Sunday, May 24, 2009

Thanx girl ... !!

We always try to make friends ... try and find people who will stand by you during your rough times ... celebrate with you when you wanna make merry ... and basically be a mode of support for you throughout ... we venture out and find some of these species ... some find lots of them while some treasure a select few ... but this is with people ...

Throughout your journey in life ... there are some inanimate friends that leave an impeccable mark on you ... unknowingly ... today is the day I bow down to my beloved ... BIKE ... she turns 10 today ... Yes ... I prefer a calling my bike a SHE ... and as they say in bike parlance ... DEFINITELY FEMALE ...



I fondly remember the evening of May 24, 1999. I was watching the World Cup match between the Kiwis and the Windies ... when my Dad called out to me ... I peeped from the window and there she stood ... resplendent in Black (and Gold stripes) ... the match went out of the window (now thats quite apt) ... I ran down and couldnt believe that my Dad got me a new bike ... there was no plan as such to get a bike ... but I was not complaining ... my Mom also came down and we had performed Puja ... I drove down to my friend Aditya's place ... which was around 2 kms from my place ... and he also had a test drive ... :)

Gone were the days that I had to go to college on my sister's Sunny (believe me it was not a great sight driving into Wadias on a limping Sunny ... my Dad was humble enough to give me his Scooter every Saturday and my body language in college was completely different on Saturdays ... :P) ... a Yamaha as I always perceived it ... was ROYAL ... the sound of it ... was like music ...

It came into my life when most of my friends (and me too :P) were going through the usual nuances of puberty ... :P ... the most obvious of this phenomenon was getting attracted to the opposite sex ... :P

By my own admission ... I am (and was) mirror-cracking material (thanx to Orkut for coming up with such a fitting description for people like me) ... so getting attracted was the only thing I could afford :) ... but my friends were much better off ... they not only got attracted but also ... well ... lets leave that for another day ... ;) ... most of my friends, like me, were from a middle to lower middle class family ... having your own bike at the age of 17 was a big deal back then ... and I think it still is (though I am sure things are better now) ... so all my friends relied on my bike to ride their dates ... I mean pillion ... so it was sort of a daily routine to give away my bike to some friend in college ... then come home by bus and then stay awake late in the night for my friend to come back and give my bike back ... magic days ... and this was not limited to guys ... even my female friends took my bike away coz their boy friends didnt have a bike ... just magic ...



I always felt my bike feeling unwanted ... maybe she felt ... "why aren't you taking some one out" ... I wish I could explain to her ... :)

The inspiration to buy a Yamaha came from my Chacha ... he had a RX-100 and then a RX-Z and I always wanted a Yamaha once I drove my Chacha's bikes ... he took care of his bike like his baby ... and I followed ... we both took my bike to a "sticker" man ... one who makes flashy stickers ... and we stuck Red&Black stickers denoting "Yamaha" on my bike ... he also gave me "Bike Wax" which allows you to clean the bike in a ... well ... better way ... I did that religiously for 2-3 years but then gave up ...




I feel quite happy with myself that the first girl who sat on bike (of course when I was driving) was Amruta ...no it wasnt a date ... it was a bit accidental ... we needed to go and meet a friend of mine (happens to be her cousin) ... Nikky ... and it didnt make sense to go on separate bikes ... but it did have me jumping with joy ... my bike also felt a bit prouder than normal ... :)

It was just before the HSC results when I met with a horrible accident at night ... it was hardly 10 days before the results when Chetan and I skid off the road and went bone crashing for around 20 meters ... I was driving ... Chetan didnt have a lot of injuries but I was hurt all over ... elbows, knees, face and belly ... I almost passed out ... Aditya (who was on his bike) and Chetan brought me home ... I recovered in 2 weeks ... fortunately there were no fractures ... but the marks (right knee and left fore-arm) still show ... it was a horrible accident ... my first instinct when I skid was to check if my bike was alright ... apart from a few scratches on the indicators (that still show) and a bent leg guard ... there were no other issues ...



Around the same time ... my bike was witness to a horrendous incident ... I had given my bike to Kiran for a date ... he was going through a rough patch with his girl friend and they hadnt met for months ... and when they finally met ... it was a like a big setup by the girl's brother to sort out Kiran ... I had been witness to a lot of gang fights in Wanorie area during those days ... Kiran was cut at several places by those people ... he had promised me that he will return my bike at around 4 pm. When it was 6 pm, we started to get worried ... Chetan, Aditya, Chinna and I went to almost every place we expected Kiran to go to ... but to no avail ... finally we found him somewhere in Wanorie and his white shirt had become red ... yes it was blood ... and again ... I was curious to know what happened to my bike ... fortunately it only had blood marks ... and nothing else ... the episode that ensued after that deserves a separate post ... one of the darkest nights of my life ... I dont think its a good idea to explain why ....

Throughout its journey with me, it has undergone changes ... mainly replacements ... the speedometer has stopped functioning ... it stands at a reading of 81 K ... one of my most heartfelt desires was to see the reading at 99999 ... but alas ... it is not going to happen since its beyond repair now ... the petrol tank has been replaced once ... so has the chain ... the stickers resemble a RX-100 instead of RX-135 ... the sparking Golden font has eroded with time ... its been blackened ... the indicators dont work as they should ... the horn is a moody creature ... my bike guzzles a lot more oil ... upper and dipper are more or less the same ... driving pillion is avoided since the power has run out ... though that can be repaired ... maybe I will gift that to her on her birthday ... I changed the tyres of my bike in 2007 ...






During this time, I have progressed as a student from Wadias to Fergusson ... my bike would religiously accompany me ... and then I got a job ... it seems like eternity that my bike has been with me ... I somehow find it difficult to fathom that its only been 10 years ... in fact I have been with my bike more than anything else ... it also made a trip to Mumbai for Mood-I once ...



The evolution of the BIKE genre has also been unprecedented. Disc brakes ... single suspensions ... digital speedometers ... fuel filters ... 220-350 cc ... non circular and jazzy indicator lights ... phew. Takes your breath away isnt it? But my bike has remained the same ... its not a pity though ... it still gives me a better than decent average ... breaks down rarely ... and doesnt trouble me during monsoons and winters ... fuel rates have gone up alarmingly. I remember the first time I filled her up (this statement sounds quite weird ... I know :P) ... the rate was Rs. 31 or 33 ... its been one helluva ride ...



Here I am taking my hat off to my companion ... Happy Birthday girl ... we still have miles to go and plenty to catch up on ... Thanx a lot ... and lets go for a ride and spend time together ... and brace ourselves for the next leg of our journey ... Cheers ... !!

Wednesday, May 20, 2009

Organizing foreigners ... !!

Well, this is not an attempt to advise the new government about some of their gazillion reforms coming up :P

I am talking about the IPL.

I have been dumb found by the way teams have selected their 4 foreign players in any given game. To my knowledge, each team has a pool of 9-10 foreign players to choose from. Honestly speaking, I find it very appropriate that only 4 foreign players can fit into a playing eleven. The last thing we want is the dearth of Indian players in the INDIAN Premier League. Having said that, its extremely difficult for the coach and the captain to shortlist 4 players from this pool. But there are some obvious take aways which need no debate and teams have been found lacking in terms of coming up with the right foreign player formation.

Lets start with Chennai. I think this is the only team that came close to selecting the BEST 4 foreign players. Hayden would make a playing eleven of any team in the world in any format of the game. No wonder he holds the Orange cap. Albie Morkel is one of the most destructive stikers of the cricket ball and he is a capable bowler too. Murali is again a must-have. No debates on that. If he is not taking wickets, he will atleast pin down the batsmen. Last year's final was a flash in the pan when Yusuf took him apart. According to me, the fourth foreign player for Chennai should be George Bailey. Thanx to ESPN-Star for broadcasting Australian domestic cricket. I have seen Bailey play. And boy he can play. Nicknamed Geuronimo, this guy can wield the willow like no other. This guy has been INSTRUMENTAL in captaining Tasmania in the absence of Ponting and he guided Tasmania to the ODI championship Down Under. As an option, Michael Hussey should be on standby as the 5th player. Ntini and Oram are more utility players in the sense that they dont guarantee that they will put on a performance ... definitely not in T-20. Oram should have made it to my list but his recent injuries have taken the zing out of his bowling.

Next up is Delhi. Looking at their foreign players, its a bloody tough task to choose their 5 foreign players. I guess AB should make it automatically. He says he wants to become the best player in the world in all 3 formats and doesnt he back himself? The 2nd player should be Daniel Vettoti for God's sake. This man is a wizard in T-20 cricket. If you have any doubt then just look at this bowling average, strike rate and no of wickets. If you still have some doubt, get hold of the India-NZ video from the T-20 World Cup when he single handedly stopped India in its tracks after Sehwag and Gambhir threatened to murder the Kiwis. That was also India's only loss of the tournament. Dilshan comes in next. This guy is made for T-20. Having become the new Lankan captain in T-20 cricket, it has just given him the fillip to take his game up by a notch or two. An electric fielder, great runner between the wickets and more than handy off-spinning option ... this guy should be a certainty in every game. If available, Collingwood should be the 4th player. I dont know the logic of keeping him out. To be fair, Delhi's batting ends at no. 4 according to the current formation. With all due respect to Karthik, I feel Delhi lacks the depth. Collingwood is the perfect man to come in after Sehwag, Gambhir, Dilshan and AB. Add to that his canny bowling. The player on standby should be Farveez Maharoof. He is a good steady bowler. He has all the variations plus his nemesis (read Sehwag) is in his own team :P ... Warner is too recent a player to walk into the playing eleven and his cross batted swipes leave much to be desired. McGrath to be honest doesnt come with the same artillery for Delhi as he did for the Oz ... Owais Shah is too inconsistent.

Now Punjab. The first player should always be Brett Lee without a shade of a doubt. Everyone knows why. The next player should be Kumar Sangakkara. He is street smart and has this natural ability to adapt to the situation of the game. If you need one man to bat through while the others want to hit out, Sanga is the man for you. Amazing wicket keeper to boot. Ravi Bopara is fast becoming the most efficient T-20 player. If you have seen him finish games for Essex, you would know what I am talking about. He is going great guns in all forms of the game. His bowling is an added incentive. He is my third choice. If available, Shaun Marsh should be the 4th player and James Hopes should act as their fence player. Marsh already proved himself last year and Hopes is an extremely handy T-20 all rounder. But since they were not available, my 4th and 5th players would be Mahela and Abdulla. But I feel Mahela is too good a player to be wasted at no. 5/6. Abdulla has the potential to become the next big thing in Sputh African cricket.

On to Deccan. The captain selects himself. Gilly doesnt need any invitation to make the playing eleven. Andrew Symonds should be the next player. Great with the bat and more than good with the ball. A great fielder. My personal choice for the 3rd player is Fidel Edwards. The reason why Deccan stormed through the first half of the tournament was due to RP and Edwards opening the bowling for Deccan. Edwards also has a slinging action like Malinga and his pace can unsettle the best of batsmen. The next player should be Dwayne Smith. In fact, I would say he should be an automatic choice much like Symonds. He is the perfect no. 6 batsman in T-20. He has the capability to hit the long ball and is a deadly accurate fielder. He can also bowl decent medium pace. Looking at this year's team, I will have to say the 5th player should be Gibbs. Around 3-4 years ago, he should have made the 11 automatically. But he is inconsistent now. If Afridi was available, he would have been ahead of Smith and Gibbs for me. Vaas doesnt impress me and so does Styris.

Talking about Rajasthan, I would say the biggest mistake they have made is to keep out Tyron Henderon. This guy is made for T-20 cricket. He along with Murali Kartik took Middlesex to the T-20 championship in England. He is a great T-20 bowler and a ferocious striker of the ball. He should make the playing eleven always. Warne has missed a trick this time. Warne would be the 2nd player for obvious reasons. Graeme Smith is also an automatic choice. Given this year's team, I would pick Mascarenhas as their 4th player always. He is a canny bowler and a big hitter. Johan Botha would be my fringe player. Of course, Tanvir and Watson select themselves but they were not available this year. Quiney, Carseldine and Harwood are largely unimpressive as T-20 players.

That brings me to Mumbai. One of the most under achieving teams and its disappointing for me as a Mumbai fan to write about this. Someone needs to drill a fact into the Mumbai authorities that Sanath Jayasuriya should always be present in the eleven and he should always open. The last time he batted in the middle order was the 1992 World Cup. His average back then was 19 ... and didnt he do an admirable job working his ass to end up with an average of over 30? SRT bamboozled me when he didnt pick Sanath for a game. I will go to the extent of saying that its not a huge issue if SRT himself doesnt play but Sanath SHOULD ALWAYS BE THERE. Next is his Lankan team mate ... Lasith Malinga. This guy again is made for T-20. His toe crushing yorkers and mesmerising pace changes make it extremely difficult to score off him. JP Duminy has come on leaps and bounds and it didnt surprise me when he hit 5 fifties. In fact he was the saving grace for the much hyped Mumbai batting line up. Dwayne Bravo is the 4th player and according to me one of the game's best all rounders. But he should NOT open the innings. :). The last player (in fact he should have been tried very early in the tournament) is Graham Napier. This guy seriously makes a mockery of the cricket ball. One of the hardest hitters of the ball. Once blasted 16 sixes in one innings enroute to rip roaring 150 in a T-20 game. For my money, this guy had the potential of becoming one of the success stories of the tournament. But thats a bit of a skirmish on the part of SRT's captaincy. He should think like a captain and not as a leader :P

Time to shift from SRT to SRK. Kolkata is not a team as bad as they are projected to be. Lets be frank. They have Brendon McCullum at the helm. We all know how he lit up Chinnaswamy stadium last year. Maybe assigning the captaincy to someone like Hussey or Hodge would have helped given the fact that both of them have captained Victoria previously. McCullum isnt even a local district captain in Kiwiland. Next on the list are the 2 Victorians that I just mentioned. Brad Hodge is the highest run getter in T-20 cricket in the world and is the glue that has held Victoria and Leicestershire en route to mutliple championship seasons. A handy offie and a more than reliable fielder. He has been the saving grace for Kolkata this year. He should always be in the eleven. David Hussey for me is an automatic choice. He has a very simple way of playing T-20. Come in and graft. Hit out in the last 3-4 overs. One of the most dumb decisions have been to keep Charles Langeveldt out of the Knight Riders team. How can a T-20 freak be kept out? Dumb ... dumber ... dumbest. Period. The last player should be Chris Gayle. This guy is a very weird cricketer. It almost makes you feel that you need to perk him up for a match. He is very inconsistent for a man with his kind of talent. But should be in the pool of 5 players. In Gayle's absence, Mendis should be the fringe player.

Finally, its speaking about Vijay Mallya's Royal Challengers. Make no mistake. This is one of the best teams in the tournament and also one of the dumbest. You cant ... I repeat ... you cant keep Cameron White out of the playing eleven. If 4 captains come and go and still dont get White into the team, its a problem. White is again MADE for T-20. No wonder most of his Aussie team mates (playing for other franchises) chuckle at the thought of not facing upto White. He is one of the Victorian T-20 and ODI stalwarts along with David Hussey and Hodge. For me, White is an automatic choice. Ross Taylor walks into the team as my 2nd player. He is like Sehwag and Jayasuriya. You dont drop him if he fails once or twice or even 5 times. He has to be there always. Where the hell is Dale Steyn for God's sake? I know he got injured after 4-5 matches but that should have kept him out only for 1-2 matches. I see him giggling in the dugout and get drinks for his mates so I am assuming he can run up and pepper the batsmen as well. Just because you win with a certain combination does not allow you to drop one of the most lethal bowlers the Proteas have ever produced. Again, seriously dumb. Jacques Kallis is an imposing figure and should always be present in the eleven. My fifth player would be Jesse Ryder. Come on, this guy is talent. You cant keep dropping him. Sorry Boucher and Van Der Merwe but I dont think you are making any contributions to this team.

So that's that. My frustration at not having to see the so called T-20 players in action prompted me to write. It is still not late. Some teams might still benefit now (if not next year) by picking the right foreign players.

Here's hoping for a thrilling IPL-2 finale ... Cheers ... !!

Thursday, May 07, 2009

Halo of countryside ... !!



I could actually imagine that ...

It was a fun trip. One of my most satisfying moments in life. Staying in a city, we somehow always cringe to break free ... explore unchartered territory ... do something you have never done before ... basically you want to add to your resume of experiences ....

We picked the long weekend of 1st May to visit Sangaon. This is a small village on the outskirts of Kolhapur ... for people who know a bit more ... Sangaon is a stone's throw away from Kaagal ... well not exactly a stone's throw ... its around 6 kms from Kaagal. Biwi's Nanaji owns a farm (I dont like that word ... hence I am going to use the word Khet from now on ...) at Sangaon. I had been to this Khet once before but I had hardly explored it ... this time it was going to be different ... it was a nice incentive to go there ... since we had not been to Kolhapur in over 2 years ...

My in-laws were also going to join us there. Hence, we planned it in such a way that we will use one car and one bike to travel to Sangaon. Everyone assembled at our place at 4 am on Friday ... thats Dinesh, Prakash, father-in-law (Pappa), mother-in-law(Mummy), Biwi and I. Prakash and Dinesh started on Dinesh's bike while the rest travelled in our car.

I wont delve too much into the journey ... except that it was a short and sweet drive ... with hardly any traffic ... toll booths were idle ... we stopped for Naashta at Karad ... Prakash swapped places with Biwi in Satara ... and I swapped places with Biwi in Karad ... driving a Pulsar on NH-4 is a heavenly experience ... we went from Karad to Kaagal in 57 minutes ... :) ... Biwi did an admirable job anchoring our car till Sangaon ... in fact she drove beautifully ... Dinesh swapped places with Pappa in Kaagal ... Pappa and I bought from cooking oil from Kaagal and reached Sangaon ... by now everyone from Kolhapur (read Biwi's Nanaji's family ... thats Nana, Nani, Mama, Mami, Mausis, Mama's kids, Mausi's kids) had reached the Khet ... Sangaon is divided into 2 parts ... Sangaon Kasba (this is more of a marketplace kind of a place) and Juna Sangaon (this is where the Khet is and it is a very quiet place with Khets all around) ...

After exchanging pleasantries it was time to make plans for the day ... the menu for the day was Mutton and Chicken Rassa ... or more specifically Kombda Rassa ... and Vade to boot ... this is the famous Kombda Vade ... the menu was mentioned as soon as we reached the Khet ... so we wanted to be very hungry before devouring all that ... Nanaji took us to the well (Kua) of the Khet ... the cock went through the sacrifice ordeal ... Yes its not good viewing ... but that's that ...








The next thing to do was swim in the well ... I had done that during my last visit too ... but somehow it felt amazing this time around ... the fact that it was close to 40 degrees outside and almost ice-cold in the well made it all the more enjoyable ... Pappa, Nanaji, Shivam and Soham (Mama's kids) joined us in the well and it was mayhem ... Dinesh went into a diving frenzy ... from unprecedented heights ... I too joined later and we started a "Mutka" regime ... it is diving in such a way that your legs go into the water before your head ... and in doing so ... you should cross your legs ... difficult proposition ... :P




Anyway, we swam for around 2 hours and it needed someone to come and drag us out of the well ... we were hungry now ... and the food made our day ... Kombda vade were lip-smacking ... couple that with Mutton ... Masala rice ... plain rice ... and off-the-tava-chapatis ... since Prakash and Dinesh were coming to Sangaon for the first time ... they were forced to eat a lot ... and I mean it ... they were sweating profusely throughout (I have been through this before :P) ...

We lazed around in the courtyard and tried to find some sleep ... but the heat and some ants made it difficult ... we garnered some sleep before everyone assembled for tea at around 5 pm ... tea was just a starter ... the amount of junk food on offer made us skip a beat ... biscuits ... poha-chiwda ... chips ... nuts ... cashews ... bhutta ... and they kept coming ...




We decided to visit the river that flows through Juna Sangaon ... its around a km from the Khet. The walk from the Khet to the river was extremely picturesque and it culminated into the most ideal setting of a river flowing through the countryside with a wooden over bridge and acres of land to park your backside and get submerged in this aura ... there was a jamun tree over there and this being jamun season ... we had plenty of jamuns ... it was getting dark and walked back to the Khet ... the heat was still very much present and we were feeling the itch to have something chilled ... being a small village we were doubtful if we would get anything ... we walked from the Khet to Kasba Sangaon ... we were fortunate enough to find a shop selling soft drinks and ice cream ... well ice cream in a village sounded a better option ... and it was ... we all felt much better after the ice cream went down the system ... we walked back and it was now time for cards ...














Everyone went off to sleep at around 10 pm in the house and reminded us about the positions we need to take in the house when we plan to sleep ... we ignored it at that time only to repent later ... :P ... playing cards has also become such a ritual ... and Minimum at that ... its a fun game and keeps you engrossed ... Biwi, Prakash, Dinesh and I laughed the night away ... mainly discussing about all that we observed with the people present on the Khet ... poor souls ... it was like despite being good hosts they were the laughing stock ... :) ... it was only when we started hearing weird noises that we decided to call it quits and go off to sleep ... even then we went in the house and started laughing ... much to the dismay of all those who had already dozed off by now ... there were lots of mosquitoes ... so it was not trivial to find sleep ... luckily we had bought some mosquito coils ... and got saved ... but we were still laughing so much that it made us get up and go to the kitchen just to finish off the laughing ... we were asleep in some time ... and that completed a most memorable first day of the trip at Sangaon ...







The next day was spent pretty much doing the same stuff ... a heavy Gaon kaa Naashta ... playing cricket with Soham and Shivam ... swimming in the well ... a heavy lunch (again :P) ... pursuit of sleep in the afternoon ... etc ... there was a small difference though ... Prakash, Dinesh and I wanted to have a bath in the bore well ... just adjacent to the Khet ... but it was occupied by some women who were washing their (?) clothes ... we sought refuge under the tamarind tree (we saw almost every type of tree during the 3 days) ... sang some very unfortunate songs :P ... maybe that hastened the washing by the women ... but we also knew that the water will not be available for eternity ... and as ill luck would have it ... the water stopped as soon as Dinesh and I stepped in ... dratch ... we had a bath with whatever water was left but Prakash had to go back to the Khet and have a bath ...

The evenings were something we looked forward to coz the heat during the day was relentless ... we wanted to go back to Kasba Sangaon to have ice cream like yesterday ... only today we didnt realise what the time was ... the elders advised us against going coz it can be dangerous during the night ... but we still wanted to go and we did ... just that our CITY minds refused to accept that we were not in a CITY ... we reached Kasba Sangaon at around 9:30 pm ... and it was pitch dark and pin drop silence ... Yes ... the Gaon was fast asleep ... and we were left looking stupid ... no other option but to head back to the Khet ... it was nevertheless a good experience walking through the brazen paths late in the night ...

On reaching the Khet ... we played cards but there were even more mosquitoes than yesterday ... so we decided to go in and have some fun but everyone was asleep ... so we decided we will sleep in the kitchen ... chatted for a while ... played cards and then dozed off ...

The day of the trip was the final day ... as usual we got up and had Naashta ... this was followed by the most intense cricket matches that I have ever played ... and thats quite a statement ... it was Mama, Biwi, Dinesh and Shivam in 1 team while Prakash, Mummy, Pappa and I represented the other team ... quite a mismatch considering the fact that Mama has played (and still plays) state level cricket ... not that we were going to play with a season ball ... but still ... the first 2 matches were quite close ... we fielded first in both matches ... it was a 6 over affair ... Mama's team made 47 ... we sent Mummy and Pappa as our openers and we struggled :) ... when both of them got out ... it was upto me and Prakash ... we batted well and made sure we are within striking distance of the total ... but Prakash got out ... we still needed around 20 in 2 overs and one of those was going to be bowled by Mama ... I extracted 7 off Mama's over ... and we still needed 13 off the last over ... Mama tossed the ball to Biwi ... this was going to be interesting ... I didnt know whether I should go for the win :P ... but Yeah ... a loss is a loss ... even worse if its against my wife ... :) ... the first ball was a four ... the next was two ... then a dot ball ... we needed 7 off 3 ... the next was a four ... 3 off 2 ... dot ball ... 3 off 1 ... this was the moment of the match ... I thought I hit the perfect shot straight down Biwi's left hand ... but Mama just stuck his hand out ... the ball stuck and he ran me out at the bowler's end ... they rejoiced so much that all the elders busy preparing for lunch came out and asked what all the noise was all about ... and they went back holding their heads when they came to know that it was just a match ... but they didnt say GROW UP ... :)

The next match was also close ... I was surprised how well I played in the first match since I had not held a cricket bat for ages ... but Mama was a crucial factor ... he was so central to their scheme of things ... again they put up a huge score ... 58 ... and we had to get 59 ... this time we sent Prakash and Mummy to open ... both got out in the first over to Biwi ... Biwi was stellar with her bowling ... kudos ... :) ... so it was left to me and Pappa ... Pappa also got out in the next over to Mama ... and we had to make 50 in 4 overs ... hardly an inspiration ... but I soldiered on ... I targetted the overs that were not bowled by Mama ... hit lots of boundaries ... in fact I got 13 in one of Mama's overs ... we needed 22 in 2 overs ... Mama bowled the penultimate over ... and he bowled well ... I managed only 7 ... and we were left with 15 to get off 6 ... again Biwi was going to bowl ... Deja Vu ... or was it? ... I hit the first 2 balls for 4 ... we needed 7 off 4 ... the next ball was bowled almost at my chest and I fended it off to get 2 runs ... a huge argument ensued coz I definitely thought it was a no-ball ... but Mama was not ready to listen ... it was very competitive ... so it was 5 off 3 ... dot ball ... 5 off 2 ... and I got out ... bowled ... Ouch that hurts ... lost 2 close matches ... the third match was one sided coz we lost by a huge margin ... sob ...

we then headed to the well ... and this time we were going to make it count ... almost everyone on view was in the well ... Dinesh, Prakash, Biwi, Soham, Shivam, Pappa, Mummy (though she didnt swim), Nilambari(Biwi's cousin ... or shud I say Saali :P), Mama and myself ... it was highly enjoyable ... but Pappa, Mama and Mummy wernt there for long ... Dinesh and I went off on a diving spree ... we went further and further up until it started looking scary from up ... the dive from the highest point was extremely nerve racking ... its funny that you know you are not falling on firm ground ... its just water and yet you feel you will get hurt ... but what a dive it was ... from hot air(when you are about to jump) to cooler breeze (when mid-air) and finally cold water ... quite a transition ... that made us repeat it ... 3 hours came and went ... then finally we came out ...




We had planned to leave for Pune at around 1:30 pm ... so we needed to have lunch and get going ... the moment we came out of the well and reality dawned that we will be leaving soon, the mood dropped ... we talked of deferring our departure ... and everyone agreed ... so we were back to being happy ... Mami and Maheshwari (another Saali) had come to the well to inform us that lunch is ready ... we could not see people all dry ... we somehow managed to get Mami to the well and Biwi poured a bucket of water on her ... Maheshwari was close but not very close and she was already retracting ... I ran and got hold of her ... and after some time even she bore the brunt of the same bucket of water ... so now we were much more satisfied ... :)

Mami was hell bent for revenge ... and she started filling a bucket as soon as we reached the house ... but to her dismay I really didnt have an issue getting wet again ... in fact I loved it ... she started filling a second bucket ... someone called out for her and she turned ... then it was easy for me to come and pick up the same bucket of water and pour it on her ... 2-1 to me ... :P ... and thats how it stayed ... first leg goes to me ... revenge is promised for next time ... we will see ... an away win is very important :P ...

It was again very hot and we really wanted something cold. When I asked around about how many are ready for a beer ... I got a decent response ... it was Mummy, Pappa, Prakash, Biwi and Mama ... I too decided to have beer ... yes I have quit drinking but the occasion got to me ... cant help it ... Dinesh and Prakash went to Kasba Sangaon and got beer, soft drinks and chakna ... we all went back to the well and sat in the shade of a tree ... we were joined by 2 of Pappa's friends ... one of them was called DESAI SAAHAB ... and wasnt he funny ... he talked till the cows came home ... we were busy sipping beer and soft drinks and this man was just going on and on about the food he likes ... the places he has visited across India ... his farmhouse in Goa ... how there is no place like Goa (I quite agree) ... all the others did was nod in approval ... there were some trademark dialogues that are expected when people get high ... like "Our doors are always open for you Desai Saahab" (Yes it was said in English :P) ...

Finally, we went and had lunch ...

Lunch was prepared by one of Biwi's cousin grandfathers ... quite a task to explain the relation ... but he had made delicious chicken biryani ... cashew and raisins just added to the flavor and we devoured everything that came our way since it was the Last Supper ... eerrr ... Last Lunch at Sangaon ... after that we dozed off outside in the shade of yet another tree ... we got up at around 5 pm ... had tea and were ready to leave ... I must admit it was sad to leave such a divine place ... the food and the people were just amazing ... but all good things come to an end sometime ... and so did this ... we left Sangaon at 8 pm ... 7 hours behind schedule ... knowing that the next day in office will hurt ... both physically and emotionally ...

Adios Sangaon ... but we will be back ... Prakash is already planning his honeymoon at Sangaon ... :P'

Cheers ... !!