how often you leaned on her for support??

Do you remember the great load she took on her shoulders??

Do you remember the huge emotional support she provided for you??

Do you remember how very much she has forgone for you and the children??

Do you remember how quickly she recovers from illnesses just to take care of the household??

Do you remember how she always puts family first??

Do you remember all the times she tried her best to help when you seemed a bit low??

Do you remember the late nights she put in to ensure your get togethers with friends was a great success??

Do you remember the words of wisdom she often came up with when you seemed to be in two minds??

Do you remember how willing she was to brush aside your forgetfulness??

Do you remember her absolute concern whenever you had the slightest of ill health??

Do you remember how very often she complied with the slightest of requests day or night??

Do you remember how she never seems to complain no matter what??

                                —————- This an d much more , I do !!!

 

When you’re married for 34 years … do you remember

Do you remember all that your spouse did for you without sparing a thought for herself??

Do you remember how often you leaned on her for support??

Do you remember the great load she took on her shoulders??

Do you remember the huge emotional support she provided for you??

Do you remember how very much she has forgone for you and the children??

Do you remember how quickly she recovers from illnesses just to take care of the household??

Do you remember how she always puts family first??

Do you remember all the times she tried her best to help when you seemed a bit low??

Do you remember the late nights she put in to ensure your get togethers with friends was a great success??

Do you remember the words of wisdom she often came up with when you seemed to be in two minds??

Do you remember how willing she was to brush aside your forgetfulness??

Do you remember her absolute concern whenever you had the slightest of ill health??

Do you remember how very often she complied with the slightest of requests day or night??

Do you remember how she never seems to complain no matter what??

                                —————- This an d much more , I do !!!

 

Goodbye Charmwood

It was more than a decade ago when we moved into Charmwood Village and into our flat in Cliffton Apartments .This was the first time we were staying in a flat we owned; it was a wonderful feeling to live in our own home. We settled down quickly enough, as Ramesh and Jaya were next door and helped us a great deal. We had a good set of fellow residents in Cliffton , who made living there pleasant .You can have stand offish neighbours who remain cool and aloof and make you want to stay out of sight most of the time .

When Deepa fell ill we moved to Sheikh Sarai and since then have been living there. Deepa’s well again and back to her usual active self but it seems necessary to stay on at Sheikh Sarai, as it would mean security and company for her mother. After some deliberation we decided to sell our flat in Charmwood Village and invest in another in Noida.

Things moved rapidly once we had made up our minds and now the sale has been closed, the flat vacated and the keys handed over to the new owner. It was a whirl of activity much like the way we moved in 1998. We had to move out of our rented flat in Alaknanda at relatively short notice and had decided to finally purchase a house of our own. Ramesh and Jaya being in Charmwood influenced our decision and in less than a month we had completed all the formalities of purchase ,including securing a bank loan .In less time than it would have taken to buy household appliances , we were in our new flat.

There was no feeling of nostalgia or regret at leaving. It was a decision that needed to be taken, and with the minimum of emotion, it was time to say good bye. When I look back at what may have been the major events in our lives during our stay in Charmwood Village, the most significant from a professional perspective, would have been leaving Xerox and setting up a business of my own. I had established a home office at Cliffton Apartments and quite liked the way things were shaping up. However I was induced to re join HCL and a new stint in the Corporate world would start .It was a wonderful experience by and large and a period around which I will retain great memories and abundant stories to tell when indeed I finally hang up my boots.

For the family, Seema’s marriage took place and such a wonderful occasion that was .We had the most beautiful of family events; again something that we will cherish for all times to come. Shirish found his wings and headed off to Canada to do his under graduation in engineering from McGill University, Montreal .He settled down very well and did very well in his course .He has a great launch pad for his career. We travelled abroad extensively, thanks to Nokia and also some of our partners in the Digital Entertainment business. Something I thought wouldn’t happen very much, after I left Xerox but as it turned out, we travelled more than ever before and that included Deepa.

The lows were when Deepa fell ill and we moved out from Charmwood .It was a terrible period in our lives .Thankfully it is over. The children were a great source of strength and we as a family pulled through this crisis, as they say, stronger than before.

I was hugely relieved when I moved the Gohonzon to Sheikh Sarai. We had not being staying in the flat for close to three years and the place was dusty and un kept. The Gohonzon has no place in a dusty deserted house. I had a simple little budsudan made, through a carpenter in the office, and the Gohonzon once again has a welcome place in a small but neat little budsudan. It seemed the carpenter sensed that a precious object of worship would be housed in the box he was making and took special care to make it well. When the Gohonzon moved out of our flat, I knew the time to sell the house had come.

Charmwood Village would never have the nostalgia associated with Hartland where I grew up .I suppose in our boyhood days we live though our dreams, forging lifelong friendships and accumulating memories. The life ahead then,  appeared daunting and uncertain and we did not know where we were headed for .Living our dreams and carrying on regardless of the turbulence around us, must be the mantra for a life of sustained engagement and joyfulness.

When my boots dangle serenely from a spot I am yet to decide on, I intend to start afresh with new dreams and a new vigour and perhaps on an unchartered path, for me at least.

To be fit or not to !

I was asked to contribute an article on keeping fit for our company’s magazine . Here it is .It should be published in a short while !!

Me a role model of good health???!! I’ m perplexed at the thought!! What with a dodgy back which I have lived with for a couple of decades now .Regular exercises, a prudent life style and a little care have ensured it never went out of hand. Add to that a suspect digestive system that doesn’t allow  splurging on rich food, perhaps to my advantage; and a congenital heart disease that prevents  loading my poor heart beyond a point, and you get the picture. None of these is an excuse for not keeping fit. When it comes to fitness your clock starts NOW!

A month or so ago, on a cycling expedition in Kerala, we had just completed the Kovalum –Kanyakumari leg, an 85 km stretch along the West Coast, in very hot and humid weather and heavy traffic to boot, when our lead rider and the strongest of the group, said that I have a strong mind and that not many Indians at the age of 63 can complete a trip like this on a cycle, in one go!! Hmmm.. I guess so, although 85 kms per se isn’t much to write home about, but for the relatively tough conditions. I suppose then, I have the licence to share my pennies worth, on leading a healthy lifestyle, isn’t it?

Keeping  your fitness bar ever higher is  a mantra .We more often than  not ,underestimate our capabilities .When you hear of cancer survivors performing at international sporting events and golden oldies ,well into their sixties ,both male and female , competing creditably in Iron Man contests , you know that age or ailments are no bar in excelling in physical activity .The highway to good fitness is open for all who recognize the imperative to stay healthy and who have the tenacity to stay the course, all their lives. The benefits are too numerous to enumerate here. Don’t wait till it’s too late to get on to the road to happiness.

You all know what a healthy life style calls for – right eating & drinking, the right levels of nutrition and exercise, a calm and composed mind and balance in all the things we do..  et al. This is hygiene. Fitness is driven by a mindset that strives to push oneself beyond ones obvious capabilities. Isn’t that a good mindset to have? Won’t it do a world of good in cultivating a passion to excel? Won’t it lead to countless gains in your fathomless desire to grow, not just in your career but as a human being?

Some of you are in the deadline forties and some approaching that awesome landmark .I would only urge you to pay heed to your health and fitness, if you are not already doing so.Then you can lead a life relatively free of illness and disabilities and remain sharp and active for a long long time to come. Remember how fortunate you are to be in good health now and how active and full of beans you are today. If you want to live life to the full, even as your grandchildren loll around all over you, start an appropriate fitness regime pronto.

Jai Hind!

 

Theme for a book !

I finally decided on the theme and the substance of my book, as and when I get down to writing it!! That’s progress, as till now, I had this great urge to write a book but couldn’t figure out what it should be about or the genre .Now I can work at it, if the initial feedback is sufficiently encouraging and those who matter, step forward to participate in whatever way they can .I mean the heros who form part of the narrative and also those who made it possible and those who can help make the book a reality.

In my days in Xerox we embarked on an ambitious project we called the Outsource Service Agent (OSA) Programme. Our direct workforce was going to be metamorphosed into a mix of direct and out sourced teams. There were several strategic reasons for doing this, which I wont  delve into for now, but for the service team it was to be uncertain times. How a group of us designed and handled this transition, itself, is arguably the material for another book, but for now I plan to write about the extraordinary journey that many service engineers took, as they transited from hardworking employees to equally hardworking and successful entrepreneurs.

We had to visit the homes of the early volunteers or appointees ,as parents needed reassurance that this was a good move for their sons .One  of the senior managers consulted his “Guruji “ , who listened to all he said about the programme  and promptly advised  him to go ahead !! It was touching to see wives and fathers joining the fledgling businesses as Admin Managers or Accounts Managers !! At one remote location the local Red Cross was so happy to see a youngster set off on a business venture that they gave him office space, free of charge and wanted him to be a role model for other youngsters to follow!!

Over the years I have been on and off in touch with some of the OSAs .Many of them, as I said before, had emerged as true success stories in their transition to entrepreneurship .Many had broken away from Xerox and had pursued other more rewarding business interests .Many who were simple humble technicians had grown to be businessmen well thought off in their towns or localities. When I think of all this, I feel that herein lies tales of inspiration, that may be heart warming and also instructional for many. Do you think so??

So, friends, colleagues, OSAs and well-wishers do you think this is an adventure worth embarking on???  Your feedback could well serve as the motivation for the long hours and labour that will undoubtly go into the making of this book.

My Schwinn finds a new home

My Schwinn sports cycle regrettably has to move into a new home. It served me well, as I cycled more than 5000+ kms on it, including expeditions to Rajasthan and to Kerala .I did have apprehensions as I set off for the first expedition to Rajasthan, more to do with my own uncertainly of cycling three consecutive days of approx 100 kms each .I managed the rides reasonably well and the Schwinn performed without a glitch, two punctures notwithstanding.

So too the Kerala adventure, although the cycle played up quite a bit this time .Had trouble with the gears for most of the trip and noisy brakes; at times I hoped desperately that the cycle would hold out till we finished .Finish we did and in the final analysis the Schwinn did fairly well .The trouble enroute was more due to inadequate maintenance skills to correct what would have been relatively minor adjustments. In fact since I returned from Kerala and after servicing, the cycle has been performing rather well. As well as I have ever know it too!!

The urge to upgrade had been on my mind for some time, with more than gentle nudges by Vijay .He kept reminding me that it was time to get a cycle that was commensurate with my status!!!!! Urgh ….???!! I never looked at it that way but felt that I had earned the right for a higher calibre cycle ,after three years or so of consistent and ardent cycling , often all by myself.

Along with Vijay and Gagan we worked out the specs for the cycle that would best suit my needs. Gagan was keen that I go in for a mountain cycle and fit it with hybrid tyres .He was also looking at good deals on the internet for cycles with the right frame and components at reasonable prices .He did suggest a few options that would have meant importing the cycles on my own .Others were of the view that I should stick to a cycle that was sold and serviced at a convenient location. What was clear to me was that the cycle should be a hybrid, preferably without disk brakes, with lockable front suspension and with reasonably good components.

I searched around a lot at the popular sports shops  but couldn’t find a cycle of my choice and had to turn to the internet before I zeroed in on a Trek 7500 .Firefox, the India distributor for Trek doesn’t stock and sell the 7500, however on a special request and after a bit of persuasion, they agreed to imported it for me .And so it came to pass that I own a cycle specially imported for me, now isn’t that special  and haven’t I come a long way on the road to cycling !!!

In contrast the purchase of the Schwinn was quite blind! I had decided to get into cycling as a form of exercise and a hobby, without any external prodding .I can’t recollect what was the stimulus for this decision. Perhaps it was a stray article I may have read in a magazine or newspaper. A visit to our Chandigarh office lead to a breezy visit to the neighbouring Firefox showroom where I saw a range of sports cycles and got an idea of the prices .It helped in fixing a price range that I thought I would be comfortable with .Thereafter I went to the Firefox and the Track &Trail showrooms in Lajpat Nagar along with Ashish ( who was equally unfamiliar with sports cycle requirements–talk about the blind leading the blind !) .I selected the Schwinn Searcher because it fitted my price range , looked reasonably good and I felt comfortable  on it .I didn’t know at that time that it was a hybrid cycle nor did I have any idea what to look for or compare.

So, wow, the Trek 7500 had much more science behind its purchase. The first feel of it is good and comfortable .I get the feeling that I will notice the difference on longer, harder rides. There are minor adjustments that need to be made and for which I’ll take the bike to the showroom after a week or two .For now I am all set for a new beginning in the cycling endeavour .I plan to put in far more rigorous  and structured schedules with clear goals for speed and  endurance  . The GK Bikers are talking of another ride in Rajasthan, this time covering 500 kms in 24 hours (some of us can take more time — thank heavens) and there is the lure of the Brevet 300 (everyone else has completed the 200 and some the 400, so I have just to gear myself up for the 300 when the team decides on it!

The GK Bikers, off course, are way ahead of me in terms of cycling speed and endurance and I won’t ever catch up with them. The Sunday morning rides are getting to be races and the thirst for extreme cycling adventure is growing by the day. Finding a fit here is getting bothersome .But what the heck , I ride because I like too or want too and have my own goals and challenges to meet .Life after all carries on the way we want it to .

I didn’t think I would sell the Schwinn , at least not immediately .However there being no proper place for it in Sheikh Sarai ,pushed me to find a new owner for it .I passed the word around  at the office and very soon Sandeep offered to take it .So regrettably my Schwinn , the cycle that  served me so well and build my appetite for this sport , has to move to a new home.

All about the Kerala Cycling Expedition

The entire event moved with clockwork precision but for surprises on day 1, necessitating a change of plans for day 2. We reached Cochin by air, on time and set off for Munnar in a Tempo Traveller with the cycles and luggage following in a Tata 407 truck. KV Chandran of Kerala Tourism Solutions had made excellent arrangements for us right throughout the expedition; the hotels were good, the courtesy and accommodation of the staff wonderful, the vehicles in excellent condition and the drivers helpful and of the right temperament .Could you ask for more? There were ten of us cyclist and three others, including my wife Deepa, playing a support role.

At Munnar we stayed at the Tea County, an excellent property with superb ambience; a place you would like to spend a few relaxed days .The hotel staff made available a well lit play ground for us to unpack and assemble our cycles. This was the first time I was doing this but managed quite comfortably .Vijay misplaced his front and rear wheel quick release axles and we had to make arrangements for it through the Cochin Firefox outlet. This would reach us only at Thekkady ,so Vijay was quite disappointed at not being able to ride on day one .We planned however that he and I would take turns riding my bike on day1 and that perked him up no end.

One of our riders had done the Munnar -Thekkady  route some years ago and inexplicable under estimated the time and effort needed .He told us it would be a “Cake Walk “ and we needn’t set off as early as 6.30 am , the original plan .He said it would take just about five hours and after an initial climb for 10 kms or so it would be mostly downhill with gentle slopes .He suggested we even leave at 10am and still reach Thekkady before 4pm .We eventually left at 8.45 am .

The first 15 kms was a pretty tough climb and then as our friend had suggested, there was an easy descent for another ten kms or so .So relaxed were we ,that we took an assembly break just after the summit and once again a little distance later for coffee and purchases of homemade chocolates!! The “cake walk” lulled everyone .Then started the climb and an increasingly difficult one at that, which   would go on all the way till the 70 km mark or so .It was a mix of climbs and descents with more than 50% climbs .Team members who had Garmin devices said the route had a 1.7 km climb! The going was really slow and being conscious of the need to reach the Thekkady Forest Reserve before 6 pm we decided to abort the ride and clamber onto the Tempo Traveller, except for the top three lead riders who kept relentlessly riding on .Even the strongest riders of the team took all the way till 6.00 pm to reach the Forest Reserve gates, a gruelling ride of over nine hours covering just 107 kms .So much for the five hour “cake walk”!! Gagan, Yogen and Tirath, the strongest of our riders were thoroughly exhausted after the days ride.

Nevertheless the Munnar-Thekkady route is truly beautiful, at times breathtaking .With better planning and preparation this would be both a challenging and a beautiful ride. We should have set off at 6.00 am and cut out the leisurely breaks, taken on the climbs resolutely and aimed to finish the ride by 4.00pm.  I managed only about 25 kms on day one and Vijay did another 25 kms or so on my cycle before a bee got into his ear and caused considerable pain before finding  its way out .Talk about having a bee in your bonnet !!.Vijay  did the tougher parts of the ride and me the easier ones .I didn’t do well on the climbs at all and do need to tighten up on technique and build on strength if I am to successfully do mountain cycling . I do aim to do so for sure .My next effort will be far better.

We stayed at KTDC’s Arinya Nivas , again another wonderful place to spend a relaxed holiday .The tough first day had got us thinking about the 200km plus journey from Thekkady to Varkala .We didn’t have a clear idea of the route and anticipated navigation and traffic delays .We planned therefore to just ride for a few hours on day 2 and travel by bus the rest of the way to  reach Varkala before sunset .Pradeep, the GM of the hotel, made arrangements for a night safari from 10 to 1.00  for six of us and a cruise on the Periyar River from 7.30 to 9.00 the next morning. The mood now changed to a desire for a relaxed day 2 .Most of us decided to just travel by bus the whole way, while some decided to ride for a couple of hours. Those that did cycle on day two faced a tough climb of 30 kms that took the strongest of our riders almost two hours to complete before they too joint us in the bus.

We drew lots to decide who would go on the night safari!! A good experience it was for those who went for it , though you are unlikely to see any sort of wild life .It was more the experience of trudging through a jungle path in the middle of the night accompanied by armed guards .The next day’s cruise  was a great experience .It was an extremely scenic and serene cruise around the Periyar River .We got to see several wild hogs and the rare sighting of a pack of wild dogs who had just killed a sambar and were stalking another .It was quite an experience .It was serenity of the cruise that was so very enjoyable.

After a leisurely breakfast and a spot of shopping for spices, we set off by bus for Varkala .The journey turned out to be longer than we thought with several crowded towns slowing progress .Couldn’t help feeling that this wasn’t a good track to cycle on at all. It was long after sunset and after 7 pm that we finally drove into Krishna Theeram Ayur Holy Beach Hotel, another fine hotel we stayed in during this trip. The Varkala cliff is an interesting place to stroll around with many restaurants catering for foreign tastes and quite a happening place.

One thing we decided was to set off early the next day on our cycles and to stay reasonably close together and set off around 6.20 after a light breakfast .The roads continued to roll with ups and downs and some fairly long climbs but not like what we faced on the ghats. It was a Sunday and hence less traffic but the traffic built up later in the day and so did the scorching heat .I was a little apprehensive at first of the longer climbs and took it slow and easy .My cycle kept giving trouble all the way through .The brakes made a moaning wail every time I pressed them, the kind you hear from busses all the time, attracting attention and stares. The gears also gave me a lot of problems; I couldn’t move to gear 3 on the front sprocket and had to keep going at gear 2. The gears kept slipping and I struggled every time I needed to change gears .I  completed the 60 km journey to Kovalam comfortably, finding only the heat and traffic a drawback .But then when we embark on such an expedition we have to accept all that goes with it, including the heat and traffic.

We stayed at KTDC Samudra on the beach .This too is an excellent place to stay with the family on a holiday .We enjoyed the two night stay here and were impressed by the courtesy and helpfulness shown by the front office staff. We had dinner at a very unique spot just outside the hotel. Spot I would call it, as it was on a thick wall (!!) facing the Arabian Sea. The wall was just about eight feet or so in width and had place for only one row of tables along it. The waves crashing against the rocks below added to the atmosphere.

The next day would be an 85 km ride to the southernmost part of India, Kanyakumari .Traffic and heat was a concern and we decided to set off at 6.30 am .We were all up and ready on time in spite of a fair amount of liquor and a late night .The hotel staff were helpful enough to provide light breakfast at 5.30 am and just around 6.30, on schedule we set off for the last ride of this expedition.

If day 3 was hot and the traffic heavy , it was nothing like day 4 .The traffic was much higher being a Monday .Also as we neared the Tamilnadu border, the traffic increased a lot more with a corresponding decrease in the quality of the roads .The heat and humidity was also very high .It lead to two of our team halting on the way  and getting on to the bus .I was determined to finish and did so quite creditably .The only minor hiccup was a fall I took a short distance away from the finish as I swerved to avoid on rushing traffic and took a fall getting a minor bruise on the left leg in the process .Thankfully there wasn’t more serious damage .I was lucky here.

Gagan and Raman kept close to me right through the ride and that was reassuring ,as one of them was always within sight or a shout away. That’s the good thing about riding together as a group. We finished in good time averaging around 20kms per hour .We then walked along the pier at Kanyakumari and had an enjoyable time relaxing on the rocks.

The expedition was over .We loaded our cycles on to the truck and drove back to Kovalam to KTDC Samudra .On the way, we saw an awe inspiring movie that Gagan had brought along .It was an account of the 24^th addition of the Race Across America .The gruelling 3000 odd miles cycling race across the USA , from East to West ,which has to be completed in 12 days and two hours and is considered to be one of the most gruelling and brutal sporting events. We stayed glued to the documentary all the way back to Kovalam.

We had a great time on this expedition .The big difference from earlier ones was that we had more luxurious hotel stays and more leisure activities .God’s own country ensured that .In our earlier adventure in Rajasthan we stayed in spartan accommodation provided by the Army and had simple food the mess cooked for us .There is a fine balance that needs to be maintained between the adventure and the leisure parts of such trips .Both have a place ,just as it was so good having Deepa around and participating .

Gagan and Vijay are quite insistent that I should now sell off my cycle and get a new one .Gagan has promised to help and so I will soon be getting rid of my rattle trap and riding on a new swanky cycle. God willing!!

My cycle’s packed I’m ready to go !!

The GK Bikers are off on a cycling expedition to Kerala on 2^nd Feb 2012 and so am I .We cycle for four days covering  Munnar–Thekkady-Varkala-Kovallam-Kanyakumari a distance of approx 450 kms with two of them being on the Ghats ! Don’t quite know how difficult this is going to be but I’m all set and game for the challenge!! I dare say it will be tougher than we think it is going to be. This time Deepa will be coming along as part of the support team.

If marks are assigned for diligence then I would score pretty high .All through these wintery chilly months, I have been getting up before the proverbial crack of dawn and setting off cycling at 6.00 am. I planned and completed 3 to 4 rides covering 150 odd kms per week. Also chose the Outer Ring Road, so I could ride over the flyovers in a simulation of the hills. Found a good route on the Faridabad – Gurgaon Road which also was a simulation of the rolling landscape we may encounter in Kerala.

If there was a fault in my training effort, it was that I didn’t do at least a few very long rides covering 6 to 7 hours at a stretch. This was necessary, as we may have to cycle for this  many or more hours on the first few days .The second day we have to cover close 200kms or more and this is going to be really tough. A slow coach like me would require 11 or 12 hours to cover this distance with a few breaks thrown in!! Can I last that long on the cycle one go at a stretch ? God only knows!! Time will tell.

In hind sight, some training in the gym to strengthen the legs, upper arms and lungs would have been mandatory. I have always abhorred the gym (due in part to the trouble I face on thread mill tests) and hence never planned it .This may well make the difference between  successfully covering long stretches of climbs or really long distance rides , or not.Too late to cry over that now.

I was careful not to overdo it , perhaps too careful .I should have pushed myself much more .Niggles & problems in earlier events made me a lot more careful this time .But the heavens had the last laugh as I suddenly developed a lower back pain of all things, last Wednesday. Busted my back you could say and don’t fully know how it happened. While it is much better now, lingering stiffness and discomfort still exists. It created a minor setback to the training schedule , however I just got back on to the cycle and kept riding and  didn’t  have any problem , although it was difficult to move around on foot or do the normal day to day tasks . I think I should be ok by the time we set off on 2^nd Feb or I hope so at least.

I got my cycle packed this time, as we have to transport it by air to Cochin. I do hope it reaches intact and I am able to reassemble it back again! I’m going to enjoy myself and take things as it comes. Will do my very best and push myself beyond the normal limits of effort I subject myself too. Will try to be circumspect and cover each day to the best of my ability and beyond .How I fare will be the topic of the next blog.

Wish me happy riding in the mean time.

 

A childhood friend awarded the Padma Shri

It was thrilling news- Mohan Vishwanathan awarded the Padma Shri!! That has to be the finest piece of news in a long long while. To hear of the greats being awarded these very special awards is one thing, to hear that a childhood friend has received it, is an all together different emotion.

Mohan, Paul and I have been close friends for close to five decades and more, through school and the Royapuram days. There is something very special and enduring about childhood friendships, even when we go on divergent paths in different parts of the country.

Mohan has won this award for outstanding work in the field of diabetes. Reams and reams of research papers, countless presentations in India and abroad and endless hours of caring for patients. His clinics in Chennai are always jam packed with patients. His research facilities are probably one of few privately owned facilities to be recognised and supported by ICMR.

Years ago when dad was still alive and I was in school, Mohan’s father Dr M Vishwanathan had to leave his post as a Professor in Madras Medical College for dubious reasons. It turned out to be a blessing in disguise, as he set up a small clinic specialising in diabetes at his home in Royapuram. He did very well indeed, not just becoming the foremost diabetes specialist in Chennai but rapidly expanding his small clinic into a three story building that he purchased adjacent to his house. The seeds of a great institution and outstanding work in the field of diabetes was sown here.

The entire Vishwanathan family dedicated themselves to the field of diabetes, sons, daughters and in-laws .Perhaps the only one who didn’t was Mohan’s younger sister Indu who didn’t take to medicine and migrated to the US after marriage. Mohan was determined to do well in this field and even in school he took tuition for lessons ahead of the class. It’s no wonder he was a topper all through his school days , easily got admission into medical college ( quite a feat in those days ) and went on to secure the gold medal in college. Awards and recognition would follow him all through his distinguished career.

Mohan always had very high aims and ambitions and he chose to set up his own clinics and research facilities outside those of the family facilities. This was not a break from the family, as one would think, it was an expression of Mohan’s quest to achieve the lofty goals and vision he had for his future and the direction he wanted to take in diabetes research.

If there is any regret he has, it would be that his wife Rema, his sweet heart from college days, was not around to see him receive this apex award. She passed away last year after a battle with cancer.

Mohan has always been a dignified and polished gentleman and is a strong devotee of Sathya SaiBaba. In the face of all the recognition and awards he has received, he has remained dignified and humble. There have been many influences and sources of inspiration in his life but I suspect he would want to dedicate his award to his late father, the one who first set off the sparks that ignited his sparkling career.

Well done Mohan!

Travails of our cricket team and the media

I managed to see a fair bit of India’s batting in the 3^rd test at Perth and a lot more of the out pouring in the media. The batting display was disappointing and a trifle saddening .You tended to be off colour on those days when our team was getting roundly or squarely beaten and headlines in the print and electronic media cried “murder”.

It’s sad that the TV channels should treat this as another “scam” or political gaff .The Channel anchors spoke with the outrage and vociferousness they have learned to use from repeated broadcasts of scam related telecasts and political fiascos .A sports event needs completely different treatment and sports analyst and former sporting greats respond better to thoughtful assessments of the game and their views on what they think needs correction. Of late we see just meaningless shouting matches on TV in the guise of debate .The TV Channels surely have a role to play in ensuring quality debates on their channels .

The Australian media slammed the Indian team and in most cases were quite derogatory  of the batting performance of the erstwhile legends in our team.” Here’s a snatch from The Herald Sun,  ” Indian cricket by contrast just lobs along. It’s players pocketing millions each year too spoilt to make major sacrifices .It’s appropriate that many Indian players spent a lot of time last week sitting under trees at training, because their entire test match game is being left in the shade.” It’s funny to read how Michael Clarke was being made out to be an excellent captain when very recently in the South African tour, the Aussies where bundled out for 40 or 50 odd runs and Clarke’s captaincy and leadership came in for sharp criticism.

The best commentary in the press that I read was Ravi Shastri’s assessment of what he thought was the cause of the dismal batting performance. Here’s  what he had to say.” The 23 overs bowled towards the end of the first day  set the cat amongst the pigeons .Australia galloped to 149 for no loss , David Warner to an exceptional and opposition deflating hundred .In the sequence of events that followed , that had to be the knockout punch of the game. The events preceding and following these 23 overs show both teams in almost equal light .India’s bowlers were as difficult to bat against as the Australian bowlers. India’s middle order greats were unequal to the task .But so were Ricky Ponting, Michael Clarke and Mike Hussey.”He goes on to say of our batting greats “.. Their own greatness is a burden too heavy for their weary shoulders. Swing and seam at high speed in helpful conditions at great accuracy meant that a wicket is always around the corner .When you bat against such a force the margin of error is wafer thin. After some time your concentration weans away .Every failure also has a compounding resonance. Soon you are caught in a whirlpool “.Clearly the best of the lot, in terms of analysis of the situation our team is in, I should think.

The bits and pieces I watched on TV  showed the ball swinging and seaming quite appreciably and yes ball after ball, over after over as four fast bowlers pounded away relentlessly at our batting greats .At times ,such as for Gautam Gambhir the ball rose disconcertingly towards his throat, to get him fending  awkwardly and to be caught at slips. Laxman , Shewag and Dhoni were out to sharply seaming  and bouncing balls that took the edge of their bats to catches at slips. You marvelled at the accuracy and sustained hostility of the Aussie bowlers and couldn’t help feeling that none of the young batsmen waiting in the wings would have fared any better. More so, as none of them would have had any experience of batting on such fast, bouncy and seaming tracks. Honing their batting on the slow and low tracks in India would not have prepared them to be technically equipped for such a fiery test.

What one noticed was the hesitancy of our batsmen, baring Virat Kholi ,to play on the front foot with confidence , and this observation was being oft repeated  by the TV commentators also. It was plain to see .The Aussie pace bowlers more often than not pitched the ball up and allowed for swing and seam off the wicket. It was only on the rare occasion that they pitched it short but to telling effect, as they caught batsmen fending the ball off their throats to be out caught at slips or by the wicket keeper.

Our ageing greats  now have reflexes that don’t match up to the needs of  the hard pacy wickets overseas .Clearly the time for phasing them out and blooding the young guns has come .As most commentators now agree , this should have started a long time back . It was short-sighted on the part of our selectors not to do so, lulled as they were by sporadic hundreds and successes on the slow lifeless wickets in India. Luckily for us there isn’t an overseas tour to Australia, England or South Africa for the next two years or so and this should enable us to do the necessary rebuilding in the comparative comfort of the South Asian pitches.

In any sport ,as I believe in any profession, past performance and legendary feats are not the consideration for team selection on the day. For sure ,class has a place in the consideration set but so too have form , fitness and  suitability for the match conditions, horses for courses as they say. This call for the abrupt end to the cricketing careers of our greats, isn’t right . It’s really good to see the determination behind Sachin’s desire to play in the one day series on the current tour of Australia. He seems determined to make a major impact in these matches and I do hope he does .

For now as Ian Chappell says, it would be a step in the right direction if our team fought Australia tooth and nail in the Adelaide Oval instead of totally capitulating as we did at the WACA. Best of luck to them.