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Showing posts from January, 2008

I Thought I Was Moving Forward

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I still remember the moment I decided not to learn Sanskrit. I was in seventh grade in Bangalore, choosing between Sanskrit in the State Board and Hindi in ICSE. I asked my father what he thought. His answer was simple: “Why do you want to learn Sanskrit? It serves no purpose.” That was enough. I dropped it. It felt like a smart decision. Hindi seemed more useful. I even convinced myself I was choosing the “national language”—not realizing India doesn’t have just one. Looking back, the decision wasn’t about language. It was about how I was thinking. I chose utility. Whatever moved me forward faster. And for a long time, that worked. I moved to the U.S. Finished my Masters. Found a job. Built a life. There was always something more urgent—visa timelines, work, responsibilities. Life ran on schedule, and I stayed inside it. But something else was happening quietly. Distance was doing its work. When I visited the Kanchi Mutt in Malleswaram, ...
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Miracle at Perth post Sydney fiasco

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A series in Australia is the ultimate conundrum to solve for the visiting teams; more often than not, the riddle remains unsolved and the overseas teams are always found wanting. This can be due to a myriad of factors, apart from the usual cricketing skill of the players. It's not just the question of playing to your potential, but the resilience and tenacity of the players are tested beyond limits. A tour down under is considered difficult simply because it is so difficult to imagine the prospect of beating the Aussies just about anywhere, let alone at home. So, when a four match test series is scheduled with the big "bad" boys of world cricket, it is not difficult to see the itinerary and point out that India are already one down, at least mentally. Obviously, you are scheduled to play on the fastest pitch in the world at the WACA, Perth. Teams with a terrific bowling attack have failed to tame the Aussies at Perth, and India , traditionally weak at the pace bo...
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The grandpa

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Grandpa, is it true that there were snakes in this house? I asked innocently. Yes, when your father was very young, there were many. What happened to them? Oh! I bought a mongoose; the snakes got scared and they ran out of the house. Ran? I thought snakes did not have legs. Why are you cutting down the tamarind tree from the backyard? Oh! We need m ore space. I plan to construct an outhouse for you. You know what my friends are saying; they say tha t ghosts stick to tamarind trees and so the tree is getting chopped. Is it true? Grandpa, wil l you take me to the pond at the outskirts of the village? I want to se e the crocodiles there. Who said so? Gopal went there last week, and he told me that summer is getting warmer by the day; the crocodiles may vanish any day. So, I want to see the crocodiles before they disappear. Never a person to flinch, my grandfather was ready with his answers for all those unanswerable questions that I posed to him. He spent a lot of time w...
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