On 31st may 2011, I completed the first anniversary with blogging. It has been a superb experience, not because I like to write but because it actually made me know that writing continuously is not an easy task. There has been a considerable gap between the blogs and have been writing in bits and pieces on the current happening. This was because the whole nation went into hibernation for last 2 3 months starting from the much awaited World Cup followed by the epic IPL, it was an epic not because of its success, but the fact that it ran endlessly for too long. The entire nation was eating, sleeping, drinking cricket. Too much of everything is bad.
But a lot happened as well in the mean time Cricket was happening around, there were legislative changes in the major states of India, there was 2G scam going on, UPA 2 was busy punishing the corrupts (or were they really), OSAMA GOT KILLED and there was Anna Hazare and his cry for Lokpal.
As publicized by the News channels, India is changing, there is an air of modernization, youth is taking interest towards the social causes, tolerance of citizen towards corruption has gone down etc. But is this all really happening? World has surely become a smaller place, thanks to the social media, but has that changed us a bit as an individual?
When Anna Hazare went for his strike for the demand of Lokpal, the whole nation was taken by a wave of rebellion. The majority of the rebellion was however not driven by the thought or motive which Hazare presented; it was rather due to the dissatisfaction of the nation towards the corruption. At that time Hazare’s demand proved to be the only medium to release the emotional pressure that the country was suffering. This could be easily gauged from a simple test on a sample of 10 people around you. Just ask a few questions
1. How many of them actually know Anna Hazare and his movement?
2. How many of them know what actually Hazare demanded?
3. How many of them can explain the concept of Lokpal?
The results will surprise you for sure.
There is not a feather of doubt that Mr. Hazare’s intentions were for the betterment of the country, but it is a single man’s vision and it can be flawed or at least the implementation part of it. In a democratic set up we have Judiciary, Executive, Legislative and Media as the four pillars. Rather than strengthening the existing pillars we are trying to find a solution by introducing a new constitutional pillar to support the falling democracy, the strength of which is uncertain in itself. Tomorrow if Lokpal concept falters we will take refuge by creating another pillar. Like stated in the Chaos Theory post, the more the number of parameters, more is the chances of a possible leakage.
It is true that nation needs a revolution to change the things as they are, but the biggest change required is the change within. We tends to get impressed easily, sometimes by appearance, sometimes because mass follows a particular thing, sometimes because we are afraid that if we do not follow people will criticize.
It sometimes makes me think what is the difference between the two sections and which one is more dangerous?
1) A mob which goes on a complete wreckage even when 90% of it does not know why they are breaking things
2) A Nation that goes into blind rebellion when a majority of it does not know why they are doing it.
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Money Trap.....
Network Marketing or technically known as MLM or Multi level marketing is not a new concept in India. It came into prominence after the advent of US direct selling company Amway. The company’s plan ensured huge return on investment to all the individuals enrolling in the scheme. The plan worked simply on a tree structure, the more the tree grows better would have been the returns. In addition to the commission (and this is a significant statement which will become important later), company also provided a huge set of products which the investor can procure and sell to earn profit. Thus the company benefitted two ways as it was getting the enrollment fee as well as instant market and advertisements for their product lines. This happened by eliminating the whole retail chain in between and the finished product came from warehouse to a number of selling agents on field. If cynicism taken out of context, this is an excellent business model to generate revenue. In the model, the company can have a foothold in market with absolutely no initial investment and will save on advertising front, supply chain management, commissions to retailer etc.
But the model itself generated opportunities for a lot of people to use it for their own interest. A lot of companies emerged, peaked and then disappeared leaving the investors in dismay. It is not that people have not earned from these companies, they have and they have earned considerably well. But not everyone had a piece of pie, a potential number of investors have also lost a fare amount of money. These companies usually operated on the philosophy of luring the investor by promising them quick money and easy money is always the best trap.
A similar company which came to existence a few years back was Gold Quest, it swept the whole nation with its tide. The company did not had any line of product, other than a minted gold coin which was provided after initial investment of around 30K INR and that’s it, the remaining model was completely MLM. A major chunk of the investor actually belonged to IT industry. The best question to gauge the credibility of the organization is what they were marketing for. As expected, one day the company went out of existence and many people lost their money. Still this is a very small aspect of a bigger picture.
Money is a very interesting concept, it is dangerous to keep money still at one place as it will lose its value, it is also dangerous to have uncontrolled flow of money. We seldom give a thought that money transfer from one place to another is not an easy thing, which is why we have ‘hawala scams’. When an investor is providing the initial investment, he is making a legal transaction of that amount from one account to other. Imagine the same scenario with half million investor. The money is now with the company at its disposal to be used in any place, might be financing terrorism, might be….
No firm other than Amway has been proven legitimate as of date. Recently another company by name Speak Asia came into existence. Still I am not sure of it being legitimate as questions have been asked about its credibility and company is in self defense mode. Though undoubtedly, this company has gone in media more than its preceding firms, still there’s always a thought until the verdict is passed.
Money is a biggest trap that exists, it is always preferred to have easy money, but whenever provided with the opportunities, we should surely think and assess it once.
As there is nothing like "Easy Money" that exists and is devoid of any sin.
But the model itself generated opportunities for a lot of people to use it for their own interest. A lot of companies emerged, peaked and then disappeared leaving the investors in dismay. It is not that people have not earned from these companies, they have and they have earned considerably well. But not everyone had a piece of pie, a potential number of investors have also lost a fare amount of money. These companies usually operated on the philosophy of luring the investor by promising them quick money and easy money is always the best trap.
A similar company which came to existence a few years back was Gold Quest, it swept the whole nation with its tide. The company did not had any line of product, other than a minted gold coin which was provided after initial investment of around 30K INR and that’s it, the remaining model was completely MLM. A major chunk of the investor actually belonged to IT industry. The best question to gauge the credibility of the organization is what they were marketing for. As expected, one day the company went out of existence and many people lost their money. Still this is a very small aspect of a bigger picture.
Money is a very interesting concept, it is dangerous to keep money still at one place as it will lose its value, it is also dangerous to have uncontrolled flow of money. We seldom give a thought that money transfer from one place to another is not an easy thing, which is why we have ‘hawala scams’. When an investor is providing the initial investment, he is making a legal transaction of that amount from one account to other. Imagine the same scenario with half million investor. The money is now with the company at its disposal to be used in any place, might be financing terrorism, might be….
No firm other than Amway has been proven legitimate as of date. Recently another company by name Speak Asia came into existence. Still I am not sure of it being legitimate as questions have been asked about its credibility and company is in self defense mode. Though undoubtedly, this company has gone in media more than its preceding firms, still there’s always a thought until the verdict is passed.
Money is a biggest trap that exists, it is always preferred to have easy money, but whenever provided with the opportunities, we should surely think and assess it once.
As there is nothing like "Easy Money" that exists and is devoid of any sin.
Sunday, May 15, 2011
End of an Era...
By the time I am starting to write this blog, the assembly poll results are coming out and what seems is the clear washout of CPI(M) from the state of West Bengal after ruling 34 long years. It had not came as a complete surprise as for last one week the exit polls have already awarded the trophy to TMC-Congress Alliance, but was difficult for most of the CPI(M) supporters to digest for sure. Change of forces in the state seems clear as the alliance is leading on the majority of the seats.
This surely calls for the introspection on the CPI(M)’s front. A lot was speculated and considering the past track record CPI(M) leaders were rest assured of their easy victory this time around as well. This surely leaves us with a question of over confidence on the left front. Though personally I have never been a supporter of theory of communism, yet it is worth mentioning that for 34 years left has won every election very smoothly and a major impact of their ideology is visible across West Bengal. The downfall was however becoming visible and more relevant since last Parliamentary elections and the elections for local administrative bodies in Kolkata itself. But it was too late for the left to apply amends for the losses already caused.
If we have a closer look on the whole political scenario prevailing in West Bengal so as to reason out why the verdict of people changed after 34 long years of clear reign, a lot of skeletons of mistakes might come out of the left’s closet itself. It is also worth considering that Left might be winning it hands on for 34 years due to lack of substantial opposition or competition rather. But still TMC would not have emerged out as a substantial competitor if Left would not have committed certain fatal political mistakes it has in past 5 – 6 years.
One of the best examples being the stand of left on Nuke Deal, it has not affected the position of the party in West Bengal directly, but it led to the distance between Congress and CPI(M) which has been a major setback on the party’s resume. It gave a fresh opportunity to Mamta led TMC to have close ties with Congress and we are all aware that she has been the best in business in banking on opportunities. The other factor certainly has been the stern behavior of left over all the political and economical affairs of the central government. Though I am not defending the government on any front as the Indian politics is at all time low at present, still ‘We condemn’ cannot be the answer to all the questions on the governmental activities. One of the biggest factor as stated earlier has been the over confidence on the Left front and this defeat will surely send stirs to the very root of the outfit and they will have to start rebuilding and reassessing their ideology.
Change is inevitable and is the only constant thing that prevails, thus it was bound to happen at some times as the CPI(M) was working opposite to basic Laws of Motion. This election result has however made it clear for all the political outfits that they have to be on their feet to have a survival. This might happen with any party and at any time. It is high time for all the parties to sit back and reassess their agendas and present a clear, better and more rationale point of view to the voters.
This marks an end to a 34 year long era for Left’s rule in West Bengal. CPI(M) has been vocal on national front because of its strong hold in the West Bengal politics, now with this loss it will be interesting to see their stance going forward.
This surely calls for the introspection on the CPI(M)’s front. A lot was speculated and considering the past track record CPI(M) leaders were rest assured of their easy victory this time around as well. This surely leaves us with a question of over confidence on the left front. Though personally I have never been a supporter of theory of communism, yet it is worth mentioning that for 34 years left has won every election very smoothly and a major impact of their ideology is visible across West Bengal. The downfall was however becoming visible and more relevant since last Parliamentary elections and the elections for local administrative bodies in Kolkata itself. But it was too late for the left to apply amends for the losses already caused.
If we have a closer look on the whole political scenario prevailing in West Bengal so as to reason out why the verdict of people changed after 34 long years of clear reign, a lot of skeletons of mistakes might come out of the left’s closet itself. It is also worth considering that Left might be winning it hands on for 34 years due to lack of substantial opposition or competition rather. But still TMC would not have emerged out as a substantial competitor if Left would not have committed certain fatal political mistakes it has in past 5 – 6 years.
One of the best examples being the stand of left on Nuke Deal, it has not affected the position of the party in West Bengal directly, but it led to the distance between Congress and CPI(M) which has been a major setback on the party’s resume. It gave a fresh opportunity to Mamta led TMC to have close ties with Congress and we are all aware that she has been the best in business in banking on opportunities. The other factor certainly has been the stern behavior of left over all the political and economical affairs of the central government. Though I am not defending the government on any front as the Indian politics is at all time low at present, still ‘We condemn’ cannot be the answer to all the questions on the governmental activities. One of the biggest factor as stated earlier has been the over confidence on the Left front and this defeat will surely send stirs to the very root of the outfit and they will have to start rebuilding and reassessing their ideology.
Change is inevitable and is the only constant thing that prevails, thus it was bound to happen at some times as the CPI(M) was working opposite to basic Laws of Motion. This election result has however made it clear for all the political outfits that they have to be on their feet to have a survival. This might happen with any party and at any time. It is high time for all the parties to sit back and reassess their agendas and present a clear, better and more rationale point of view to the voters.
This marks an end to a 34 year long era for Left’s rule in West Bengal. CPI(M) has been vocal on national front because of its strong hold in the West Bengal politics, now with this loss it will be interesting to see their stance going forward.
Thursday, May 5, 2011
The man named Ganguly
Few months back when I wrote ‘No One Picked Ganguly’, I have left a question unanswered that what will happen if any other franchise decides to play Ganguly. It happened on Monday as it was announced that Sourav Ganguly will represent Pune Warriors in the 4th installment of the greatest domestic tournament ever. As expected the NEWS went down with the mixed responses and reaction from the viewers, fans and sport enthusiasts. A lot of articles explicitly condemned the decision of Ganguly joining the Pune Warriors. A lot of Dada fans also were disappointed on the decision of joining a team that is on the verge of getting out of the tournament. Whether a good decision or bad, people will always have their reserved perception and there is absolutely nothing wrong with it, but let us just sit back and think on few points.
Sourav Ganguly has been one of the finest in the business be it as a captain, player, leader or a mentor. In his days Dada has been the force that changed the face of Indian cricket and a dull side depending on a single person (read Tendulkar) changed into a bunch of lions ready to pounce on its prey under the leadership of the Royal Bengal Tiger. Undoubtedly Ganguly has been the natural aggressor and motivator in the team. In the early 2000s when the team was struggling with the Match fixing allegations and poor form, a man stood with responsibility on his shoulders and a bunch of youngsters and what he delivered is a team that shown the greatest teams of world cricket then that India can fight and can fight hard. He has played exquisite innings and his records both in test and one dayers is indispensably superb. Most important fact is that Ganguly injected the right attitude in the team which was the need of the hour.
These are the facts which everyone knows, why is it required to be reiterated? It is because amidst all the controversies and bizarre comments we seldom tend to forget that he is a player at heart and a player belongs to the field and not off-screen. It is the live action what a real sportsmen crave for. For a player his past achievements, his good days, and his class with the act do not matter, it is for the fans and the analyst. For a player what matters is to be on the field one more time, to feel the vibes of the crowd when he is standing on the pitch.
Ganguly has definitely earned whatever he could have with the game and this time winning or losing do not matter. It does not matter if the team he is joining will not be qualifying further, what matters is to be feeling the same pleasure once again. When a Gladiator returns to arena for one last time he does not do it for the people viewing him sitting in the gallery, he does it for himself.
It is like Maradona playing one last dribble, Schumacher holding the wheels one last time or my personal favorite Rocky Balboa returning for one last fight. It’s the feeling no one can ever understand except the player himself coz
“It’s what they are, It’s what they do…….they ain’t know anything else……… ”
Sourav Ganguly has been one of the finest in the business be it as a captain, player, leader or a mentor. In his days Dada has been the force that changed the face of Indian cricket and a dull side depending on a single person (read Tendulkar) changed into a bunch of lions ready to pounce on its prey under the leadership of the Royal Bengal Tiger. Undoubtedly Ganguly has been the natural aggressor and motivator in the team. In the early 2000s when the team was struggling with the Match fixing allegations and poor form, a man stood with responsibility on his shoulders and a bunch of youngsters and what he delivered is a team that shown the greatest teams of world cricket then that India can fight and can fight hard. He has played exquisite innings and his records both in test and one dayers is indispensably superb. Most important fact is that Ganguly injected the right attitude in the team which was the need of the hour.
These are the facts which everyone knows, why is it required to be reiterated? It is because amidst all the controversies and bizarre comments we seldom tend to forget that he is a player at heart and a player belongs to the field and not off-screen. It is the live action what a real sportsmen crave for. For a player his past achievements, his good days, and his class with the act do not matter, it is for the fans and the analyst. For a player what matters is to be on the field one more time, to feel the vibes of the crowd when he is standing on the pitch.
Ganguly has definitely earned whatever he could have with the game and this time winning or losing do not matter. It does not matter if the team he is joining will not be qualifying further, what matters is to be feeling the same pleasure once again. When a Gladiator returns to arena for one last time he does not do it for the people viewing him sitting in the gallery, he does it for himself.
It is like Maradona playing one last dribble, Schumacher holding the wheels one last time or my personal favorite Rocky Balboa returning for one last fight. It’s the feeling no one can ever understand except the player himself coz
“It’s what they are, It’s what they do…….they ain’t know anything else……… ”
Monday, April 25, 2011
Battle of Choices….
The Assembly election is just 2 days away in Kolkata and the atmosphere around is totally political. It is politics what the native Kolkatans are breathing, eating and sleeping day in and day out. When I say political, it means the trademark meetings, highly vocal speakers with a handful of listeners, banners, and markets and tea stalls full of political debates. The first round of election in West Bengal has yielded more than 80% turn out and that speaks about the political orientation of the people of Bengal. A great thing which is amiss in the rest of nation, voting is a right that should be exercised without failure as it is the only constitutional power given to the citizens, the power to choose the rulers, the policy makers.
But in spite of the huge political inclination, there is always a debate over the choice what people of West Bengal have in their hand when it comes to exercising the right to vote. On one hand there is CPI(M) which has been ruling the state for more than past 30 odd years on the other hand there is TMC- Congress coalition, the presence of other political parties is very minimal and only thing they are capable of is diluting the vote’s ratio, thus making CPI(M) and TMC-Congress as the only available options for the assembly.
A few days’ back when I asked a few common men on road who they are going to vote for, there was a mixed response. A certain community was inclined towards TMC-Congress alliance while a few were heartily supporting CPI(M). But if we examine closely, is any of the two political outfits worthy enough of the attention they are getting. This is a question that surfaces every time we have a election around be it assembly or parliamentary.
CPI(M), though have ruled the state for more than 30 years, still does not have a clear ideology. Communism as a theory does not stand well in the modern context, the same is evident by the downfall of soviet Russia, and surely demands a revival. CPI(M) as an outfit is hanging between the dilemma of Communism and the widespread globalization. When a particular political party is inconsistent with its own ideologies, than the speculation is bound to happen about its credibility.
TMC, on the other hand is led by one of the most vocal leaders of present India. Though most of the time she speaks, it lacks substance. Mamta Banerjee has proven from time to time, how to say something and retreat on the very next moment. The Indian railways portfolio managed by her has gone down in profitability in contrast to what it was in the times of his predecessor, especially Lalu Prasad Yadav. On one hand where CPI(M) suffers from dilemma in ideology, TMC does not seem to have one and it is often more dangerous to trade over a path without a set goal. The congress alliance also does not seem to help the cause of TMC as the centre is itself troubled with a series of scams.
Yet despite of all these fallbacks, the people of Kolkata seems to have a dedicated following for one of the outfit. This following is often driven by the place where they belong to and the party dominance in that region or an ego driven support to a particular party. This is however strange that in such a politically motivated environment, it is very difficult to find a logical rationale for supporting a Political house.
The bigger dilemma is however for the voters who want to cast their votes but are uncertain because they cannot link to any of the outfit. I would refrain myself to pass any judgment however this is a dilemma of choosing between the unworthy and the worthless.
But in spite of the huge political inclination, there is always a debate over the choice what people of West Bengal have in their hand when it comes to exercising the right to vote. On one hand there is CPI(M) which has been ruling the state for more than past 30 odd years on the other hand there is TMC- Congress coalition, the presence of other political parties is very minimal and only thing they are capable of is diluting the vote’s ratio, thus making CPI(M) and TMC-Congress as the only available options for the assembly.
A few days’ back when I asked a few common men on road who they are going to vote for, there was a mixed response. A certain community was inclined towards TMC-Congress alliance while a few were heartily supporting CPI(M). But if we examine closely, is any of the two political outfits worthy enough of the attention they are getting. This is a question that surfaces every time we have a election around be it assembly or parliamentary.
CPI(M), though have ruled the state for more than 30 years, still does not have a clear ideology. Communism as a theory does not stand well in the modern context, the same is evident by the downfall of soviet Russia, and surely demands a revival. CPI(M) as an outfit is hanging between the dilemma of Communism and the widespread globalization. When a particular political party is inconsistent with its own ideologies, than the speculation is bound to happen about its credibility.
TMC, on the other hand is led by one of the most vocal leaders of present India. Though most of the time she speaks, it lacks substance. Mamta Banerjee has proven from time to time, how to say something and retreat on the very next moment. The Indian railways portfolio managed by her has gone down in profitability in contrast to what it was in the times of his predecessor, especially Lalu Prasad Yadav. On one hand where CPI(M) suffers from dilemma in ideology, TMC does not seem to have one and it is often more dangerous to trade over a path without a set goal. The congress alliance also does not seem to help the cause of TMC as the centre is itself troubled with a series of scams.
Yet despite of all these fallbacks, the people of Kolkata seems to have a dedicated following for one of the outfit. This following is often driven by the place where they belong to and the party dominance in that region or an ego driven support to a particular party. This is however strange that in such a politically motivated environment, it is very difficult to find a logical rationale for supporting a Political house.
The bigger dilemma is however for the voters who want to cast their votes but are uncertain because they cannot link to any of the outfit. I would refrain myself to pass any judgment however this is a dilemma of choosing between the unworthy and the worthless.
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Bleed Blue
Past few weeks have been absolute madness with the world cup going on and it almost came to full swing with an outstanding performance by Indians at Motera. There was nothing much to write though as no movie released and I unluckily missed Yeh Saali Zindagi, but yesterday's match triggered the feeling to write a Match review as well.
This has been byfar the best performance Team India has given in many years. In 2007 when they went in for T-20 World Cup, they were the underdogs and nobody really expected much from the Dhoni led youngsters and T-20 as a format itself was making its place in international arena.But in this world cup, from the very beginning India started as the favourites, burdened with the pressure of playing infront of home crowd and how brilliantly they have tackled the pressure.
The Superman from india, Sachin Tendulkar again rose to the occasion showing why he is called a Master. The man for the show however is Yuvraj Singh, coming to the world cup carrying load of past injuries, lost form and heavy criticism, yuvi has showed that he is a genuine match winner and his place cannot be questioned in a One day squad.
There has also been a great deal of criticism for Dhoni for not performing. It is true that Dhoni is currently not amongst runs, but as far as captaincy is concerned, he is doing a gem of a job. Dhoni throughout the tournament has kept his nerves under control and has taken almost all decision correctly. Though in a game sometimes your decision works and sometime they do not. Right from the team selection to strategies to execution Dhoni has been the best captain in this world cup. As far as performance is concerned we should not forget that he keeps the wicket for 50 overs while captaining the side, and having done my share of keeping in duece ball cricket, honestly it is not an easy task. Dhoni is currently the best keeper in international arena. Few of the decisions I personally liked is giving new ball to Ashwin showing confidence on a youngster and even if he is hit for a six or two, he continued with him. Bringing back Zaheer in 32nd over to use the old ball before it is changed after 34th is another brilliant move, in this way he allows the most experienced paceman to find some reverse swing and it has very well worked for India.
Indian team is looking promising, captain bears a cool head, Sachin is in the form of his life even more desperate in the middle to score runs, Yuvi has struck the best of his forms, likes of gambhir, Kohli, Raina plays the supporting role very well. It seems to be the best recipe to bring home the world cup.
On Wednesday India will be facing pakistan in what is already promising to be an epic battle, I will urge all the cricket lovers to stay possitive, send in as much good vibes to Mohali as you can and India will surely emerge victorious.
It is always easy to support a team or a player when they are performing well, but it is important to support them when they are not.
Stay possitive, Enjoy Cricket, Bleed Blue................
This has been byfar the best performance Team India has given in many years. In 2007 when they went in for T-20 World Cup, they were the underdogs and nobody really expected much from the Dhoni led youngsters and T-20 as a format itself was making its place in international arena.But in this world cup, from the very beginning India started as the favourites, burdened with the pressure of playing infront of home crowd and how brilliantly they have tackled the pressure.
The Superman from india, Sachin Tendulkar again rose to the occasion showing why he is called a Master. The man for the show however is Yuvraj Singh, coming to the world cup carrying load of past injuries, lost form and heavy criticism, yuvi has showed that he is a genuine match winner and his place cannot be questioned in a One day squad.
There has also been a great deal of criticism for Dhoni for not performing. It is true that Dhoni is currently not amongst runs, but as far as captaincy is concerned, he is doing a gem of a job. Dhoni throughout the tournament has kept his nerves under control and has taken almost all decision correctly. Though in a game sometimes your decision works and sometime they do not. Right from the team selection to strategies to execution Dhoni has been the best captain in this world cup. As far as performance is concerned we should not forget that he keeps the wicket for 50 overs while captaining the side, and having done my share of keeping in duece ball cricket, honestly it is not an easy task. Dhoni is currently the best keeper in international arena. Few of the decisions I personally liked is giving new ball to Ashwin showing confidence on a youngster and even if he is hit for a six or two, he continued with him. Bringing back Zaheer in 32nd over to use the old ball before it is changed after 34th is another brilliant move, in this way he allows the most experienced paceman to find some reverse swing and it has very well worked for India.
Indian team is looking promising, captain bears a cool head, Sachin is in the form of his life even more desperate in the middle to score runs, Yuvi has struck the best of his forms, likes of gambhir, Kohli, Raina plays the supporting role very well. It seems to be the best recipe to bring home the world cup.
On Wednesday India will be facing pakistan in what is already promising to be an epic battle, I will urge all the cricket lovers to stay possitive, send in as much good vibes to Mohali as you can and India will surely emerge victorious.
It is always easy to support a team or a player when they are performing well, but it is important to support them when they are not.
Stay possitive, Enjoy Cricket, Bleed Blue................
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Candidate to Cadet: My Journey in SSB - 'Chapter 6'
Chapter 6
The Final Chapter
Disclaimer:- This is a continuing story, please read chapter 1 2 3 4 and 5 below to be in track
At the end of the physical task every one of us was tired. We all were trying to sleep but the pain in our bodies was not allowing us to. At around 8PM, we went to the canteen. India was playing England at Lords, Rahul Dravid batting firmly in his historical knock of 270 runs which gave him the name “The Wall”. We sat and watched the match for a while, till Rahul Dravid was run out by Ajay Ratra, Commentators said it was the only way this man can be out. We all cursed Ratra and then came back to our rooms and crashed on the beds of MIG-29.
The following day I was going to face my first ever personal interview, most of the candidates were preparing hard for interview. Some of the guys were collecting points to justify their hobbies; some were brushing up the recent news, while some were still resting with their eyes closed. I was among the third kind. I have seen people trying hard to collect information about their hobbies to justify to crowd that they actually are an avid follower of the interest. Why on earth a movie buff has to go around saying that he loves movies or he knows everything about every movie on the planet, A stamp collector first have to by heart all the terminologies of stamp collecting and if he loves to collects stamp why on earth he is supposed to know that it is called Philately.
Our interviews were scheduled from 10 AM sharp. The formal attire of all the candidates made the environment even more serious. This was the first time I was appearing in front of an interviewer and was scared even by the thought of it, but my stay for last 4 days has given me enough confidence to hold myself together. We assembled in a small waiting room as the interview began in three different rooms. The first candidate has been in for 30 minutes, all of us sat there in silence, not a single voice spoke, not a single soul moved.
The first candidate came out all sweating. We were not allowed to talk to interviewed candidates. After few candidates my name was called. I knocked at the door
“May I come in sir?” I asked.
“Yes please!” acknowledged a voice. “Hello Anand! Please sit down. I am Squadron Leader Y.G.Reddy, I will be taking your interview.” This was not at all what I had expected. I had thought of a strict interviewer shouting and yelling at me with all kinds of absurd questions, but this man was calm and very composed.
“So Anand! Tell me something about yourself.” He continued. I saw the answer sheet of Self Appreciation Test which I had filled up during the Psychological test lying in front of him.
We discussed at length on the individual topics from the test sheet. It was more of a mutual discussion than an interview. I felt that I was talking much more easily than what I have always used to. I discussed about my opinions on social and political structure, my love life, relations with him and he listened to every single word with same level of sincerity.
“Tell me something about your hobbies.” He continued.
“I like to play cricket and I also sing occasionally” I replied.
He took out a Cricket Ball from the drawer and threw it towards me.
“Can you show me difference in grips for in swing and out swing deliveries?”
I smiled; it was in my region of interest. I took the ball, held it across the seam and showed him the grips for both kinds of seam deliveries. Interview ended on a pleasant note. I thanked him and took his leave.
Back at the base, all the candidates were tensed. Some of them were trying it for 3rd or 4th time, some of them were Army kids and carried a burden of expectations, and some of them had nothing else in option it was their only chance to do something. Gautam, Amit, Tenzong and I sat on the front porch. None of us talked but everyone understood what was happening. Our 5 days were over, whatever we could do, we had already done and now it was just a matter of decision. A decision either we will be an NDA Cadet or we will be not.
Next day started with the conference, where all the candidates were called one by one in front of the complete SSB panel for their final meet. All the panel members in the Air force uniform seated across a semi circular table and a chair was placed in between for candidates. All the candidates entered the room one by one. The most memorable conference session was of Ratanjyot.
An officer asked Ratanjyot “Why do you want to join Defence?”
“Because it is the second most prestigious job in country.” He replied. “Then what is the most prestigious?”Officer asked again.
“Being a Teacher.” He replied. “By the way, what does your father do.” Officer asked again.
“He is in police sir!” He replied with a smile. “So how do you rate a Police job then?”
“Just above the politician’s sir!” and the conference room burst into laughter.
All these light moments suddenly turned serious when we were asked to assemble in the seminar hall for results. Tension and fear was lurking from all the faces. We sat as per our chest numbers. Gautam chest no. 20 was sitting to my right. In our stay of 5 days we have done a lot of things which rumoured that our batch will be completely washed off.
DSO came to the podium. On his side stood a table on which T shirts wrapped in plastic bags were kept. Each selected candidate was supposed to get a White Polo T shirt with the Air Force logo on it.
There was a pin drop silence and all of us passed an occasional smile to each other.
DSO started his speech, for the first 10 min he spoke about the board and the batch increasing the tension even more. Then he finally came to point “Now I will be announcing the results for recommendations from this batch. Let me make it very clear that successful clearance of SSB test in no way means that you are inducted to NDA. This process will be followed by Medical Examination and Merit list.” He announced what we already knew.
“I will be announcing the chest numbers, those candidates are selected from this batch.” He continued.
“Chest no. 8, 16,20…” Gautam was selected; I was the next chest number, number 21. I closed my eyes in anticipation of one of the two possible results.
“25 , 28, and 33” I was not selected. When each of the selected candidates were called, they rose from their position walked to the podium and collected their T Shirts.
A drop of tear almost fell from my eyes, but I somehow managed to hold it back. I was not able to look up, not able to look towards Gautam even to congratulate him on his success.
When DSO handed over the last T Shirt to chest number 33, He spoke again
“There is one more selection, for Army/Navy group. As the candidate was not able to clear PABT, he will not be recommended for Air Force but as he has cleared all other aspects of SSB, he is recommended for his second preference in NDA written”
Everyone fell silent.
“Chest number 21, recommended for Army/navy group.” It was me.
The tear I had been holding with effort fell finally. Everyone in the room had a smile on his face.
I stood from my seat walked to the podium, had a firm hand shake with DSO and I was standing there as a CADET. A cadet selected for Army/Navy group at an Air Force SSB.
As the DSO walked out of the room, all the candidates came down congratulating all of us.
Gautam came to me and said “I knew it. If I am selected then you will be as well.”
After completing the required formalities, all the selected candidates left for the station. The Sergeant I had met on the train was driving the bus we boarded. He smiled at me and said “I saw your name on the list of selected candidates.”
“I held the rope above my nose level” I replied with a smile.
At 4.30 PM I was standing on Varanasi station waiting for my train to Allahabad for my Medical Examination. I had cleared one the toughest interviews across the globe. For that moment I was a CADET, a cadet ready to join NDA to serve his nation. With moist eyes I waited for my train to arrive staring at a red signal far ahead on the tracks.
What happened next is however the life and
LIFE is To be continued………………….
The Final Chapter
Disclaimer:- This is a continuing story, please read chapter 1 2 3 4 and 5 below to be in track
At the end of the physical task every one of us was tired. We all were trying to sleep but the pain in our bodies was not allowing us to. At around 8PM, we went to the canteen. India was playing England at Lords, Rahul Dravid batting firmly in his historical knock of 270 runs which gave him the name “The Wall”. We sat and watched the match for a while, till Rahul Dravid was run out by Ajay Ratra, Commentators said it was the only way this man can be out. We all cursed Ratra and then came back to our rooms and crashed on the beds of MIG-29.
The following day I was going to face my first ever personal interview, most of the candidates were preparing hard for interview. Some of the guys were collecting points to justify their hobbies; some were brushing up the recent news, while some were still resting with their eyes closed. I was among the third kind. I have seen people trying hard to collect information about their hobbies to justify to crowd that they actually are an avid follower of the interest. Why on earth a movie buff has to go around saying that he loves movies or he knows everything about every movie on the planet, A stamp collector first have to by heart all the terminologies of stamp collecting and if he loves to collects stamp why on earth he is supposed to know that it is called Philately.
Our interviews were scheduled from 10 AM sharp. The formal attire of all the candidates made the environment even more serious. This was the first time I was appearing in front of an interviewer and was scared even by the thought of it, but my stay for last 4 days has given me enough confidence to hold myself together. We assembled in a small waiting room as the interview began in three different rooms. The first candidate has been in for 30 minutes, all of us sat there in silence, not a single voice spoke, not a single soul moved.
The first candidate came out all sweating. We were not allowed to talk to interviewed candidates. After few candidates my name was called. I knocked at the door
“May I come in sir?” I asked.
“Yes please!” acknowledged a voice. “Hello Anand! Please sit down. I am Squadron Leader Y.G.Reddy, I will be taking your interview.” This was not at all what I had expected. I had thought of a strict interviewer shouting and yelling at me with all kinds of absurd questions, but this man was calm and very composed.
“So Anand! Tell me something about yourself.” He continued. I saw the answer sheet of Self Appreciation Test which I had filled up during the Psychological test lying in front of him.
We discussed at length on the individual topics from the test sheet. It was more of a mutual discussion than an interview. I felt that I was talking much more easily than what I have always used to. I discussed about my opinions on social and political structure, my love life, relations with him and he listened to every single word with same level of sincerity.
“Tell me something about your hobbies.” He continued.
“I like to play cricket and I also sing occasionally” I replied.
He took out a Cricket Ball from the drawer and threw it towards me.
“Can you show me difference in grips for in swing and out swing deliveries?”
I smiled; it was in my region of interest. I took the ball, held it across the seam and showed him the grips for both kinds of seam deliveries. Interview ended on a pleasant note. I thanked him and took his leave.
Back at the base, all the candidates were tensed. Some of them were trying it for 3rd or 4th time, some of them were Army kids and carried a burden of expectations, and some of them had nothing else in option it was their only chance to do something. Gautam, Amit, Tenzong and I sat on the front porch. None of us talked but everyone understood what was happening. Our 5 days were over, whatever we could do, we had already done and now it was just a matter of decision. A decision either we will be an NDA Cadet or we will be not.
Next day started with the conference, where all the candidates were called one by one in front of the complete SSB panel for their final meet. All the panel members in the Air force uniform seated across a semi circular table and a chair was placed in between for candidates. All the candidates entered the room one by one. The most memorable conference session was of Ratanjyot.
An officer asked Ratanjyot “Why do you want to join Defence?”
“Because it is the second most prestigious job in country.” He replied. “Then what is the most prestigious?”Officer asked again.
“Being a Teacher.” He replied. “By the way, what does your father do.” Officer asked again.
“He is in police sir!” He replied with a smile. “So how do you rate a Police job then?”
“Just above the politician’s sir!” and the conference room burst into laughter.
All these light moments suddenly turned serious when we were asked to assemble in the seminar hall for results. Tension and fear was lurking from all the faces. We sat as per our chest numbers. Gautam chest no. 20 was sitting to my right. In our stay of 5 days we have done a lot of things which rumoured that our batch will be completely washed off.
DSO came to the podium. On his side stood a table on which T shirts wrapped in plastic bags were kept. Each selected candidate was supposed to get a White Polo T shirt with the Air Force logo on it.
There was a pin drop silence and all of us passed an occasional smile to each other.
DSO started his speech, for the first 10 min he spoke about the board and the batch increasing the tension even more. Then he finally came to point “Now I will be announcing the results for recommendations from this batch. Let me make it very clear that successful clearance of SSB test in no way means that you are inducted to NDA. This process will be followed by Medical Examination and Merit list.” He announced what we already knew.
“I will be announcing the chest numbers, those candidates are selected from this batch.” He continued.
“Chest no. 8, 16,20…” Gautam was selected; I was the next chest number, number 21. I closed my eyes in anticipation of one of the two possible results.
“25 , 28, and 33” I was not selected. When each of the selected candidates were called, they rose from their position walked to the podium and collected their T Shirts.
A drop of tear almost fell from my eyes, but I somehow managed to hold it back. I was not able to look up, not able to look towards Gautam even to congratulate him on his success.
When DSO handed over the last T Shirt to chest number 33, He spoke again
“There is one more selection, for Army/Navy group. As the candidate was not able to clear PABT, he will not be recommended for Air Force but as he has cleared all other aspects of SSB, he is recommended for his second preference in NDA written”
Everyone fell silent.
“Chest number 21, recommended for Army/navy group.” It was me.
The tear I had been holding with effort fell finally. Everyone in the room had a smile on his face.
I stood from my seat walked to the podium, had a firm hand shake with DSO and I was standing there as a CADET. A cadet selected for Army/Navy group at an Air Force SSB.
As the DSO walked out of the room, all the candidates came down congratulating all of us.
Gautam came to me and said “I knew it. If I am selected then you will be as well.”
After completing the required formalities, all the selected candidates left for the station. The Sergeant I had met on the train was driving the bus we boarded. He smiled at me and said “I saw your name on the list of selected candidates.”
“I held the rope above my nose level” I replied with a smile.
At 4.30 PM I was standing on Varanasi station waiting for my train to Allahabad for my Medical Examination. I had cleared one the toughest interviews across the globe. For that moment I was a CADET, a cadet ready to join NDA to serve his nation. With moist eyes I waited for my train to arrive staring at a red signal far ahead on the tracks.
What happened next is however the life and
LIFE is To be continued………………….
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