IPL FOR DUMMIES

            Don’t let the title mislead you! This is not a self-help blog to decipher the nuances of Indian Premier League T20 Cricket or navigate through the maze of IPL jargon.  May be a more appropriate title would be ‘Dummies and the IPL’.  So now that you are suitably unimpressed, adventurous enough and more importantly, if you don’t mind wasting a few more minutes of your life, do proceed further, by all means.

            When everyone is gripped by the IPL fever, I thought it the right topic to write about.  What a cunning move to garner maximum readership!! (Did I hear you snigger?)  But a little problem confronted me-should I not know cricket (not the six-legged variety) in order to write about it?  I bolstered my self-confidence by recalling the words of wisdom, that no one who feared the waves ever found a pearl and plunged into my task.

            I decided to equip myself with at least a rudimentary knowledge of cricket.  What better way than to watch the IPL3 matches?  I was glued to the television set keeping track of the teams. Within a week I was familiar with the colors of the teams ranging from sunflower yellow to hideous purple, not to speak of the golden pads and silver gloves.  I was an encyclopedia of knowledge about the team-owners and their sartorial styles. I started waiting eagerly for the off-field cat-fight between Ms. Kat and Ms. Deeps who were both promoting the same team.  I knew all about the hands-on (!) style of Ms. Zinta and the aloof hands-off style of Ms. Shetty in supporting their respective teams.  Priety pranced about all over the field jumping up and down like a yo-yo all the time and giving out ear drum-splitting screams resembling the battle cry of a T. Rex.  In complete contrast was Shilpa who chose to sit demurely beside her richie-rich hubby displaying her fashionable shades and other random accessories and diamonds the size of rocks which our very own Chandrayaan brought from the moon, her sound-bite never progressing beyond a giggle.

            After a week, I sought the help of my friend to bolster my attempts at mastering cricket.  After all, there is strength in numbers.  So, it was a combined effort thereafter.  But sadly, no two women agree on anything.  So, as we sat drooling over Dhoni’s biceps, we had our eternal arguments about whose curls were wilder-was it Malinga or Murali, who had the highest cuteness factor-was it Lee or Gilly, and in between, trying to spot the similarities between the Pathan brothers.  We derived sadistic pleasure in choosing the teams for the last two spots-would it be the Rajasthan Royals, Kolkata Knight Riders or the Kings XI Punjab?  Two weeks just flew by in a haze of fours and sixers. 

            So what if I haven’t mastered cricket?  When the commentator says that Harbhajan has bowled a maiden over, I know that he isn’t referring to a Bollywood starlet.  I may not know what fine leg/square leg/leg break/leg bye mean, but I do know they are not anatomical references.  I know enough not to think dirty when I hear about the Asking Rate.  I’m quite happy with my progress so far.  There are a few more weeks to go for the grand finale of the IPL Season 3.  By then I’m confident I will update my knowledge and know for a fact how many swigs of Kingfisher beer Dr. Mallya takes during every match, if not what the googlies/yorkers/bouncers mean!!

a door to which

there is no key

a screen beyond which

no one can see

what lies beyond

gnaws at the heart

not a flicker of light

seen through the night

hope that springs eternal

keeps the mind sane

trudging through the mines

lurking in the uneven terrain

THE BUCKET LIST

        Many of us would have watched the incredibly wonderful movie ‘The Bucket List’ starring Morgan Freemen and Jack Nicholson. The lyrics of the song It is better to say too much / Than never to say what you need to say again remain fresh in our minds. I’m sure at least half of us who watched the movie would have felt compelled at some point of time to prepare a Bucket List ourselves. For the uninitiated, the Bucket List derives its name from the phrase ‘to kick the bucket’ or to die. So, a Bucket List is essentially the list of things that one would like to do before kicking the bucket. When I tried to draw up my own Bucket List, I was not really surprised that I wanted to set right a lot of wrongs committed, advertently or inadvertently. Some wrongs could be set right, however late in life, whereas we can only make amends for certain others.

         Does the true realization of Death make us better human beings? It would appear so from my limited experience. I have personally come across instances of people stricken by major illnesses, or faced with a major tragedy or near-death experiences, learning to appreciate their lives and those of others around them better. They learn to ignore the miseries of life and prefer to savor the small joys in their everyday life. They have learnt to live in the present and celebrate life by accepting it as it comes. What a lifetime of religion has not taught them is achieved by the extreme pain and suffering endured for a short time.

          Death is inevitable; so wisdom suggests that we live our lives to the fullest today. There is profound truth in the lines ‘I came not of my pleasure, I go not at my leisure’

‘One can deny the existence of God but

one cannot deny the existence of Death;

Life is that which must go and

Death is that which must come’

              It is true these words are known to us all, but we never stop for a moment to try to decipher the profound meaning of the words. Thanks to a wonderful friend, who has personally been through such a life-changing experience and come out through it shining bright and strong-YOU HAVE MADE ME REALIZE THE TRUE SIGNIFICANCE OF THESE WORDS. My prayers are always with you.