Trivia(l) Conversation

Who was India’s first ODI captain?

Who is the only player to have won 4 consecutive Man of the Match awards?

Who were the 3 Ws of West Indies?

Which player has scored a century and taken 6 wickets in one match?

Before Sachin overtook, who had the record for the highest centuries in ODI's n how much? (it looked unbeatable at one stage)

Who has taken the highest number of wickets in a single test match and how many?

India’s first overseas Test win was against whom and the team was led by whom?

Who said “whoever gets to 300 test wickets will b a very tired man?"

Which batsman faced the first delivery in ODI cricket? (His was also the first wicket to fall in ODI cricket)

Ok, so I barely got 25% of the above questions right. But what is important is that, now I do know the answers, and have gained lot more.

It all started off as our daily cricket conversation, and like every time it only added to my knowledge of the game. “I have followed cricket before Sachin overtook him (Desmond Haynes)”, said Huzi. And that had me up and listening. We were talking about who had the record for the highest number of centuries in ODI’s before Sachin overtook. I was barely recalling when I actually started following cricket closely, when Bish adds, “I know this since childhood”. So, what was I really doing when these guys were watching the game?! And, that only triggered me more to be a part of this conversation. I was learning, not only about the game, but also about my friends and myself. That’s why I feel, it’s important to be around people who share the same interests and passions as you.

“Who was the 1^st ODI captain of India?” shoots Huzi. Ok, I know this one, I thought to myself. I had this advantage of growing up with my grandfather, who in my knowledge knows more about history than any other soul I know. And by History, I mean history of everything – World Wars, Indian Independence, Cricket, World Politics and even Bollywood! I remember him saying that CK Nayudu (who is also the first Indian cricketer to be honored with the Padma Bhushan) was India’s first captain. But, I forgot how important details are. Grandpa had probably also mentioned ‘in Tests’, which I had conveniently forgotten through the years. So very confidently, I say “CK Nayudu” only to realize, Huzi had asked for ODI. Read the question twice before answering, is something teachers told us before our board exams. Will remember that next time. “Ajit Wadekar” says Bish, which is the right answer.

Answers to some were really basic, but when you have people who are eager to share their knowledge, you know of things like – Sourav Ganguly is the only player to have won 4 consecutive Man of the Match awards in ODI. Extra bit of info from Bish – “In Toronto, against Pakistan. We won that series 4-1.. We were leading 4-0 and made a good score in the 5^th ODI but someone from Pak hit a century. The series was in 1990’s.. 96 or 97 if I’m not wrong”. Obviously, I can find this information online, but to learn this from communication is more impactful. 

You could well be a big cricket fan and drown yourself in history books of the game, read new articles, scan all stats and watch every ball of a 5-day Test… But there is something else that you gain from having a conversation with like-minded people. Communication is important, whatever be the medium. It leads to exchange of information, excitement, passion and goes on to make long-lasting bonds…

Too much..

Too many thing happening together

It's time to simply, filter and chop to basics

Asymmetry

 

Everything in life doesn't have to be so organized.. This bridge was built in perfect symmetry, my Composition doesn't 'have' to be that way..

Last night in the hostel

 25-05-'07

I was all by myself. Roomie had already packed and left a month earlier. Wasn’t so sure how to ‘celebrate’ the end of 5 years living here. 

I thought I’d just click a photo or 2 of where I’d stayed to keep as memory...

Looking at this photo today, I'm looking at all the minutest details.

Bed with blue striped sheet – I loved having a bed by the window.

The cupboard on the left – was mostly used to keep body sprays, perfume, accessories etc. (heavily decorated with colored paper, coz I thought the cream and brown was too dull )

Plug point above the cupboard – the reason for many short-circuits across the corridor. Plugging in an iron would trip the circuit. After a few warnings, was mostly used for cell phone charging

Knotted curtains on the windows – Fancy curtains from Fab India (once upon a time deep red in color). I liked the rain coming through the window like a slight spray with the breeze, hence the tied up curtains

Blue stool – an important member of all my rooms through all years...famous for its multi-purpose use. Was quite famous, and I'm pretty sure a few of my friends had been thinking of kidnapping it.

The red big bag on the bottom left – too fancy to be carried out in Mumbai, especially useless because it had no zipper. I used it mostly to keep my extra files in the room

White cover on the red bag – an envelope from the photo-printer. I clicked and printed a lot.

The cot on the right – looked really barren once my roomie packed and left, so I put one of my extra sheets on it.

Laptop on the cot – My very first one (Dell), used and abused but something I relied on for everything – College work, office work, keeping in touch, watching movies, playing music. I think there is a Yahoo Messenger window running while this photo is taken.

The grey wire that runs from the top left of the window to the laptop – the internet ‘provider’. At 450rs/month, I would say it was a pretty good deal for unlimited uploads and downloads.

Table on the right – I just realized, everything in my room in blue! This was again an important piece of furniture in the room. However, I wish it was slightly less bulky. Was too big for our tiny room. Held my table clock, lens/glasses, tiny mandir, mementos from home, pen holders, magazines etc

Threptin tin on cot – to munch when hunger hit in the middle of the night.

Other mess on the cot – I can hardly recognize any of the stuff and I assume that was the pile to throw away. I even see a floppy disk there!

Black blob on the bed – my Moshi.. I’m not sure whether it had a name. but it’s like a really soft pillow, with a filling of tiny thermocol balls. Again, a favorite amongst visitors...

Transparent plastic folder on the left – used it a lot during college. Paper files during monsoon were of little use.

Bright orange lights seen from the window – probably from the Charni road station. The only year I had a ‘back-side’ room. But there was an advantage to that too…loved the sound of trains zooming by at late night and early mornings. Also, the sun woke me up, in case I had missed the alarm.

...But this is only what is seen in this frame 

The mess is because I was packing :)

Water : Ghala Village

"It fed the farms, washed the dead, cleansed the devotees, filled the silence and moistened the dusty air. The water was doing more for the village than anyone else.

I had been walking backwards all along. And it didn't feel that way till the end had arrived. And the end was actually the beginning..."

Home away from home

How can you not miss a view like that?

Something I wrote in 2008:

Its been a year....seems like a lifetime... seems historical.... since my last day in the hostel.... the place where I spent almost 5 years of my life... I really miss it!

The paani paani chai,
The powdery coffee,
The Coffee Energy,
The hardly working TV.....

The late night gossips,
The early morning shower lines,
The 'anytime' Maggie,
The 'no-reason' parties.....

The millions of cats,
The walls that had cracks,
The funny deadlines,
The warnings millions of times...

The friendships,
The bonding,
The groups,

The learning....
 

I miss being a part of it,

I cherish the memories bit by bit...

I wish I cud roll back time,

And relive each moment, each line...
 

Can I just go back one time?

I promise I won’t take long....

Blue stool

This might seem like just another photo.. but let me explain what it really shows

 

This photo was taken on the night of my roomie, Priti’s birthday (March ’07) in room number – 526 (I think) in SPMC (Savitri Phule Mahila Chhatralaya!!) at Marine Drive, Mumbai.

Back to the photo...

·         The bag of ‘Gaylord’ had the leftovers from the chocolate cake I got for Priti. (Ignore the name but this was our favorite place to get cakes from).

·         Blue stool and white marks? The cake HAD to be protected from ants. Hence the layering of other bags below and placement on stool in the middle of the room. The white marks are ant-repellent chalk marks :)

This photo brings back many memories. And of course, I have so many other pictures of all the fun we (Priti, Plo and me) had that night, but this one really has the essence of celebrating birthdays in hostel.

…and yes, the cake made it to the next morning without an ant-attack !

Photo-Paint

This photo is special for more reasons than one.

This was probably my last oil on canvas painting.

 I wish I had written the year in which I had painted this, along with my name. A rough guess would be late 90s or early 2000s. 

The lady, who used to teach me oil on canvas, just had her first solo exhibition in Oman. And I felt guilty of not keeping in touch, when she took the pains to find my address and send me an invite to the inauguration. She had an enormous display of 90 gorgeous paintings (out of a personal collection of 300). I really wish I would take some time off from everything, take some inspiration from her, and paint.

In all honesty, I don't think I can paint like that again.. but I should try.

Oh, and also this was the first photo I clicked from my Canon 400D :)