25..What a life!

I remember an advertisement saying that life is all about numbers, so true, I think! For our daily routine itself runs around numbers; few numbers happen to us and others we make them happen; be it our birthdays or 1^st job or day of our first salary. In fact right from the day when we wake up; we keep chasing numbers with every extra number on clock dial makes us feel breathless and rush to work and when we reach office all we do is run after and around numbers (especially if you are in Market research :))

Since my teenage, one number which always haunted my mind was 25. I don’t know why but there was a kind of apprehension attached to this number, may be because of the fact that all the time I used to hear about people getting married at the age of 25; then education revealed to me that 25 also happens to be the age when one’s “Brahamcharya” phase of life comes to end gates to “Grihasthjeevan” opens. But marriage is not the only factor tagged with it. Since early childhood, we all grew up with anxiety and innocence of “teenage” which brought discovery to so many things in life including emotions, liberty, and taking charge of your own life and growing up with no more “Mamma’s boy” tag; that era was of freedom and excitement as anything and everything I did and experienced was for the first time; leaving teens and entering “twenty’s” was again an stimulating experience with some sense inflowing in the system and rise in expectation from all corners to beat the crowd and stand at a position to get ready for the world!, Since then five years have gone and life has turned upside down and within no time, today I have crossed the doors of the number I always dread about, As I turn 25, there are lot of things which cross my mind and top most is responsibility towards parents, career, achieving more to be able to survive for future and getting ready for the next big move in life which is even dreadful to ears that is “Marriage”, though it is still not on cards for some distant future but still the number has definitely brought a sense of acceptance to the fact that D day may not be too far!

No more you are a ‘Mamma’s boy’ the number means that you need to be ready to slog yourself even more to satisfy expectations around you who matters to you. The number also means it is time to pay back, After all, 25 years is long enough time for our parents to feed us, they deserve every moment of love spent with them and every effort which makes them feel that you care about them and every penny if you can add to your dad’s account!

Looking back, I would love to revisit my founding stones which made me who I am today but I know only thing which can be cherished is ‘present’ and hence I am enjoying this moment thoroughly as life has achieved it’s quarter century in such a style that it deserves a celebration worth a half century coz who knows even century would ever knock at our doors or not.

It is a moment to thank the almighty and pray to him for strength for surviving till 50 as the pitch promises to be full of untrue bounce and turns!

So though my age certificate will show the number I always dreaded; My passport might suggest that I am an ‘Adult’ now, deep with in I am and will always remain that growing up child who still gets amused to the discoveries in the world around him, who still believes a home made meal by mom beats all restaurants all around the world, for whom his world revolves around his family and friends, Yes I have turned 25 today for the outer ‘Real World’ but for my all friends and family members, I can assure you that there is a heart of a teenager and a brain of child inside who will never grow up, for adding numbers is for mathematicians, I believe in breaking those blocks of numbers!

We will miss you gilly!

Few do it by compulsion, others do it by passion, and few others do it by obsession and yet others and very few are those who don’t just do it but takes it to the next level and leave behind marks for others to try and follow. In the year 1996, A man walked in to the middle with a traditional baggy green cap signifying pride for playing for Australia and a pair of gloves and the whole stadium welcomed successor of great Ian Healy who still is termed as all time great wicket keeper the game has seen, however what game had not seen before this young man walked in to the middle was a perfect fusion of flawless keeping and aggressive batting, Adam Gilchrist changed the way wicket keepers used to play the game and with in no time, every teamin the world was taking notice and all the coaches have only one thing to tell their keepers, “you keep well, but you have to bat as well as gilly does”. He created a different league of players in his own domain.

Gilly was as devastating in Tests as he was in ODI’s. He is the first player to reach the milestone of hitting..hold your breath…100 sixes …in test matches and any guesses against whom he hit last two sixes of those?..well all time great Muttiah Muralitharan. Ask any new ball bowler and he would describe it to you that how Gilly butchered him almost every time he dared to bowl to him. Ask any batsman about his reaction after edging a ball or missing a ball outside the crease when gilly is behind the stumps, and the answer would be unanimous, you don’t need to look behind coz this man with hands of gold hardly ever missed and executed every dismissal with perfection.

Few of his quotes from his blog characterize his personality

“I am of the opinion that the cricket ball is there to be hit rather than defended, and this sometimes leads to my demise”

“There is no value in looking back at what we have done. We must play for the day, and focus on doing our jobs”

“Returning to India is a pleasure. This is a wonderful country, and cricket fans here are amongst the most knowledgeable in the world”

Unlike most of the Australian players, he stands out in terms of discipline and sportsmanship, in his wonderful journey, he was unbelievably stain less and was never ever involved in any controversies and why would he be, when you can let your gloves and bat talk and that too big time! Gilchrist is renowned for walking when he considers himself to be out, sometimes contrary to the decision of the umpire

Australian Cricket has produced many great cricket players and few of them have proved to be real “Heroes” for the cricketing world and Adam for sure tops the charts. Experts compare d his batting style with great Sir Viv Richards however, I believe, he was in to his own domain and needs no comparison.

Australian cricket for sure will feel the void of such a great player and with Mc grath, Warne and now gilly, Oz would be little worried for the world cup 2011.

Today when this great sportsman takes his final flight with ODI’s, he has surely left few hearts sore and craving for more as he walks in to the sunset. The game has seen many greats and would continue to do so but with players like gilly calling it a day, it would be not just tough but next to be impossible to find a replacement as they have created a structure so great and unspoiled that no one else would ever be able to fit in to it.

As they say that A picture speaks of thousand words. Here’s a video on you tube in tribute to this great player (PS: I found it on you tube, I did not make it J )

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IDea0Z5urDM

We will miss seeing you in action gilly!