About self-belief, my mom and dreams

I do believe I have turned the tide back in the last two months, thanks to mom's support. I still remember that day in August when my flat-owner literally dropped a bombshell on me when he told me that he had resigned and was leaving the place. This was precisely 5 days before mom was to come over here. I had just returned from India and had fallen sick. Still I was feeling positive thinking about the mom's arrival over here.

Through the sickness, I had to run around looking for a room to live in. Flats are unaffordable in Abu Dhabi unless you have nothing better to do with your money. I was given the option of renting out my owner's flat for 130000 AED per annum. At today's rate, that would translate to 17 lakh rupees per annum!!! On top of this, there is the issue of bachelor's not being allowed so easily to rent out flats. You need a company letter or a marriage certificate or some such stupid document to be eligible to live in a flat peacefully. Even going to agents won't make your pocket feel any better!! Besides, I perfectly know why I am here. Still I had a problem at hand!!

I listed out all accommodations available from my company intranet forum. I was helplessly making calls trying to get a decent accommodation where I can keep my mom as well. I tried one place and it did not work out. My fever was getting to me and I had to go to office as well the next day. Things were only getting more tough. I had planned to bring my mom to help me with my preparation for GMAT. I always considered mom a pretty good hand at such stuff as she has so often done for me in the past. It's better to keep her over here than to waste such a crucial resource cleaning utensils and washing clothes at home!!

I made another call and went, unwillingly, to the place as it was far away from office. However, I found the family pretty good and the room was very spacious. In such turbulent times, I did not bother giving it a second thought and just paid the initial advance. Two days later, mom came to Abu Dhabi and the very next day, I shifted all my stuff to the new place, courtesy two pick-up van trips and a friend's car. I still knew I had an exam to give and my preparation was going nowhere at that point of time. Soon, we adjusted to the new place. Mom was allowed to use the kitchen and the uncle and aunty were extremely good to us.

The next bombshell came when I realised that GMAT dates were not available in Abu Dhabi post Sept 18th. That left me with 3.5 weeks to prepare well and get a good score. I booked my date and requested for a 5-day leave at office. I really didn't believe that I could make things happen but yes, with mom's constant backing and reduced working hours during Ramzan, I put in long hours at "work". Yes, work it was and the results are there now. A good GMAT score has opened up some new options for me. I can even consider an industry and function switch, something which can offer me more challenges that what I am facing now.

We visited Ajman and some new places in Abu Dhabi, watched a few movies and wrote b-school applications in the remaining time. The best part was that mom was there here with me on my birthday and that has happened for two years in a row now. Today, mom left for India. She is on her flight as I write this. However, I am pretty sure she must be thinking about me just as I am sitting and writing about her.

I have realised over the last few years that to make things happen, you need to take the initiative. Those who are afraid of failure shall probably never succeed in the true sense. Also, what differentiates the great from the good is the ability to successfully carry everyone ahead. I know in these tough times, I have not been able to keep in touch with my special friends. However, I still believe these experiences will keep me in good stead for the future. My special friends may leave, thinking of me as some selfish guy who is only interested in his own future. I may not be able to control their emotions and thoughts. However, as mom left today, I felt that I am doing my responsibility as a son. My mom considers me a special son, who is able to love her so much. I feel really proud about it. So what if it means I am having to ignore even some of the closest people for now. A duty is a duty. A dream is a dream.

For long, I have seen too many people compromise with their most prized possessions. Infact, these people don't even know that they possess those things. Humanity is thrown out of the window. The definition of love is only limited to the one that can exist between two strangers who get married. However, I still belong to old school of thought. I am pretty much an innocent guy today as I was 24 years ago. And I still love the person who brought me into this world as much as I loved her before.

Some things can never change. It doesn't mean that I do not value others and disregard their feelings for me. It only means that I am doing what an ideal son can do. Sure, a time will come when other things will begin to hold sway over me. I am prepared to wait for such a time. But if others are not, it's their wish. I do not own anyone nor have I purchased them. My doors shall always remain open for anyone and everyone who wishes to talk to me.

I do not know whether I am happy with life or not. Some people claim that I must be pretty happy - with a handsome job and handsome salary and some pretty sky-high ambitions. I believe happiness is relative. Sometimes, what others think makes you happy isn't quite the thing you are searching for. Yes, that particular thing may lie on your road to happiness but isn't the destination itself. However, it's better not to convince others about their notions. Let them keep those ideas unless they wish to change them.

I only wish God makes me more fearless with every passing day. It doesn't matter how the financial markets are performing or whether I will get another job tom if I leave my job today. It's about believing in the person in you - Self-belief can help you overcome any obstacle in your path. The threads of your life are in your hands no matter how helpless the situation may seem. Coz when you have this self-belief, even God will start believing in you. Remember one thing, God only offers challenges as per the capacity of an individual. He throws the toughest of challenges or choices or decisions to the people whom he thinks have nerves of steel. Indeed, those nerves may quiver for some time but as long as you are able to hold your composure, in the long run, you will find that the doors of life will start opening for you!!

So long....

A R Rahman Live in Concert

The juggernaut rolls on...

Friends, I had the privilege of attending a LIVE musical concert by arguably the best music director in the world on 18th April at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium. Accompanying the maestro were a number of artists including Hariharan, Chitra, Sadhana Sargam, Blaaze, Javed Ali. It was an absolutely amazing night!!!

I came to know about the concert quite luckily through a friend during the weekend party in office on Thursday (17th April). I spent about one hour in office trying to search for sources for getting the ticket and finally, I did get one. Lunch break was spent having pizza and driving away to Spinneys to buy the ticket. I wanted to watch the show from the gallery as it provided the best view. The event also gave me a good reason to fulfill a long-standing wish of mine to get a pair of binoculars - a NIKON Action Extreme series!!!

The excitement ran through the local cricket game on friday morning until later by afternoon, my friend got his car and we were all set to rock the party!! Driving along, my friend remembered that Sivamani was known to one of his friends and he made a few calls to get Siva's cell no. Siva duly asked him to come after the concert to meet him. In the meanwhile, through one of my friends, Amith Chandran,I got hold of a few ARR fan club members who were attending the show. We all were hopeful that we could get to meet the great man himself though the odds in our favour were 1 in a billion!!!

The entry to the stadium was tough with thousands of people standing outside the gates well in advance of the concert. Somehow, I managed to squeeze my way in and secured a pretty nice seat for myself - 4th row from the top, right in front of the stage and around 50 yards from the spot where Sachin smashed Kasper for a huge six in that memorable cricket match at the Sharjah stadium!!!

The atmosphere at the concert was equally electrifying with giant screens put up - one at the centre and one by the side. There were designated areas for standees on the ground followed by seats for the VIP & VVIP sections. However, the best view was undoubtedly from the stands from where I scourged the stadium with my pair of binocs. In the meanwhile, my friend came along with his sister just in time for the show to begin and for an experience which will truly be cherished by me for years to come.

The anxious wait for Rahman continued a little longer till he came out singing Jaage Hain from Guru, a truly remarkable song for its music and sheer impact!!! He followed it up with Khalbali from RDB which had the crowds tapping their feet, just waiting to burst into a maddening dance. It was only a matter of time before the entire stadium got to its feet and sang at the top of their voices. Rahman & co gave a splendid performance with songs from Guru, RDB, Jodhaa Akbar, Roja, Dil Se, Bombay, Mangal Pandey, Lagaan and some Tamil songs. One of the highlights of the evening was watching Rahman sing Khwaja Mere Khwaja from JA and Pray for me Brother from his album Pray for me Brother.

The show ended with a scintillating rendition of Ma Tujhe Salaam, which can make your hair stand on end especially when Rahman sings it. I feel this song creates the same kind of impact on today's youth which Vande Mataram or Jana Gana Mana created on the youth during India's freedom struggle!!!

After the concert ended at 12 in the night, we tried hard to meet the artists but they all left before we could reach them. I sent an SMS to Sivamani thanking him and conveyed from regards to Rahman through him. I returned back to Abu Dhabi with the ARR fan club members and on the way, we spoke about Rahman, Rahman and only Rahman!!!

A truly memorable day had come to an end - one that I will cherish throughout my life. Hope you enjoy the pics!!

http://picasaweb.google.com/arvindshastry

Videos will be uploaded soon. So keep watching this space for more :-)

Here goes one -



This is simply awesome -

A sad day for India..

Normally, such statements might be reserved for large-scale violence or a terrorist attack involving numerous deaths but the act of 'massacre' carried out at Sydney has dented the optimism and hopes of many Indians and has indeed hurt the pride of the nation.

Cricket has evoked many emotions in me but probably this is the first time it has truly brought me out not just to back the Indian team through and through but to even support the clarion call for abandonment of the tour to uphold the spirit of the gentleman's game. India went into the Sydney test after having suffered utter humiliation at Melbourne and they showed their ability to fight back in the first two sessions at Sydney. Having Australia on the mat at 134/6, the dream cherished by Dravid, Kumble, Sachin, Laxman and Saurav, in what would be their last series down under, of winning a test series in Australia seemed real. This was definitely India's best chance to come back into the series, their best chance to create history by beating the best cricket team in their own backyard. What followed next was not just an umpiring error but also the complete dashing of hopes of a 19 year old youngster!! I remember Bucknor doing the same poor old Murali Kartik at the same venue 4 yrs ago when I bunked all classes to watch India win on the final day - a win which was not to be thanks to Bucknor!! Just imagine what confidence Ishant would have carried forward had he got the prized wicket of Symonds at that crucial juncture!! Australia went on to post a mammoth 463 runs in their first innings in which the umpires had decided not to give any stumping or LBW!! All hopes of an Indian resurgence evaporated then. Still, there was some hope in the Indian batting with the old hands of Laxman, Dravid, Sachin and Ganguly playing stellar roles to take India to a competitive total of 532.

From what I saw on TV, there is no way Harbhajan could have gone on his own will to speak something to Symonds as Harbhajan and Sachin were batting brilliantly with Harbhajan completing his first fifty against Australia in test cricket. Surely, something provocative was said to Harbhajan to make him react in that manner. The end result - Ponting and co have combined to give Harbhajan a 3-test ban. For me, this surely is the greatest testimonial of racism in cricket - where white skinned people get together to hand over punishment to a brown-skinned person!! If that controversy was not sufficient, what followed in the Australian 2nd innings was appalling. Mr. Cricket is given not out when he is on 45. He goes on to score 145 runs and Australia score 401/7 setting India a target of 333 runs in the last innings. Ofcourse, I happen to miss a few plumb LBW appeals where were very conveniently turned down!!

If there was one man on whom I would bet my life to bail India out of trouble, it would be Rahul Sharad Dravid and indeed, he lived up true to the nickname of 'The WALL' which he has earned over the years!! A certain Mr. Benson conveniently forgot to signal no-ball for over-stepping but thanks to Symonds' drop catch, Dravid's innings was not unfortunately truncated. 38 runs, 103 balls and over two and a half hours - Rahul battled on to save the test match - He is the most selfless cricketer I have ever known to have played the game!! And what we got was an absolute shocker from Bucknor to end the most hard-working innings by Rahul. Saurav's glamorous innings was cut short with Ponting giving him out. Some say that even RP Singh was not out but that is very very insignificant for me in the larger context of the game.

The series should have been 1-1 at the end of the Sydney test but it reads in official records as 2-0 in favour of Australia. The series is long gone and there is not even cricketing pride to play for since even that has been snatched away by the umpires. There is only one thing left for Kumble and co - to return back to India. Forget Australia, forget the final frontier!! I know it's hard to forget a dream which one has cherished since a long time!! But surely the dream cannot be pursued in the midst of such a 'massacre'. If Kumble and co play at Perth, they have no shame, no pride in their nation.