TWO HUNDRED CHEERS FOR TENDULKAR

Thomas Jefferson asserted in the United States declaration of Independence, "All men are created equal..." Had he seen a certain Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar, he would realize how flawed his assumption was. All men are not equal. When you put Tendulkar in the equation, everything else becomes irrelevant. How many times have we sat down to express our gratitude to the little master? How many times did we have the "WOW" moment? How many times have we praised, adored, respected, prayed, idolized, loved, and cherished this diminutive Mumbaikar? And how many times more again? All those times, mere words were inadequate to express our emotions. And today, when Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar scored the highest individual score ever (200*) in a One Day International cricket match against South Africa, all the adjectives in the English language woefully fall short of capturing the moment.

He is a superman. A superstar. A superhero. That he would receive the Bharat Ratna some day is indubitable, and we are not even talking about that. He epitomizes the sum total of all of India's rise and fall for the past two decades. And some more. It is impossible to fathom this man's effect on the nation's psyche. And non-Indians would never truly understand what this man means to the billions.

Stock markets, shares and investments surge whenever he is in his elements- a feel good factor would inevitably descend upon Indians. A source of inspiration for millions, he is a citizen nonpareil. The aura around him is incredible and it rubs off onto others as we look up to him. No other person can influence India today as much as he does- and how does he do it? A man of few words to say the least, he has let his actions do all the talking, and how! He is the modern day Karma yogi, the perfect ambassador for anything Indian, be it ancient or modern. One could probably write a doctoral thesis on how he captivates the masses, the "Tendulkar effect".

Rewind 22 years back. On February 24th 1988 Sachin Tendulkar and Vinod Kambli amassed 664 runs in a world record stand, piling up agony on St. Xavier School. Exactly 22 years later, Sachin Tendulkar becomes the first man to score a double century in One Day Internationals. It would be just plain fanciful to associate record breaking events with the date (24th February). The 200 barrier was crossed nearly after 4 decades of one-day cricket. It was apt that Sachin Tendukar was the one destined to reach 200 runs first. People clamour for breathtaking performances from him over and over again, which he duly obliges everytime quite remarkably... but for me, I am just happy to see him.

"I would like to dedicate this to the people of India who have always stood behind me for these 20 years amid the ups and downs..."

I am so proud today that I belong to the same era and same country as Sachin Tendulkar! At this juncture, I am reminded of a popular Hindi film dialogue from the movie DON: Don ko pakadna mushkil hi nahin... na mumkin hai (It is not 'difficult' to catch the DON, it is just 'impossible').

Picture copyrights: Associated Press (both pictures)

AAJA NACHLE

Indian dance parties are notorious. Unlike western cultures, Indians can dance boy with boy and girl with girl, or a bunch of boys or girls.. and its perfectly normal, without being sidelined as gay. In that regard, I happen to witness and take part in a few dances myself. Gregarious groups in dance clubs or parties make the most noise, and it doesn't have to be a proper dance in the first place. As long as you appear to gel with the group and gyrate your bodies, you are in.

Though not properly choreographed, dance groups in Indian parties and discos have a few common rules.

1. There is usually some guy who is the leader of the pack, who dictates the mood of the group and formulates the dance steps.

2. If you are dancing to a Punjabi number, invariable your hands will go up in the air followed by rhythmic jerks, while one leg is up in the air trying to keep pace with your arms. Locking legs with each other while doing the hand twists in the air and revolving around is a popular variation. Some popular person will make a late entry and barge into the crowd making a "brrruuuaaaaaaaahhhh" noise, his 15 seconds of fame. The Bhangra is so simple and famous that invariably every dance ends up with this.

3. If the song is not with Punjabi beats, then it is a free for all- the group tries to create some sort of collective movement in unison. Probably this works for a few seconds before someone breaks off.

4. For the typical south Indian song, some variation of the "dappanguthu" will be employed by everyone. Even if they are blissfully unaware of what it is, the tune of the song will subconsciously move their bodies in a controlled chaotic motion. To explain the steps, bring your right leg and right arm forward and bend down, and then arch back standing on your left leg, with your left arm close to your body... and repeat.

5. Booze creates more energy and aggression.

6. Private parties are dictated by a core group doing a jig while others circle around the group clapping hands and gyrating in random fashion.

7. There's always a better song to dance, and the DJ is always wrong.

8. If you are not making a scene, you are not dancing- and there will be loud hoots, requests and threats for the "meek" person to join the fun.

9. You should embrace everybody, even though drenched in sweat.

10. Someone will get hit amidst the frenetic body movements (apparently "unintentionally", to settle old feuds).

11. Popular songs HAVE to be danced with the SAME STEPS as seen in the song video. And you MUST sing as you dance.

In many ways, this is good for people who don't know to dance. They still can have the bragging rights of "being there, and dancing". After all, it is excellent workout and opportunity for social bonding, while having a good time at it.

DIRECT... DIL SE

Its been quite a long time since I wrote an article here. I am restarting proceedings here with a short blog on matters of the heart. Come Sunday, a lot of emotions are going to be up in the air. Valentine's day is celebrated all over the world, as a day to express love to your beloved.

Valentine's day is celebrated to commemorate Valentine of Rome, or Valentine of Terni who were both persecuted and martyred. Their remains lie in state on the Via Flaminia (road). A third saint Valentine who was martyred in Africa is also a specious contention for the celebration of this day... however, there was no reference to love and sentiment during the times of these people (circa 300 AD). A story goes about how a certain saint Valentine performed "illegal" marriages against the king's decree forbidding marriage as it would make his soldiers weak. He was caught and executed, and his apparent last letter was to the hangman's daughter (whom he had miraculously cured of her blindness and fell in love), and it read: "From your Valentine".

The chivalrous knights and courtly love in the medieval era transformed this day completely into a lovers' day. In the late 19th century, greeting cards for "Valentine's day" took the country by storm and proved to be a harbinger of times to come.

Today, Valentine's day is extensively celebrated among intimate couples. Roses, chocolates and other gifts are exchanged on this day, and couples go on dates. This is also a day when the marriage proposal is made, usually by a man to his woman. So women and men, express love in all possible ways you know!

A pun-ny joke goes around in India thus:

Question: Why is November 14th celebrated as childrens' day?
Answer: Because February 14th is Valentine's day.

Photo copyright: aussiegall (from FLICKR)