Dissecting Aneurysm - Quite a bolt from the blue !

Going by the posts on this page, it’s apparent that this has been used by me pretty much like the iconic tag line of the Hero Honda Ad in the 90s ... Fill it Shut it Forget it ! Not literally the case but guess this is a reflection of how little I tend to pause n put words to my thoughts n events happening around me on a daily basis. This space has largely been used to document specific events at very infrequent intervals , changes that have come about in life and to capture few lines that I believed that could pass off as poetry in what seems now to be a previous life ! 

Taking the former to be true and in order to continue documenting the new event in my life currently, I could not NOT write this piece on what has been arguably the biggest change in my life ! Something that came about quiet unexpectedly and the magnitude of which, is still to yet to sink in fully. So this is about the events that took place during the week starting from the 5th Nov 22, a day that started off pretty much just like any other but surely had gone about changing my life like none other ! 

Just another typical start to the Saturday, with a quick breakfast and off to play a few games of badminton at the local club where I’d become a regular this year and was having a wonderful time doing the same. Played few games and unlike most other days had a decent start winning the first couple of games pretty well and was feeling all good about myself! Decided to rest out the 3rd game and sitting courtside somehow seemed to be right in line of the sun rays peering in through the glass window at the ceiling.  During the next match I played, somehow the left eye seemed to have a bit of a haziness and I just dismissed that as the result of sun rays hitting earlier. Took a break in between to wash off my eye but nothing much changed. Continued the match though, played the next one as well ... losing both pretty tamely. Thought of calling it a day and drove back home after this and then daddy duties started. Kiddo were up and my daughter had to be taken to her badminton class now. Dropped her to the academy and as against the usual practice of sitting courtside and watching her session, decided to go back home n surprise my lil nursery kiddo to take him n wife to school for the parent teacher day. All the running around meant that there was a fair deal of fatigue setting in but given that it meant some more time riding on my new Enfield and the fact there was no inclination of what was about to happen just about 30 mins later, I went about the chore as usual!! 

Dropped the lil one and wife to school and was about to go back to my daughter's badminton academy to pick her up, when something happened and a sudden jolt t'was for sure. Was about to take a U-turn on the busy road when like a flash, felt the world around me moving in circles. Sudden bout of giddiness with quite a bit of heavy headed ness and disorientation. Call it luck, awareness, divine hand, will never know the reason for sure, had the presence of mind to quickly bring the bike to the side and park it, even though the parking happened to be right in front of the 'No Parking' board. Keeping up the luck factor was the presence of an auto standing right in front where I'd parked the bike and he was happy to take me home. That short 15 minute auto ride had 3 bouts of uncontrolled vomitting across the auto seat, floor, on the road - everywhere! Somehow reached home and never having an experience even remotely close to this, meant that I knew this was something BIG ! Barely had the energy to puke out once more and somehow plonk myself on the bed once I reached home. Fortunately a doctor from the building came pretty soon and checked all vitals and declared that all seems fine, probably a BP n Gastro issue and was put on  medication to address those with an advise to be on complete bed rest for couple of days. The weekend went past, with me firmly stationed on the bed with an odd vomitting bout and largely on liquid diet. Monday morning meant stepping out to meet a Senior Dr who advised to take an MRI and along with few other tests. That was taken promptly and the results were available within couple of hours. The result was shared with the doc and the prompt callback by the doc changed the scene quite a bit at home ! Seeing the MRI result, the condition was categorized as a 'Minor stroke' with a urgent advise to immediately report to the Accident and Emergency desk at one of the largest hospitals in town - Kokilaben Ambani. The next couple of hours were a blur. We reached the hospital at the earliest we could and had a queue of Junior docs from the neurology department examining me, doing multiple tests and assessments. After couple of hours at the Accident & Emergency centre, was shifted to ICU with my case being tagged as a young stroke patient. All this while, I was at a loss to identify exactly what the problem was. Absolutely no giddiness / vomitting prevailed and apart from minor fatigue I felt perfectly fine. All the assessments and doc checks went without any findings and I became the talk of the floor for the docs to identify the root cause of this stroke case. This resulted in multiple docs coming up and putting me through various tests ... heart, liver, Kidney all got assessed thoroughly and the success rate for all of these seemed to be far better than most of the academic successes of their owner! 

Was scheduled to be discharged on the 11th and as a last assessment by my neuro was recommended to take a DSA - Digital Substraction Angiography of the brain as my Doc was still a bit stumped as to the reason for the ordeal I went through and his view was that for my age and my vitals there had to be some specific reason behind the 'Acute Ischemic Stroke' and could not be just dismissed as lifestyle/ age etc. Though was very bugged with the suggestion to start as I was looking forward to get back home after few days at the hospital, that test turned out to be quite a blessing indeed. Since the procedure involved minimum intervention my case was handed over to the interventional neurology team and was explain what this procedure will be and was informed that this is the gold standard of diagnostics for such cases and post the same we will be able to definitively pin point the reason behind the whole episode. The procedure was for about 60 mins though there was a good deal of waiting at the Cath Lab prior to the same and sure enough the result did clear the air quite a bit.  Post the procedure my case was diagnosed as a condition called ' Dissecting Aneurysm' which basically meant cuts in the walls of the artery that fed the brain. This meant that there was a impact in the blood flow to the brain and that had led to a ballooning which, if left untreated, ran the risk of eruption in which case there would be impacts to various parts of the body given that the nervous system would be the part taking the bulk of the harm. This was explained descriptively to me by the Head of Interventional Neurology at the hospital and was informed that while the condition is perfectly clear, this meant that the corrective surgery required is imperative and is required to be done at the earliest possible. Given that this involved a neurological surgery and a mighty precision one at that, obviously the cost involved was going be like none other and criticality of the same meant that the procedure was required to be completed urgently. Fortunately, we were able to seek multiple independent opinions to validate the diagnosis and post the same we were clear that this corrective action can be taken up and completed the very next day. After a brief stage of anger and dismay on why this has come up all of a sudden now, I was comfortable to the idea of the surgery and the timeline primarily on account of the 3 reasons -

 1) not having much of an alternative and the fact that multiple independent opinions including family members who happened to be neuro surgeons backed the diagnosis and the treatment required 

2) confidence in the doctors handling the case and a general positivity always about things being in control and lastly 

3) Support of the family and long conversations with wifey, Anu who was very upright and clear headed throughout the whole saga though she would have been a nervous wreck internally, but much to her credit never let that cloud her thought process. Parents had come down from kerala earlier in the week and they were right there for support and taking decisions! 

The procedure required involved a Keyhole surgery where there would be a puncture ( small hole) made in the thigh where the main artery of the body would be accessed and through a catheter ( a small tube) a 4 cm length flow diverter would be pushed in and placed in the brain artery, right about behind the left ear area. This surgery was done under the able hands of Dr. Manish Shrivastava and that was one experience that unfortunately I can write nothing about as I just remember being asked about my name and other basic details while lying down on the operation table. The next thing I know was waking up 2 hours later post the anesthesia effect wearing off. The Flow diverter and a stent was placed on the artery successfully in order to ensure the blood flow remained uninterrupted thereby removing the risk of any further complications. We were shown multiple pics and CDs showing the before and after photos of the artery which clearly displayed the corrections done and the impacted area cleared being addressed through the procedure. The next couple of days post surgery went without any major issues. Movements were restricted for 24 h given the procedure process and there were some level of discomfort in the vision. However post the 24h period, everything was largely fine and could do all activities on my own. Was shifted to a ward from the ICU post the same. ICU observation remained for couple of days more and then on 15th was discharged from hospital with a big list of medicines and dietary restrictions to be followed at home. 

Been a month now, and in between the one hundred thousand pieces of advice received from all across, its been a slow journey back to resumption of BAU mode. Getting used to the restrictions and getting comfortable to the reality of not playing sports ( Badminton, volleyball maybe never!!)  - , not picking up the kiddo and jumping around with them and generally getting used to heightened level of consciousness of all at home so as to accept the new life as it were, has been an interesting experience. Looking forward to using this sudden speed breaker as an excuse to clean up the system and take the steps required to ensure the wheels keep churning without too many such speed breakers ahead ! :) 

Been an experience that has jolted us quite a bit, but as indicated earlier there have been a number of unexplained good fortunes that came along the way ensuring that there was minimal damage, no impacts to other parts of the body, quick actions taken in terms of treatment and corrective measures as well as minimal drain on financial resources thanks to an increased insurance cover that I'd voluntarily opted for a while back. Along with all this, there's been substantial support from immediate family and close friends all through, rallying behind myself, and with each other ensuring right decisions were taken at the right moment and maintaining their calm always. Wife has remained a rock all through and been right with me throughout to egg me on, shout at me and encourage me at all times to ensure that there is no physical or mental damage in all these days. Handling 2 little kids along with an adult who'd also become a kid given the circumstance along with the Sr citizen parents single handedly takes a lot out of self and she'd managed the same wonderfully well throughout the days. Family members always close n willing to help making multiple visits to the hospital, braving / thwarting the hospital rules with regards to meeting time and spending their evenings with us helping to light up the mood and lend support throughout the time and after !! Kiddos were largely unaffected and went about their daily school and playtime all through the time thanks to wonderful support from in laws and parents. Their joy in having me back apparent from the lil cake cutting that we did on the day I returned from the hospital with them jumping with joy as always ! :) 

Looking forward for the times ahead, couple of minor follow-ups done and all the assessments seems to be perfectly fine. The exact root cause of the event is yet to be clearly ascertained. there is a degree of inherent weakness in the arterial walls that is is all probability caused the same and this would require a reasonable level of precaution being maintained always along with the medications and follow-ups required to be done at the recommended frequencies as mandated by the docs. Normal work day with WFH has resumed for couple of weeks now with travel being restricted for the moment but in the coming week, will be travelling to work as earlier, though probably the Enfield joyride will need to wait for a while- a lil over a month more I guess ( much to my and more so my 4 yr old son's frustration!! ). Will have an MRI after 4-5 months and further assessments done then. Till then the same precautionary restrictions would continue along with the recommended medicines. 

Blessed and geared up for the days Ahead !!      

    

Another chapter in my Squash Appreciation class

So today, an Indian champion from Kolkata, arguably the best the country has produced will pick up his  racquet to play a tournament final against a fan favorite and the best ever in his sport produced by the paradise country - Switzerland. Before people start scratching their head wondering where on earth is Leander Paes playing Roger Federer in a singles finals today, allow me to submit that the matchup being referred to here is the next best thing possible, and definitely one that's a lot more evenly matched contest ! :)

Squash is back to its new swanky home in India -the lush green lawns at the CCI, Mumbai. For a city that's woefully deprived of high quality sports action , this annual stop by the stars of the squash world is a breath of real fresh air! And this, the 2nd edition of the tourney has added lot more cheer to the Indian public when compared to the inaugural edition. After a flurry of great contests and joyful upsets on the way, the grand finale is set up with Saurav Ghosal locking horns with the Swiss charmer Nicolas Mueller later in the day today. The semis yesterday saw plenty of skills, technique & tenacity on display with all 4 semi finalists giving it their best.

Mueller got the better of the tournament giant killer - Ramit Tandon. This young indian had given it his all to upset the top seed Spainiard Borja Golan in the quarters and was unfortunate to be carrying a hip niggle into the semis. Injury breaks and multiple stretches though did not dampen the fight in the young man who gave it his all and gritted through the match, despite the experience and skills of the Swiss man being an obvious bridge too far for the Indian to handle on the day.

The 2nd semis was the marquee matchup of the day ( probably of the tournament). The indian No.1 Saurav Ghosal, in a rich vein of form off late up against  Mr.'Hammer Of Thor' - the towering Egyptian - Omar Mosaad.
Did hear atleast a couple of remarks from the regular 'squashers' around me on the height difference and the imposing challenge that the Egyptian posed. And true to the thoughts, game 1 went by the looks,- the tall guy steamrolling the Indian. The little BIG guy from Kolkata though, showed the power of the blue patch that he's experiencing for the past couple of months, rattling of the next 3 games to win the match. It was a contest that was a test of mental toughness as much as one of skills. With plenty of ref calls being contested, the Egyptian brought out a number of gasps from the audience courtesy his raw power ! The power incredibly going up few more notches in the rally immediately after a heated argument with the refs. The marker, meanwhile was playing with fire going absent minded on atleast 2 occasions and incorrectly calling out the score further fuelling the egyptian's fury! Amidst all this, Ghosal's game was a testament to his experience and focus as he continued to do what he can do best to ensure his path to the finals.

Few points though struck a clear chord through the day while watching the matches. One being the undoubtable brotherhood that exists between the players. A game that by design demands playing it tough, contesting calls and flaring tempers is bound by guys who have genuine respect for one another. Right from the toss upto each point during the game theres a clear trust between the players to take calls that is fair. Plenty of moments stand out - Both the semi victors gushing in praise of the vanquished quoting the past wins and achievements, the loser conceeding a point won even at match point and the winner specifically calling that out later asking for the crowd to cheer the spirit shown by the loser then, the no airs bonhomie shown by the Indians - Saurav & Harinder to guide their younger mate through the semis even when saurav had his own tough contest to prepare for.

Final point though will be on the sport itself. To the casual eye, this is a sport that looks a bit of a drudgery at times, a little low on variation perhaps and a test largely of stamina. That was honestly my impression till probably a year and half back. Once you live the game though and watch a few high profile contests from close quarters, one realises that this is a game of infinite possibilities - a genuine contest that thrives on skills, precision, patience, power, mental fortitude and of course superior fitness being an unalterable must-have in order to succeed!

With Indians doing so well in the sport and the buzz among the young kids being an obvious one to see, wishing that we see the emergence of many more young champs in the sport and also plenty more such avenues like the CCI Open for the champs to display their skills to an audience willing to lap 'em all up ! 👍👍

Welcome onboard Bops!

8th June 2017 proved to be a happy day for Indian sports. A day when a name was added into the exclusive, now 4 member, list of Indian grand slam winners in Lawn Tennis.

It was a case of 2nd time lucky for the  man hailing from the blissfully quaint hill station of Coorg. Rohan Bopanna had a successful run of results with his Pakistani partner Aisam Qureshi, which included a shot at the Mens Doubles title at the US open in 2010. But the crown eluded him then. Grand slam glory was destined for him on 8th June 2017 partnering Gabriela Dabrowski at the clay courts in Roland Garros. Mixed Doubles may well be considered a lesser sport, but this by no means reduces the sheen of his achievement. By winning the French Open Grand Slam at 37 years, an age that could easily be considered old in the physically demanding sport that tennis is, Rohan has given a fine example of the merits of never losing hope and keeping it going till success is attained. Moreover, by some quirk coincidence, this win almost serves as a worthy commemoration of the day that started it all for Indian wins at the sport's highest level. It was 7th of June 1997 when Mahesh Bhupathi, widely regarded as Rohan's mentor and now India's Davis cup captain/coach, won the French Open Mixed Doubles title partnering Japan's Rika Hiraki, gifting India its first grand slam title ever. 20 years to the day his protégé repeated the feat winning the title in a closely fought contest to lend a cheer to scores of Indian sports aficionados.

While we revel in this success, diehard tennis fans in India continue to await the day when the hitherto unheard of  is achieved by an Indian in  world tennis i.e success in singles at the top level. A taste of which came 21 years back on a shiny day in Atlanta when a young man brought individual Olympic glory for India. That 'young' man continues to delight us today with his awe inspiring control at the net and fitness at an age when top level sport is out of bounds for most, if not all, ordinary souls.  

Here's wishing that successes such as these and the presence of such 'young men' inspire our Gen Next to strive and forge ahead at the topmost level of this fascinating sport.

Going Gulzar on Badminton .....

Ek Akela iss shehar mein ...... Raat mein aur dopahar mein.....

Thus go the words of a timeless classic made immortal by the redoubtable pristine brilliance of an amazing poet and sung by d legendary voice of Bhupendra Singh. Over the decades, these lines have soothed many a lonely heart and helped them wade through the streets while trying to find their true calling.

The song gains relevance in an article meant to be a write-up on sports because of the feeling one goes through traditionally while tracking a non cricket sport in this 1 sport religion country of ours. Though maybe entirely unintended, it is the brilliance of these lines so beautifully written by Mr.Sampooran Singh Kalra that probably helped define the feelings of an Indian badminton fan to the fullest. Lonely pursuit all day and night to keep track of scores, watch the matches, When obliged with coverage / working live stream links i.e, trying to analyse and make a meaningful assessment, the relative strengths and weaknesses of the game - All of this largely ...Akela !

The advent and popularity of social media, ushered in a new dawn of sports viewing and living the passion. Geography, timezone, coverage , all are a lot more immaterial now. Irrespective of the time of the day, there is someone out there following the sport with equal vigour and analysing the game threadbare to help give one the joy of company! Probably the great man that he is, Gulzar knew this well ahead, and hence wrote a modified version of the same song to match this as well .....Do Deewaane Sheher Mein ... :)

Viewer aside, another reason this song becomes relevant is the main characters in this saga of our sport's love, the ones right in the thick of action, Our heroes - The members of the national badminton team.

For long, very long in fact, the badminton crazy fan in India was resigned to the fact of being happy with the odd solo success. Hunting in packs on a sports field, least of all a badminton court,  was something that Indians for sure never managed well. A brilliant win by 1 of our champs would necessarily be negated by a logic defying loss by another. A win against best in the world on day 1 could easily be followed by a loss against someone who wouldn't hold a chance given another day.  Similarly, our quota of success in doubles was more than taken up by our friends playing the outdoor court racquet sport. The poor cousins playing doubles in the indoor court racquet sport would be left to win d lower rung events at best.

The winds of change are blowing thick and fast now and its quite evident to witness. The difference in the viewer perception to the matches makes the changes very apparent. Loads of positivity in the air about player performances irrespective of the result. People actually sit up today to take notice of the talent on display with a strong inner belief that results will come tomorrow, if not today. And for sure the results are coming as well, some beyond expectations of even the ardent optimist among the fans. With the talent in display the average Indian sports fan has begun to enjoy the game beyond the pressures of winning / losing and the same is also rubbing off on the players.

Strategically as well, there's been a lot that's fit in perfectly for India. New coaches, existing mentors ably supported by past players have built an ecosystem of excellence that's largely unheard of in Indian sport. If one were to one go through the annals of Indian sport, it would be a tough challenge to come up with instances where kids as young as 16 are thrown into the cauldron and made to compete against the best in the world. While it's tough recognising a kid with a world beater talent and its tougher being able to be develop it at the right time under the tutelage of the right people, But the toughest is to give the kid the highest level exposure at this young an age and yet supported to make him thrive. Indian sports are replete with examples where whizkids have been lost due to one or all of the above not happening. This is changing in Indian badminton today. We appear to have successfully done a 'Çhodd aaye hum woh galiyaan' on those days of self-doubt and low expectations.

The badminton ecosystem today represents a cooker. Not one filled with pressure, but one that's simmering with array of talents made up of the multiple ingredients waiting to explode onto the global scene. It has already blown multiple whistles thanks to the people on the top, but the real story of our dominance would be when the cooker bursts and fills the sport at all if its levels and disciplines with its colour and aroma. The world sure is starting to get the taste off late, more so this week, but the real taste of the pudding will come when the highest levels of the sport are bagged. For this to happen, the efforts to stay on the long winding road to success needs to be constantly maintained ! To borrow from the great man again  -

In umr se lambi sadako ko, Manzil tak pahunchte dekha nahin

Bas daudte phirte rehete hain, Humne to theherte dekha nahin .......

This SHUTTLE is set for take off .....

When one reads many of the popular cricket autobiographies a striking feature among them is the description about growth of the game and the popularity among the masses. Reams have been written  about the nurseries of cricket like the ones in Mumbai - the gardens in Dadar have been witness to countless precocious talents taking their first steps and creating lasting impressions among the passionate eyes that spend evenings aplenty poring through the numerous matches on in the maidans. The goal for those eyes being, catching  a glimpse of the latest whiz kid who's been creating a buzz among the folks who track the game at the grassroot levels ever so closely and to back with stories to be quoted in the future on how - 'I was there when ......... ' 

In many respects this is the core strength of the sport of cricket in India. Whether you have a talent with respect to playing the game or not, there most certainly exists the eye as well as the want to soak in the sport, to identify and judge young talents who'd be tomorrow's big names. When one goes to a 'maidan' on a lazy Sunday morning, there is always an unmistakable buzz in the air when that kid, who's been the subject of many chai time conversations, starts to show off his wares.  It's that want of people, young and old, to spend their leisure time with the game and their keenness to witness the baby steps at the grassroots that sets this sport apart and defines its 'religious' identity in the country.

When it comes to non cricket sports, we may be miles away from reaching that superhighway of sporting devotion. However, slowly but surely there are tiny foundations being laid down with respect to the same in today's times. Badminton today in India is at the cusp of breaking through and achieving universal acceptance across the length and breadth of the country not just as a recreational activity but also one of life's passion and goal in the minds of many a young and old. As is popularly said - there's perhaps nothing that breeds success better than success itself. For the young kid growing up in the country today with a keen eye on the game, to start with, there is of course the legendary status of a Prakash Padukone or a Pullela Gopichand to look up to. Besides these overarching gurus of Indian badminton, there are many heroes who can be seen in action on a very frequent basis either on telly or up close at the nearest tournament happening in the city. The success stories across the various disciplines within badminton today transcends social, economic and ethnic backgrounds, thereby increasing its universal appeal.

Given the traditional sports psyche in India , think it's safe to declare that never before have we witnessed such emphasis being laid on building the foundation for a sport and creating an army of talent. Indian sporting success has largely been defined by those outlier geniuses who took it upon themselves to strive and succeed despite the systemic challenges. In case of Badminton though, it is the focus being laid on building the system and a mass culture within the sport that is defining the unique character that the sport is achieving in India. The number of young kids taking up the sport and achieving successes at a national / global level is an easy barometer to define this stature.

It is a bit difficult to do justice to the young names creating buzz in the badminton scene in the country, given the sheer quantity of talents swarming the sport. There is also the caveat, and a critical one at that, of junior talent not converting at the world stage for a whole host of reasons, as witnessed countless times in the past. However a name that come to mind upfront when talking about the badminton scene in the country deserves a mention here, though this may betray a bias I have for the belief that this kid is one heck of a talent. The boy in question here is the lanky live wire from Andhra - Satwiksairaj Rankireddy. A kid with surely a long winding name, but someone who forces you to etch the same in minds once his talent is witnessed. A little under 2 years still to go for the kid to be eligible to obtain a driving licence, however that has not stopped him from driving his career ahead in the fast track. He powers his game with some hard hitting smashes, probably among the hardest smashers in the country, an uncluttered raw pace and some delightful jaw dropping defence executed through a distinct self defined style. After hitting national stage in the past couple of years by sweeping junior level titles, the kid has started the transition towards International senior level events and the results have been encouraging to say the least so far. His 1st season at the senior level which has yielded 2 International Series titles each in mixed doubles as well as men's doubles and 1 International championship level title each in Mixed n Men's doubles proves that the kid is on the right path with many more to come. A recognition of his talent is demonstrated by the fact that this 16 year old was also catapulted into the senior team for the prestigious Thomas Cup earlier in the year, thereby bypassing many senior contenders in the pecking order. A change of partners has brought about no blips in his galloping moves up the ranking charts and in practically no time the young kid is knocking on the doors  of Top 100 in the world - arguably among the youngest of all time to make the cut. The striking feature of meeting and interacting with him is the honesty that shines through. His off court demeanour which makes him come across as a shy and reserved kid proves to be just the apt veil to hide the on-court aggression and exuberance of youth that's a marked feature of his game. 

Having said this, as with any career, more so infact with sports, every incremental jump at the top level is a disproportionate quantum leap. This is a challenge that many a talent have failed miserably in, despite all efforts, in surpassing. Variety of factors namely coaching methods, physical ability, superior competition levels, own drive to succeed and a liberal dose of luck amongst others would play a critical role in making 'tomorrow's champions' become 'today's legends' one day. This is in no way a simple task else we'd never have had that exclusivity associated with the true legends of sports. Talents like Satwik and the scores of others who are breaking through in Indian badminton will do well to constantly remind themselves that the ride's just beginning to warm up and there's many a twist and turn in the path ahead. They may have the basic tools to steer through the course for now but every turn will demand something new of them and they'd need to stay ahead of the road to ensure success justifies their abilities. What works in their favour probably is the timing of their forward strides. This sport in India today has all the heroes that any young budding talent needs to look up to, the basic infrastructure to hone the talents, the ever increasing interest level of the masses and reasonable if not sufficient monetary support to egg on the players. It's time that these talents buckle up for the ride of their lives as this shuttle takes to orbit. There are and will be plenty of eager eyes watching and cheering on at every step.

A new and exciting entrant into a crowded mindspace

One of the few things that can never really run out of being in vogue is the joy and excitement associated with learning and living the intricacies of a new sport. Not quite a surprise then that a sports mad person like yours truly gets to experience this high during an Olympic year! In a daily calendar that mandatorily begins and ends with checking out the latest scores of events happening across the world and dissecting the same with plenty of armchair expert comments through the day, it was inevitable that a new sport would join in the tracking list. The surprise though was the fact that a non-olympic sport actually crept up the mind share charts for me during the year and got me to experience the unparalleled thrill of learning to appreciate a sport. This is a short expression of my thoughts on the beauty of the sport of squash.

My earliest memory of squash as a sport has to do with the childhood days sitting at home alone after school and during vacations with a rubber ball in hand and the wall in front. Most simplistic way to stay occupied playing a sport with self to compete against! No racquests needed, no courts and no nets - Just a deaf ear required to ignore parent's reprimand for spoiling the wall. Obviously rules were self defined and executed, sole objective being to have fun making use of the permanent childhood companion - a ball! As years passed the wall squash ended up as a passing fad and got upstaged in my  sports pecking list by table tennis, volleyball, badminton and the rest. 2016 has resulted in a fair bit of change in that though. Following the ElShorbagys, Gawad, Mathew and Gaultiers of the world on telly has brought the sport quite close to me. Ofcourse nothing beats the experience of watching a sport live right amongst connoisseurs of the game, breathing the same air as the players and feeling the pulse of the moments and this has been the real change in this year. 

Indian Squash Circuit has taken off brilliantly and to have two events close to each other in Mumbai, where honestly for all that we boast of, high quality sports live action is a rarity, has been a revelation. The Otters international couple of months back in Bandra gave an opportunity to witness Joshna Chinnappa's game and the masterclass from the veteran Annie Au. The tenacity of Tesni Evans in her fight given to Joshna as well as the lazy elegance of Abdullah Al-Mezayan who delighted the small gathering with some magical wristy shots remain etched in the minds. Ofcourse Otters was a curtain raiser for the real deal in November at the CCI. A glass court put up at the club with a sizeable capacity crowd witnessing some high quality squash was just what the doctor ordered for the sport to be driven up the popularity expressway in the country. 

Talented people from squash capital of the world - Egypt along with gritty challengers have resulted in some fabulous action lapped up by an excited crowd spanning across age groups 2 years to 75+. Watching the class of Mohammad Abouelghar and Fares Desouky and the never say die determination shown by the Swiss Nicolas Mueller surely ranks among the best squash action that Indian audiences have witnessed live. Personally, given that watching such top class squash action courtside was a first, the nuances and efforts put in the sport are an eye opener! 

A word to appreciate the efforts of the organisers. Ritwik Bhattcharya has been brilliant, constantly on the run through the matches meeting players, officials and working with the technical guys to address issues with the streaming coverage. Despite all the running around, the minute a familiar face is met or even a stranger approaches him for a word, the man is all smiles and courteousness personified! The passion and love for the game that brought him to the top in the country is evident in his efforts to popularise the sport and take the game to the masses further. Ditto for Raj Arora as well. Infectiously passionate about the game and willing to talk about it at lengths. A particularly heartening sight through the course of the tournament at CCI has been the number of young kids present and their unbridled excitement in watching the match and rushing over to meet the players and get an autograph / selfie. The players ofcourse have been more than willing to shrug off the game fatigue and give the kids a moment to cherish. 

Wishing the best to the group in the efforts to build the sport in the country and with myself getting bitten by the bug, can't wait to hit the courts to experience the thrill of this magic ball sport far more regularly. 

Epidemic after the terror

Just days after the terrorists created havoc in our dear ol mumbai ,.... its really unfortunate that the whole of country has been hit by such a terrible epidemic .... ofcourse its nbot at all a surprise to note that its majorly only a particlular class of the society that is falling prey to the same ....

The class being referred to is ofcourse our very own dear flagbearers of our democratic system -- the politicians ..... and the epidemic they've started to suffer from is the 'foot in the mouth' disease. These poor souls have been making such fools out of themselves that one just cant even begin to guess what golden words can come out from which bigshot's mouth next !!!!!

It may be expecting too much to hope that these guys who represent us, have to be suave ... smart and awe inspiring ... Leaders atleast in the indian context, bringing out these kind emotions today exist unfortunately only in a small tiny corner called 'utopia ' !!! There are sure the odd exception here and there .. but definately its jus that ... an exception ... no longer a norm.

Given all this, though there is a certain bit of acceptance about the intel level ( or the lack of it ) of these guys still the fact that has been most shocking has been the casualness and the lack of sensitivity in many of them that have really left most of us i guess fuming !!! .... Dont think its expecting too much if we expect a head of a state to be sensitive to the feelings of a family that has just lost their brave son for the cause of the country ..... IF People who are peacefully expressing their thoughts and making the world know of the fact that for all the right that is India ... there are so many things goin wrong in this country .... THEN they are definately not goin against the tenets of democracy ... now whether the people are doin these wearing lipsticks or wearing wigs ... its not a point of any relevance here !!!!

If not for intelligent remarks the leastest ( for want of a better word) we can expect is them to be atleast politically smart!!! and understand the impact of their remarks on their vote bank ... herein even that has not happened ..... all these statements made by the members of this clan make us feel that the ones that are actually quite conspicous by their unusually long silence are actually doing themselves and their image a BIG favour ...

All this gets us to the pertinent question ... that we say that we should be held responsible for all this in some way cause we r the ones who got those cronies up there .... by either exercising our right or by chosing not to ... BUT as can be inferred from the above .... where do we the 'laxman's bunnies' have a choice ....... There's not much of a point in having ruler of the state be decided upon the anti- incumbency factor .... people with supposedly diffferent ideologies will just alternate .... but the net result would remain the same ....

do we see a third front coming in ??? can these kind of ultra awareness days ... and mass movement by the common men of the country lead to the formation of an independant front ... not ruled by parochialism .. or religion ... corruption ..... Is this possible ?? difficult i guess .... more so in a nation as diverse and radically vibrant as ours .... mayb such a movement can start off as a pilot proj at a smaller area .... build the momentum and them move forward .... tho difficult wouldnt say impossible coz at the end of the day ... every human, including u n me, is selfish .... selfish about himself ... about his family .... and if he is convinced that here is a front / grp of individuals that believe in the resurrection of a society that will foster the development of each and every particapant within the same ... thereby leading to the development of the society as a whole .... wouldnt a selfish person believe that here is my oppurtunity to side with a party that will grow ... let each one of its members grow and i also wont have to have the guilt of stunting the nations growth ... now that is a win-win situation there ... let me join this group of youngsters ...

hmmm .... all easy to think ... but WHO WILL GET HIS HANDS DIRTY IN THIS MUCK FIRST !!! ??