Looking back down the 22 yards...

The three sticks of wood behind and the three sticks of wood in front, standing in the middle one, quite far from me and much closer to the three sticks down lane, a white clad gentleman with a odd shaped wooden club and attired in an armor of cloth that has inside it, a myriad of interesting stuffing...

Not that I look back, when I am at the edge, it was not in-fact 22 yards, more about 21 I would say.

... 22 yards ... or about 21 yards ... the green field around me, the strip of soil in the middle, pounded down and rolled over and over ...

I need to look back or maybe I don't ...

It has been some time

Often you don't realize, but when you look into the mirror it sort of hits you... my favorite pony tail is gone so has that blue-red-yellow-gree t-shirt and also that black cap with skulls and crossbones... Looking down at the feet, you see that it is no longer the black steel toed boots... Looking closely, no more phone numbers scribbled on the palms of the hand...

Its odd how one stops noticing these things... very odd... looking into the mirror again, I see myself, with a new friend on my face - my spectacles... and an earlier friend no longer there (actually he was never on my face, he was in my hands and at times, in my fist -- my friend Jack...)

He does pay a visit once in a while though, its good seeing him...

Anyway, while there is still some sanity left, it has been some time... :-)

It has been some time...

The Indian Cricket Team

After the debacle in Australia, if your's truly has to write, his friend Mr. Daniels have to be sitting beside him and at times on his head but always in his heart, that is, if your's truly was to write...

If Jack was with your's truly, your's truly would be writing something like "what happened in Australia was unfortunate" or something like "***** ***** ****** **** ***** *** ***** * ** **** * **** ***".

But, 31 January, 10:00 AM, Mr. Daniels is not with your's truly, my friend Jack is not with me.

For once I am not missing him, for I have something else on my mind...

• Navjot Singh Siddhu's argument with Aamir Sohail, Sharjah.
• India having to bat in virtual darkness chasing a total from Pakistan, Sharjah.
• Sachin Tendulkar trapping Saqlain Mushtaq LBW and Saqlain fell down, Sharjah.
• Anil Kumble, in front of a packed crowd at Eden Gardens, Hero Cup Final.
• Sachil Tendulkar, England, World Cup, scoring a ton, looking up at the heavens (a day after his father passed away).
• Ajay Jadeja, walloping Waquar and Wasim for sixes and fours, World Cup 1996 Quarter Finals, Bangalore.
• Anil Kumble, 10 wickets in an innings, against Pakistan, Delhi.
• Javagal Srinath, bowling wide bouncers so batsmen could not even touch it with two bats lenght, just to ensure a wicket didn't fall when Kumble had taken 9 wickets (above).
• Mohammad Azharuddin returning to bat after having retired hurt and smashing a breathtaking hundred against South Africa (after being injured in the 1st innings).
• Robin Singh, flat batting a six over cow corner against Zimbabwe at Harare (the game that was tied)
• Rajesh Chauhan, the last man in, hitting a six off Saqlain Mushtaq when 8 were required off the last over.
• Hrishikesh Kanitkar taking a blinder of a catch at deep midwicket in England.
• Rahul Dravid, the wall, standing firmly behind 95miles per hour deliveries from Alan Donald, ball after ball, over after over.
• VVS Laxman, standing tall and wristing balls to the boundaries as he brought India back from a first innings follow on to defeat Australia at Eden Gardens Calcutta.
• Sachin Tendulkar's onslaught against the Australian Team, and in particular against Warne in 1998.
• Sachin Tendulkar hitting Tom Moody for straight six that landed on the roof at Sharjah, 1998
• Vikram Rathore running back from leg slip to take a fabulous catch at fine leg.
• Venkatesh Prasad, saying F*CK OFF to Aamir Sohail after uprooting his off-stump.
• Abbey Kuruvilla called in to replace injured Prasad and Srinath, taking 5-wickets at Jamaica, his first match.
• 5-foot something David Johnson bowling bouncers off his very unusual runup against the English, 1997, India.
• Sunil Joshi, slugging it out and scoring a 50.
• Syed Saba Karim, the wicketkeeper batting against all odds, scoring 50 on debut.
• Nayan Mongia's Aai Go! as he took the balls from Kumble.
• Navjot Singh Siddhu, batting on all five days, scoring 201, West Indies.
  
• Navjot Singh Siddhu, the Sheru and later Rhodes, diving at covers and mid off and making excellent saves.
• Vinod Kambli, tears in his eyes after India lost to Sri Lanka, WC 1996 Semi Finals, Eden Gardens and in the background throwing missiles onto the field.
• Good old Bhajji, taking that Hatrick.
• Ishant Sharma, hitting 140+ consistently.
• JP Yadav bowling against Pakistan, final over, ICC World T20 Championship finals.
• Virat Kholi, recording the only century against Australia, 2011-12 series.
• Zaheer Khan, back from injury, leaner and meaner, uprooting middle stumps after the ball pitched outside off!
• Mohammad Kaif, as lively as the lightening at point!
• Ajit Agarkar, being smacked for boundaries but coming back to pickup wickets.
• The wily off-spinner Ashish Kapoor.
• Medium Pacers Debashish Mohanty, Harvinder Singh and Dodha Ganesh, who came and went but still remembered.
• Raman Lamba, the opener, sadly died after being hit by a ball, fielding up close in Dhaka, Bangladesh.
• Sanjay Manjrekar, perhaps one of the nicest cricketers ever.
• Navjot Singh Siddu, dancing down the track and lofting balls for six over long on.
• Saurav Ganguly, apty said, on the off side, first there is God and then there is Ganguly.
• Venkatpati Raju, the tall left arm finger spinner.
• And so much more! memories associated with each and every Cricketer from India that I had the honor to see...
  

To end this post - "He reminds me a lot of how I would have been" - 'the Don' Sir Donald Bradman on Sachin Tendulkar...

Landing a C-130 on board an aircraft carrier

"Landing a C-130 on board an aircraft carrier"

Has a nice ring to it, but you have to have your ears ringing to understand this. For those of you little initiated in matters of various aircrafts and their carriers, following few paragraphs are for you (ahhh here comes Jack my friend, just let me attend to him)...

... now that Jack is well settled in the warmth of my tummy with some remnants still in the goblet sitting firm at my desk, looking at me from the corners of his eye, landing this C-130 is going to be even more fun!

The C-130 is 30 meters long, has a wing span of about 41 meters, she is relatively light on an empty tank, weighing in at about 35 tonnes and has a payload of about 19 tonnes. She is nicely tall standing about 40 feet and can easily travel three thousand kilometers.

That is big plane... no wonder folks beyond the seas have christened her "Hercules", not a very apt name for a woman. Baah! what do I care, I never call her Hercules anyway, for me she is the C-130...

Now back to landing her ;-)

to be continued... Jack is feeling lonely, he needs some company

MaHa (Madan Krishna Shrestha and Haribansha Acharya) speak out against discrimination and untouchability

Famous Nepali television personalities Madan Krishna Shrestha and Haribansha Acharaya stating the fact that caste-based discrimination and untouchability practices are serious crimes and urge everyone for their commitment to end such practices.

A 30-second television public service announcement (PSA), part of the 100 day campaign against caste discrimination and untouchability.