And i lived in Sachin's era

If they ever tell my story, let them say I shared this planet with giants. Men rise and fall like the winter wheat  but the names of these giants will never die (Lines by Greek Hero Odysseus). Let them say they lived in the era when 'Warne The Spinner' bowled, let them say they lived in the era when Sampras-Federer-Nadal racketed the court, let them say they lived in the era when Ussain Bolt bolted the race, let them say they lived in the era when Ian Thorpe-Michael Phelps broke Olympic records, let them say that team Australia was the champion team in that era, let them say they lived in Michael Jordan's era, let them say they lived in Tiger Woods era etc, i would say i lived in Sachin's era that surpassed all those eras like the pole star that shines brightly but never shakes from its place. Sachin is the only person who created a rare homogeneity and uniformity in otherwise highly fragmented society of India. They said that right time to commit a crime is the time when Sachin is batting as even the Gods will be busy watching that inning.

The people of my generation are extremely lucky to see through the scintillating career of Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar. I started following Cricket during India's tour of down under in 1991-92 when India  played a limited over triangular series with Australia and West Indies and my impressionable mind was mesmerized by the sheer elegance of Sachin Tendulkar and it continues to be mesmerized by him even now. I remember very clearly bunking a rare class just to watch Sachin's inning against Sri Lanka at Delhi during 1996 World Cup. Cable TV came to my home in late 1990s but even that delay could not diminish my love for the game. I used to go to a TV shop (some 2 kms away from my home) just to watch Sachin's innings in late 1996 and 1997, specially the Indian tour of South Africa in 1996-97. Such was the connection that almost all my friends wept when Sachin failed to win that Chennai Test against Pakistan after scoring brilliant 136 runs. 

With the coming of Sourav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman Indian batting became very strong and we as a team started impressing the world in the same as The Beatles hypnotized the world with their symphony. No one would forget the great inning of Sachin against Pakistan in 2003 World Cup and no one would certainly forget the master musical of these Beatles in 2002 and 2007 tour of Old Blighty. We destroyed the arrogance of Australia multiple times and even drew a series in Australia against the barbaric hordes of Steven Waugh in 2003-04. The failure in the final of 2003 World Cup was washed to the hilt by the glorious victory in 2011 world cup; this was the ultimate cup of joy and it returned to India after a gap of 28 years. Many of my friends and i wept on that very night of 2nd April 2011. My father, a great fan of Cricket and a very fine player himself did not live to see this grand victory. 
Many pundits compared various players with Sachin, starting from Brian Lara to Yusuf Yohana, from Steven Waugh to Inzamam-ul-Haq, from Mark Waugh to Ricky Ponting, from Kevin Petersen to Rahul Dravid but all these comparators only trifled with their bats at the feet of Sachin Tendulkar. In the end master remains a master while challengers simply atrophied away. He faced existential crisis many a times in his career but every time he overpowered them with his strong work ethics, superb talent and Herculean will power. It is said its extremely difficult to make it into Indian National team, to play consistently for 24 years is a target next to impossible. Players come and go, records are made and broken, but a phenomenon can never be repeated, it can only be enjoyed and relished, and Sachin has been the greatest sporting phenomenon we have experienced. Now you have taken retirement from Cricket i would only say that your journey and records are not only yours but ours too. Every run scored, every pain encountered, every match won, every match lost was ours.  Wish you all the best to all your future endeavours and i pray to God (or to no-God) that your stories shall continue to inspire generations of India in this sport-hero devoid country of ours, Amen.
I end this article with the famous line from another Hollywood flick "The Blue Max". A German General while awarding a medal to a war hero says that "This may look small to you but this is the highest medal Germany can give". Perhaps we would say the same about awarding Bharat Ratna to Sachin Tendulkar.  

Book Review [79] : In Defence Of Globalization

In 'Defence of Globalization' is an enormous book on the hugely controversial subject of Effects of Globalization. I don't have enough qualification to review this masterpiece yet i recommend every professional/civil servant to read this book in order to understand the alternate viewpoint on Globalization. Jagdish Bhagwati passionately argues about the positive outcomes of Globalization and in his own way punctures the lofty claims made by the critics of Globalization.

There are some very good economic and globalization concepts discussed by Jagdish Bhagwati in this book. Must read for trade/industry related policy makers and students of economy and trade.

Highly Recommended (8/10).

Book Review [78] : Baburnama

'Baburnama' i.e. the memoirs of Zahiruddin Muhammed Babur, founder of the Mughal Empire of India, is the masterpiece of world literature in general and Chagtai Turkish in particular.  This is generally considered one of the earliest autobiographies of a Muslim ruler. 

It starts with the death of Umar Shaikh Mirza (father of Babur) in 1494 and the ascension of Babur at the throne of Ferghana (now in Kyrgyzstan). At that time Khurashan, Ferghana, Northern and Western Afghanistan were ruled by Timurid Sultans (i.e. descendants of Timur Lame) but Uzbeks under Muhammed Shaybani Khan were gaining ascendancy in central Asia. Uzbeks as well as Timurids contested for the prize possession of Samarkand after the death of the Sultan of Samarkand in 1494, Babur rallied the Timurids and conquered the Samarkand thrice but he escaped all three times, such was the ferocity of Uzbeks. Babur wrote in great detail about the geography, flora, fauna and culture of Ferghana. He had a keen eye of an inquisitive scholar. 

Babur leaves Central Asia and enters Afghanistan as a prince in exile. He conquers Kabul in 1504 and brutally raids and massacres scores of Afghans. He continued the brutal Timurid customs of making victory tower from the skulls of the defeated soldiers. He tries again to conquer Samarkand and with the help of Shah of Iran he defeats Uzbeks in 1511  but he flees again in 1512 and this time he decides to forge his kingdom in Hindustan. He starts his Indian campaign in 1519 by taking Bajaur. He defeats Ibrahim Lodhi in the first battle of Panipat in 20 April 1526 by his astute leadership and use of Ottoman and Uzbeks strategies, and establishes his dynasty at Agra. He always misses his home and its climate. He dislikes India because of its alien customs, lack of running water, its hostile people and a different religion. 

Babur overcomes the ultimate challenge of Rana Sanga and his allies in the Battle of Khanua on 17th March 1527. The Rajputs and their allies were annihilated in this epic battle and the canons of Babur win, and Indians again loose a great defining battle. Babur then storms Chanderi and kills its defenders. Baburnama finishes in Sept 1529, just little more than a year he dies. 

Despite of all his shortcomings (his victory tower of human skulls, his disrespect of his enemies by calling them Kafir/Infidels etc) he was a great leader, keen observer, ferocious soldier and a great writer. Baburnama remains a great work on Central Asian history and the early Mughal Empire. 

Highly Recommended (8/10)

Book Review [77] : Half Of A Yellow Sun

When you are in a Civil Services Academy and are undergoing Foundation Course, you wont find much time to read a book, thats why this post is coming bit late.

I became a great fan of Chinua Achebe after reading his classic magnum opus 'Things Fall Apart' couple of months back, my interest in Nigeria also rose because of this book. So i started reading 'Half Of A Yellow Sun', written by brilliant Nigerian writer Chimamanda Adichie couple of weeks back, and  every line i read was full of emotions and suffering. Its a story of a group of Igbo speaking people of Eastern Nigeria who got caught up in the brutal Nigerian Civil War (1967-70). Its a story of human emotions, family drama, war brutalities, love and revenge. Rich Nigerian lady Olanna falls in love with a university professor Odenigbo, who was living with his servant Ugwu. The story takes various turns and exposes ugly and not so ugly faces of human lives. How a rich couple living in luxurious house with all the facilities had to live in extreme poverty during the war is deeply moving! How their world of friends, relatives fell apart during the civil war! How poor women with drooping and thinning breasts struggled to feed their kids and died in scores during the civil war! How thousands of Nigerian women were gangraped? How people chased rats and lizards for food and how the western world overlooked the conditions of Igbo people and even supported the Nigerian regime to suppress the revolt of Igbo people in a most brutal manner! Its a great book and a must read for every one who wants to understand the post colonial history of Nigeria. Perhaps the current schism is Nigerian polity ossified during this civil war in which hundreds of thousands of Nigerians died and they continue to die even now. Very relevant specially in the context of India.

Highly Recommended (8/10).

Diary: Watershed day of my life

On 2nd September 2013, i officially joined the prestigious Civil Services of India. It is the day that would either make me some one significant in life or delegate me to the fate of insignificant cellulose. I prepared hard (as all aspirants do) for this exam and sacrificed a lot of things and stuff that i used to love and enjoy. My personality and attitude also changed in this process. The ferocious, short tempered and volatile Neeraj (that my college friends know too well) got transformed into a serious, 'patient' and humble Neeraj. There are three incidents/processes that transformed me: death of my father in Dec 2008, my marriage in Nov 2009 and the Civil Services exam preparation (from July 2010 onwards). I dont know whether its good or bad, but i wish the latter is true. 

No one from my family before me ever graduated from a college, no one ever became a government officer or a professional so there were lot of responsibilities and expectations on me and i hope that i tried to meet all these challenges with full heart and brain. There is a scene is movie 'Troy' in which Priam (King of Troy) tells his son Hector (when he was about to fight his last battle with Achilles) that 'None of the fathers had a better son'. I always wanted to hear that line from my father but unfortunately i lost my father in Dec 2008. His absence always haunts me and it will continue to haunt me till i die. I pray to God for his blessing, guidance and protection. Please help me in making my life meaningful, my family happy and my country a better place.