ನಾನು ನನ್ನವಳೊಂದಿಗೆ ರೈಲಿನಲ್ಲಿ ಹೊರಟಿದ್ದೆ. ದೀರ್ಘ ಪ್ರಯಾಣ ಆಗಿನ್ನೂ ಆರಂಭವಾಗಿತ್ತು. ಮಧ್ಯೆ ಯಾವುದೋ ಒಂದು ನಿಲ್ದಾಣದಲ್ಲಿ ರೈಲು ಸುಮಾರು ಐದು ನಿಮಿಷ ನಿಂತಿತ್ತು. ನಮ್ಮ ಬೋಗಿಗೆ ಒಬ್ಬ ಅಜ್ಜ ಮತ್ತು ಒಬ್ಬ ಅಜ್ಜಿ ಹತ್ತಿದರು. ಅವರು ನಮಗಿಂತ ಮೂರ್ನಾಲ್ಕು ಸಾಲು ಮುಂದೆ ಕಿಟಕಿಯ ಪಕ್ಕ ಕುಳಿತರು. ರೈಲಿನ ಹೊರಗೆ ಅವರ ಕಿಟಕಿಯ ಪಕ್ಕ ಮಧ್ಯ ವಯಸ್ಸಿನ ಹೆಂಗಸೊಬ್ಬರು ಇಬ್ಬರು ಪುಟ್ಟ ಬಾಲಕಿಯರೊಂದಿಗೆ ನಿಂತಿದ್ದರು. ಅವರ ಪಕ್ಕ ಅಷ್ಟೇ ವಯಸ್ಸಿನ ಗಂಡಸು ಒಂದು ಸಣ್ಣ ಮಗುವನ್ನು ಕಂಕುಳಲ್ಲಿ ಎತ್ತಿಕೊಂಡು ನಿಂತಿದ್ದರು. ಆ ಇಬ್ಬರು ಬಾಲಕಿಯರಲ್ಲಿ ಸಣ್ಣವಳು (೫ ವರ್ಷ ಇರಬಹದು) ಅರಚಿ ರಂಪ ಮಾಡುತ್ತಿದ್ದಳು. ರೈಲಿನ ಹತ್ತಿರ ಬಂದು ಅಜ್ಜಿಯ ಕೈ ಎಳೆದು ಅಳುತ್ತಿದ್ದಳು. (ಬಹುಶಃ) ಅವಳ ಅಕ್ಕ (ಸು ೧೦ ವರ್ಷ) ದೂರದಲ್ಲಿಯೇ ನಿಂತಿದ್ದಳು. ಅವಳ ಮುಖದಲ್ಲಿ ದುಗುಡ ತುಂಬಿತ್ತು. ಅಜ್ಜಿ ಮಾತ್ರ ನಗುತ್ತ ಆ ಹೆಂಗಸಿಗೆ ಏನನ್ನೋ ಹೇಳುತ್ತಿದ್ದರು. ಆ ಕಂಕುಳ ಕೂಸನ್ನು ಹತ್ತಿರ ಕರೆಸಿಕೊಂಡು ಕಿಟಕಿಯಿಂದಲೇ ಮೈ ದಡವಿದರು. ಸುಮಾರು ೨ ವರ್ಷದ ಆ ಮಗು ತನ್ನ ಇಬ್ಬರು ಅಕ್ಕಂದಿರನ್ನೂ ಅಜ್ಜಿಯನ್ನೂ ಪಿಳಿ ಪಿಳಿ ನೋಡುತ್ತಾ …”ಏನಿದೆಲ್ಲಾ ರಗಳೆ?“…ಎಂದು ನಾನು ನನಗನ್ನಿಸಿದ್ದನ್ನು ನನ್ನವಳೊಂದಿಗೆ ಹಂಚಿಕೊಳ್ಳಲು ತಿರುಗಿದೆ. ರೈಲು ಹೊರಟಿತು.
ರೈಲು ಪ್ರಯಾಣ ದೀರ್ಘವಾಗಿದ್ದಾಗ ಸಹ ಪ್ರಯಾಣಿಕರ ಪರಿಚಯವಿದ್ದರೆ ಪ್ರಯಾಣದ ಆಯಾಸವನ್ನು ಮಾತುಕತೆಯಲಿ ಮರೆಯುವುದಕ್ಕೆ ಸಹಾಯವಾಗುತ್ತದೆ. ಆದರೆ ಹಲವು ಬಾರಿ ಪ್ರಯಾಣ ದೀರ್ಘವಾಗಿದ್ದರೂ ಮನಸ್ಸಿನ ಪರಿಧಿ ಹಿರಿದಾಗಿರುವುದಿಲ್ಲ. ಸಹ ಪ್ರಯಾಣಿಕರ ಪರಿಚಯ ಮಾಡಿಕೊಳ್ಳುವ ಸಮಯ, ಸಂದರ್ಭ ಯಾವುವೂ ಒದಗುವುದಿಲ್ಲ. ಹೀಗಿದ್ದಾಗ್ಯೂ, ಪರಿಚಯವಿರದಿದ್ದರೂ ಕೆಲವು ಅನ್ಯ(ರ) ವಿಚಾರಗಳು ತಾವಾಗಿ ಗೋಚರಿಸುತ್ತವೆ.
The South Indian percussion instrument Mridanga had many great exponents who brought the best out of its tonal and rhythmic qualities. Many in my generation could not listen to the live concerts of Palghat Mani Iyer and his ilk. The generation that came after the golden trio (PMI, PSP and CSM) really did live up to (sometimes exceeded) the standards set by their teachers. One of them was Palghat Raghu and I think of him at least once whenever I think of the Mridanga. A contemporary of Raghu is touching 80 now and he is still going as strong as ever. Umayalapuram Sivaraman invokes a sense of awe in every fan of Carnatic music, particularly those who love percussion.
It was a rare treat on Wednesday (Jan 7, 2015, Vasantha Pura, Bangalore) that we had an opportunity to listen live to Sivaraman playing the Mridanga in accompaniment to the Violin duo of Mysore Nagaraj and Mysore Manjunath. It was deeply moving to see so many people surrounding the artistes and not leaving a single empty spot anywhere near the stage, not even on the stairs next to the shaamiyaana (see photo). Musicians and general connoisseurs alike, all were in awe of Sivaraman, the 80 year old teenager, who was in complete control of the situation.
One of the hallmarks of Sivaraman is his sense of kaala pramaaNa (tempo of a taaLa). The clarity in his furn play is almost unmatched by any other living artiste. I guess I could go on. But, I think the occasion that day was more to do with feeling lucky that we witnessed an artiste of outstanding merit. After the concert Sivaraman spoke for a few minutes and attributed his success as a Mridanga artiste to five elements (pancha bhoota). He said and I quote “I bow to the five elements, to the almighty, to my parents, to my illustrious teachers, to sringeri sankaraachaarya, and the great musicians of the 20th century who gave me opportunities to come up the ladder of name and fame in this field”.
Sivaraman was studious during the concert and naughty afterwards. During the valedictory address Anoor Ananthakrishna Sharma (Shivu) remarked that Sivaraman was 19 years old and would play the instrument for a 5 hour concert next year. Sivaraman laughed and quipped “ask my wife!” He looked free. He was playful.
Most musicians follow a bell shaped curve in their career. They get better during the early part of their career and then decline after a certain age. Some rare artistes blossom very late in their lives while some unfortunate artistes start on a high note but never scale those heights again. Only a few we know follow the path of a musical instrument and get better and better as they get older and they stay…
ಯಾವುದೇ ಕಾರ್ಯ ಕ್ಷೇತ್ರದಲ್ಲಿ ಹಿಮಾಲಯದ ಎತ್ತರಕ್ಕೆ ನಿಲ್ಲುವ ಮಹಾನ್ ವ್ಯಕಿತ್ವ, ಪ್ರತಿಭೆಗಳು ಒಂದು ಶತಮಾನದಲ್ಲಿ ನಾಲ್ಕೈದು ಮಂದಿ ಸಿಕ್ಕರೆ ಹೆಚ್ಚು. ಕರ್ನಾಟಕ ಶಾಸ್ತ್ರೀಯ ಸಂಗೀತದಲ್ಲಿ ಅಂತಹ ಎತ್ತರಕ್ಕೆ ಸಂದವರಲ್ಲಿ ಒಬ್ಬರು ವಿದ್ವಾನ್ ಆರ್ ಕೆ ಶ್ರೀಕಂಠನ್. ಕಳೆದ ತಿಂಗಳು ಅವರ ನಿಧನದ ಸುದ್ದಿ ತಿಳಿದ ಮೇಲೆ ಅವರ ಬಗ್ಗೆ ಪತ್ರಿಕೆಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಬೇಕಾದಷ್ಟು ಬಂತು. ಅವರ ಶಿಷ್ಯ ಸಮುದಾಯ ಅವರಿಗೆ ಭಾವಪೂರ್ಣ ಶ್ರದ್ಧಾಂಜಲಿಯನ್ನು ಅರ್ಪಿಸಿದ್ದೂ ಆಯಿತು. ಆದ ಕಾರಣ ನಾನು ಅವರ ಬಗ್ಗೆ ಇಲ್ಲಿ ಹೆಚ್ಚು ವಿವರವಾಗಿ ಬರೆಯುವ ಅಗತ್ಯವಿಲ್ಲ. ನನ್ನ ಉದ್ದೇಶ ಅದಲ್ಲ. ನನ್ನ ಕೌತುಕಕ್ಕೆ ಕಾರಣ ಅವರ ವಿದ್ವತ್ತಲ್ಲ. ಅವರ ಇಂಗದ ಹಸಿವು. ಅದನ್ನು ಆಸೆಯೆಂದೂ ಕರೆಯಬಹುದೇನೋ. ಆ ಹಸಿವು ಇದ್ದಿದ್ದರಿಂದಲೇ ಅವರು ಆ ಎತ್ತರೆಕ್ಕೆ ಬೆಳೆದರು ಎಂಬುದು ಒಪ್ಪಬೇಕಾದ ವಿಚಾರ. ಅಷ್ಟು ಎತ್ತರಕ್ಕೆ ಹೋದ ಮೇಲೂ ಅಂಥ ಸಾಧಕರಿಗೆ ಇನ್ನೂ ಎತ್ತರಕ್ಕೆ ಬೆಳೆಯಬೇಕೆಂಬ ಹಂಬಲ ಇರುತ್ತದಲ್ಲಾ? ಅದು ಹೇಗೆ ಸಾಧ್ಯ? ಮನುಷ್ಯನಿಗೆ ಒಂದು ವಯಸ್ಸಾದ ಮೇಲೆ, ಆತ ಯಾವುದೇ ಸಾಧನೆ ಮಾಡಿದ್ದರೆ ಅದರ ಬಗ್ಗೆ ಸಮಾಜ ತೋರುವ ಅಕ್ಕರೆ ಮತ್ತು ಕೃತಜ್ಞತೆಯಿಂದ ಬಹಳಷ್ಟು ಬಾರಿ ಆ ಸಾಧನೆ ಅಲ್ಲಿಗೇ ತೃಪ್ತಿ ಹೊಂದುವುದೂ ಸಹಜ. ಅಂತಹ ತೃಪ್ತಿಗೆ ಅವಕಾಶವಿದ್ದಾಗ್ಯೂ ಅದಕ್ಕೆ ಸೋಲದೇ ಇರುವುದು ಹೇಗೆ?
ಕರ್ನಾಟಕ ಶಾಸ್ತ್ರೀಯ ಸಂಗೀತದಲ್ಲಿ ದೊಡ್ಡ ಹೆಸರು ಗಳಿಸಿದ ಮೇಲೂ, ವಯಸ್ಸು ೮೦ ದಾಟಿದರೂ ಯಾವ ಸಣ್ಣ ಸಂಗೀತ ಸಭೆ ಕಛೇರಿ ಏರ್ಪಡಿಸಿ ಕರೆದರೂ ಶ್ರದ್ಧೆಯಿಂದ ಕಾರ್ಯಕ್ರಮ ನಡೆಸಿಕೊಡುತ್ತಿದ್ದವರು ವಿದ್ವಾನ್ ಆರ್ ಕೆ ಶ್ರೀಕಂಠನ್. ಬೆಂಗಳೂರಿನ ಒಂದು ಹಳೆ ಬಡಾವಣೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ೬೦ ವರ್ಷಗಳಿಂದ ವಾರ್ಷಿಕ ತ್ಯಾಗರಾಜ, ಪುರಂದರ ಮತ್ತು ಕನಕ ದಾಸರ ಆರಾಧನೆಯನ್ನು ನಡೆಸುತ್ತಿರುವ ಸಣ್ಣ ಸಂಗೀತ ಸಭೆಯೊಂದಿದೆ. ಆ ಅರವತ್ತು ವರ್ಷಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಸುಮಾರು ನಾಲ್ವತ್ತು ವರ್ಷಗಳು ಒಮ್ಮೆಯೂ ತಪ್ಪಿಸದೇ ಕಛೇರಿ ನಡೆಸಿಕೊಟ್ಟಿದ್ದ ಹೆಗ್ಗಳಿಕೆ ಆರ್ಕೆಶ್ರೀ ಅವರದ್ದು. ಕಾರ್ಯಕ್ರಮಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಜಮಖಾನ ಹಾಕುವ, ಕಲಾವಿದರು ಬಂದಾಗ ಅವರ ವಾದ್ಯಗಳನ್ನು ವೇದಿಕೆಗೆ ಹೊತ್ತೊಯ್ಯುವ, ಧ್ವನಿವರ್ಧಕದವರಿಗೆ ಕಾಫಿ-ಟೀ ಒದಗುಸಿವ ಕೆಲಸ ನೋಡಿಕೊಳ್ಳುತ್ತಿದ ಪ್ರಾಥಮಿಕ ಶಾಲೆಯ ಹುಡುಗನಾಗಿದ್ದ ನನಗೆ ೧೯೯೦ ರ ದಶಕದಲ್ಲಿ ಸುಮಾರು ಹತ್ತು ವರ್ಷಗಳ ಕಾಲ ಪ್ರತಿ ವರ್ಷವೂ ತಪ್ಪದೆ ಒಮ್ಮೆ ಆರ್ ಕೆ ಶ್ರೀಕಂಠನ್ ಅವರನ್ನು ಹತ್ತಿರದಿಂದ ಕಾಣುವ ಅವಕಾಶ ಸಿಕ್ಕಿತ್ತು. ಆ ದೊಡ್ಡ ಹೆಸರು ನಮ್ಮ ಅರಳಿಕಟ್ಟೆಯ ದೇವಸ್ಥಾನದ ಸಣ್ಣ ವೇದಿಕೆಯ ಬಗ್ಗೆ ತೋರಿಸುತ್ತಿದ್ದ ಅಭಿಮಾನ ಅವರಲ್ಲಿ ನನಗೆ ಬೆಳೆದ ವಿಶೇಷ ಅಭಿಮಾನಕ್ಕೆ ಕಾರಣವಾಯ್ತು.
ನಾನು ಆರ್ಕೆಶ್ರೀ ಅವರ ಸಂದರ್ಶನಗಳಲ್ಯಾವುವಾದರೂ ಸಿಗುತ್ತವೇನೋ ಎಂದು ಅಂತರ್ಜಾಲದಲ್ಲಿ ಹುಡುಕುತ್ತಿದ್ದಾಗ ಸೆಮ್ಮಂಗುಡಿ ಶ್ರೀನಿವಾಸ ಅಯ್ಯರ್ ಅವರು ಫ್ರಂಟ್-ಲೈನ್ ಪಾಕ್ಷಿಕ ಪತ್ರಿಕೆಗೆ ೧೯೯೮ ರಲ್ಲಿ ನೀಡಿದ್ದ ಸಂದರ್ಶನ ಸಿಕ್ಕಿತು. ಆ ದೀರ್ಘ ಮಾತುಕತೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ಸೆಮ್ಮಂಗುಡಿ ಅವರು “ಅಕಸ್ಮಾತ್ ಇನ್ನೊಂದು ಜನ್ಮ ಇದ್ದರೆ ನಾನು ಅರಿಯಾಕ್ಕುಡಿ ಅವರಂತೆ ಹಾಡಬೇಕು” ಎಂದಿರುವುದು ದಾಖಲಾಗಿದೆ. ಅದನ್ನು ಓದಿದ ನನಗೆ ನನ್ನ ಮೃದಂಗದ ಗುರುಗಳು ಹೇಳಿದ್ದ ಸಂಗತಿಯೊಂದು ಜ್ಞಾಪಕಕ್ಕೆ ಬಂತು. ಅವರು ಪಾಠ ಮಾಡುವಾಗ ಯಾವುದೋ ಕಾರಣಕ್ಕೆ ಆರ್ಕೆಶ್ರೀ ಅವರ ಪ್ರಸ್ತಾಪ ಬಂತು. ಆರ್ಕೆಶ್ರೀ ಅವರಿಗೆ ಇಳಿ ವಯಸ್ಸಿನಲ್ಲಿ ಹೃದಯ ಶಸ್ತ್ರ ಚಿಕಿತ್ಸೆ ಆದ ಮೇಲೆ ಅವರ ಸಂಗೀತದ ಶುದ್ಧಿ ಹೇಗೆ ಇನ್ನಷ್ಟು ದೈವತ್ವವನ್ನು ಪಡೆದಂತಾಗಿದೆಯಲ್ಲ ಎಂದು ನನ್ನ ಗುರುಗಳು ಗೌರವಪೂರ್ಣ ಆಶ್ಚರ್ಯ ವ್ಯಕ್ತ ಪಡಿಸುತ್ತಾ ಘಟನೆಯೊಂದನ್ನು ನೆನಪಿಸಿಕೊಂಡರು. ಗುರುಗಳ ಸ್ನೇಹಿತರೊಬ್ಬರು ಆರ್ಕೆಶ್ರೀ ಅವರನ್ನು ನೋಡಲು ಅವರ ಮನೆಗೆ ಹೋಗಿದ್ದಾಗ ಆರ್ಕೆಶ್ರೀ ಅವರ ಓದಿನ ಕೋಣೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ಅರಿಯಾಕ್ಕುಡಿ ರಾಮಾನುಜ ಅಯ್ಯಂಗಾರ್ಯರ ಛಾಯಾಚಿತ್ರವೊಂದಿತ್ತಂತೆ. ಅದನ್ನು ತೋರಿಸಿ ಆರ್ಕೆಶ್ರೀ “ನನಗೆ ಇನ್ನೊಂದು ಜನ್ಮ ಅಂತ ಏನಾದರೂ ಇದ್ದರೆ ಅರಿಯಾಕ್ಕುಡಿ ಅವರಂತೆ ಹಾಡಬೇಕೆಂಬ ಹಂಬಲವಿದೆ” ಎಂದಿದ್ದರಂತೆ.
ಒಬ್ಬ ದೊಡ್ಡ ಸಾಧಕನಾದ ಮೇಲೆ ಕಲಾವಿದನಿಗೆ ಗುರುಸ್ಥಾನ ಪ್ರಾಪ್ತಿಯಾಗುತ್ತದೆ. ಆದರೆ ಗುರುಸ್ಥಾನಕ್ಕೆ ಯೋಗ್ಯವಾದ ನಡವಳಿಕೆ ಎಲ್ಲರಲ್ಲೂ ಕಂಡುಬರುವುದಿಲ್ಲ. ಆದರೆ ಸೆಮ್ಮಂಗುಡಿ ಮತ್ತು ಆರ್ಕೆಶ್ರೀ ಅಂಥವರು ನಿಜವಾಗಿಯೂ ಗುರುಸದೃಶರಾಗುತ್ತಾರೆ. ಅವರು ತಮ್ಮೊಳಗಿನ ಶಿಷ್ಯನನ್ನು ಕಡೆಯವರೆಗೂ ಎಚ್ಚರವಾಗಿರಿಸಿದ್ದೂ ಅದಕ್ಕೆ ಕಾರಣ. ಪರ್ವತಗಳಿಗೂ ಎತ್ತರಕ್ಕೇರುವ ಆಸೆ ಇದ್ದೇ ಇರುತ್ತದೆ. ಹಿಮಾಲಯವು ಇನ್ನೂ ಬೆಳೆಯುತ್ತಲೇ ಇದೆಯಲ್ಲ…
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everlasting hunger
It is true that most people have an intention to do better than ‘just okay’ in whatever they do in their lives. However, only a handful of people scale the heights of Himalayas (figuratively) in their chosen field. In the last century one might find a handful of Carnatic musicians who fulfil the stringent criteria for greatness. One of them was Vid R K Srikantan (1920-2014), who passed way last month at the age of 94. Many touching tributes were published in newspapers. I do not have to repeat his biography here. My interest in RKS the person and musician is not due to his towering accomplishment in music rather it was due to my fascination towards his unfathomable hunger. No doubt that his hunger for knowledge and success drove him to the heights that he scaled. But, often we have seen how all the love and adoration from the artiste’s peers and the society at large would breed an urge to rest, especially after a person crosses a certain age. People like RKS do not do that. What could be the secret of their recipe?
Even after becoming star name in Carnatic music, even after becoming an octogenarian, R K Srikantan continued to honour his long standing relationship with small-town music societies all across Karnataka. He did not say no to a concert. I had the good fortune meeting him once every year during his annual concert (in the 1990s) at an old music sabha in sub-urban Bangalore.
I was searching for a transcript of an interview of R K Srikantan that was telecast on Doordarshan around 10 years ago. I came across an interview of Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer (1908-2009) published in the magazine Frontline in 1998. In that interview Semmangudi had said that if he were to reborn as a human being, he wished he could sing like Ariyakudi Ramanuja Iyengar (1890-1974). After reading that I recollected an incident my mridanga teacher had shared with me some years ago. My teacher had told me about a friend of his who had gone to visit R K Srikantan at his home. In his living room RKS had a photograph of Ariyakudi. Pointing to the photo RKS had reportedly said that if he had another chance (afterlife) to become a musician he wished to sing like Ariyakudi.
An artiste after doing the hard-yards and reaching a certain stage in his/her pursuit automatically obtains the authority of a teacher in his/her field. However, not all possess and display the qualities befitting of a teacher. Genuinely great teachers will always aspire to get better and keep the student within them alive. The Himalaya could be the highest mountain range in the world but it is still growing.
* “ಅಬ್ಧಿಯುಂ ಒರ್ಮೆ ಕಾಲವಶದಿಂ ಮರ್ಯಾದೆಯಂ ದಾಂಟದೇ” Swayed by time, even the ocean could lose its dignity -Nagachandra (a Kannada poet of the Hoysala Period, 12th century AD)After sharing this with all of you, I feel as though I am struggling. I think I am trying to give myself a chance to struggle through the struggle of my childhood star fighting the odds. Let me allow my struggle. To each their own struggle.
This is not about cricket. This is about a man who bats at number 4 for India in test cricket. “ಅಬ್ಧಿಯುಂ ಒರ್ಮೆ ಕಾಲವಶದಿಂ ಫ಼ಾರ್ಮ್ ಕಳೆದುಕೊಳ್ಳದೇ”*
Should I issue a blank page obituary of test cricket in India? These are gloomy hours as Indian cricket team goes through a torrid time at home against England (after a zero-eight humiliation abroad, see Four-Nil). I am trying hard not to get bogged down by what merely is a game. Some believe that it is a stupid game, a colonial hangover that has made many like me waste precious youthful hours of our life time following it.
I give a selection of my comments in reaction to various people some of whom have been implicitly asking Sachin Tendulkar to retire from cricket since the World cup last year.
@ all Tendulkar critics…(some time after the Australia tour of India earlier this year…there was a lot of banter on cricinfo’s commentary section especially by non-Indians)
…He is one of the greatest ever and most of you cannot stand that fact because he does not allow other players (from other countries) to come even close… Those of you who are craving for team players do not understand cricket. I agree that the 100th hundred (although it is meaningless) is weighing heavily on Tendulkar. You should remember that he is not the only batsman who has to bat for India. He has carried the mantle for 15 years (leaving first 6 years where he was still the junior in the team) and he is still the best in the business.
@ Mukul Kesavan (Cricket Historian writing in the Telegraph), Tendulkar’s twilight, 8/4/2012
…I started reading your article by nodding (top down) after I saw the title and the two liner. I agree that Tendulkar’s press conferences and the celebrations by obscure corporates did not represent any of the real Tendulkar phenomena we have known over the years. However, your entire argument seem to stand on meaningless numbers, which are at best partial indicators. Dravid would have retired from international cricket even if had scored 8 centuries in 8 innings against Australia. His average might have been 47 since England but his form in Australia suggested that (and in his mind) he was averaging below 4.7 (not 47). Cricketers only survive on averages and they triumph only when they are in form. While an avg of 33 does not fit Tendulkar’s bill, his form has been sublime. In his press conferences Tendulkar tended to be pompous at times but as the cliche goes we should give him some benefit of the doubt since he is a (the) batsman…
@ Harsha Bhogle (One of the finest cricket commentators and he is not an unfair critic of Tendulkar), Tendulkar and the burden of the 100th, 23/03/2012
There is no doubt Harsha, for us, the Indians an individual’s achievement is far greater than that of a team. It is in the sense part of our DNA, hence in RNA and also in proteins, if you like. If a gene for individualism exists it is double dominant in an Indian genome. It is always expressed and in large quantities. We should celebrate the fact that we respect individuals and sometimes it is at the cost of the collective. I don’t think it is a bad thing because greatest individual achievers have a lot of memetic value (which is not quantifiable) and it helps the society in the long run. You, as an admirer of some ‘good’ aspects of the West, tend to ponder over these things a lot more than an average Indian, who is consumed by his worshipping insticts almost all the time. We are argumentative (as Prof Sen says) and we are eternal worshippers of talent (you rate work ethic more). It is a costly and inefficient business model (I am no MBA) and it will continue to survive in India.
I just want to make one point. Reading Harsha say “While we don’t yet know…Sachin Tendulkar (1001 runs in his last 14 Tests at 40) and…his future”, for a moment I thought Harsha was referring to Tendulkar’s age. He will be 40 come April 2013. Then I checked the link and saw that his batting average off late has been 40. It is ironical how numbers show up in cricket. No other game has this character. All said and done, Tendulkar has to carry on until South Africa 2013 and then he (and only he) can take a call.
@ an Australian journalist who was not so chuffed for Tendulkar receiving the Australian honour (Nov 2012)
While I agree partly with the proposition that honouring Tendulkar amounts to political pragmatism, the author has succumbed to his ill-conceived bias against the Tendulkar testimony during the “Monkey gate” (‘maa ki’ to be precise). Australian cricketers are no saints. Aussie commentators and critics can’t be touchy about these matters. One woeful test match doesn’t mean that all the cricket that has been played between the two great cricketing nations need to be worthless and that is why Tendulkar’s contribution cannot be narrowed down to specifics. When Tendulkar bats for India, a whole nation prays for him. By honouring him, Australia has honoured the aspirations of 1.2 billion people. When he plays against Australia, he puts Australia on the map vis a vis India. He is not bigger than a nation, but he does symbolize a lot of good things for most Indians. The author is right in recognizing the political wisdom in honouring Tendulkar but the rest of his article is just hand-waving.
@ Satish Acharya, the resident cartoonist on espncricinfo (sometime last month)
…Singling Tendulkar out and blaming every failure of this dismal Indian team on his shortcomings shows a pervert mindset. As much as we (the majority of Indians) like to love Tendulkar, there are a handful of noisy people who are part of cottage industry and want to run him down. Tendulkar symbolises success and personal triumph and he is still the last man standing for India. When Tendulkar fails, many of those who are criticizing him today feel their own below average/empty achievements in their bones. They can’t handle failure. Tendulkar can. You will see. Sidharth Monga (on espncricinfo) in his article said it right. Let us allow (who are we?) Tendulkar his struggle. He might be 40 but still he is the best batsman in that Indian line up.
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I applaud Bishan Singh Bedi (former left arm spinner) who disqualified himself from talking about Tendulkar’s retirement saying that he had not played 150 test matches. I have learnt to sympathise with players when the team as a whole fails. When some of the so called experts and the worst cricket commentators (many not even qualified to talk about garden cricket) are screaming for Tendulkar’s retirement, I for one still believe that Tendulkar has a lot left in him. Many would not care about what an unimportant person has to say. They would certainly dismiss my opinion saying that I live in cuckoo land and that I am in denial. Let them say so. Indian team has many dispensable players and Tendulkar is not one of them. His presence matters. The team is failing and because of that Tendulkar’s failures are glaring everyone in the face. Because he is so big, his lack of form has been overshadowing every other failure of gigantic proportions. If anyone wants to say something about Tendulkar, they can only do so as a fan and not as some “expert”. When the time is right, Tendulkar will know.
After sharing this with all of you, I feel as though I am struggling. I think I am trying to give myself a chance to struggle through the struggle of my childhood star fighting the odds. Let me allow my struggle.To each their own struggle.
About eight years ago, as part of one my first ever attempts to speak publicly in English during a college ceremony, I had talked for about ten minutes on a lesson in my English short prose textbook. It was a short story by R. K. Laxman, the creator of the omnipresent common man cartoon character. In that story, RKL had talked about how he felt very old when he visited a foreign country because he was from an ancient Indian civilization. I did not know then that I would remember that short story for a long time to come.
About a year ago when I left India towards a western country, on my way I had become a few hours younger because the western world lived in a different time zone. Unlike RKL, I believed that although India had a history of >3000 years (in books), it was caught in its contemporary history, waffling incessantly on what went wrong yesterday and the day before. Hence, in my book it was not as old as it could have been.
Now, I look forward (eastward) to travelling back to India definitely a year older than I was. The trickiest part is the fact that I will be older by a few hours I had left behind one year ago. It makes me wonder where India actually stands.
It is said that romanticizing India is a really enjoyable pass-time activity for many Indians. There are equal if not more number of Indians who bash India during their coffee break every day. I think there are many things real about India than there are worthy of either romanticizing or bashing. I look forward to that real part when I go back. I am pretty much sure now that I need to find it out in those hours, the hours I had lost.
Many developed countries in the world are now facing a race with time (not against it). The ever-developing countries are relatively young and have different problems that come with a young population. However, a young headache is considered better than an old one.
Queen Elizabeth II symbolizes an ageing developed world. She represents a generation that has grown old in a developed world, when most of the developing world has grown young. We will not go on the line of argument that she has been one of the privileged to have aged gracefully in a difficult world. We are just looking at her as a woman who has become old over the years.
The Queen’s generation also represents the biggest group of pensioners, retired public servants, old-age benefit seekers and the group that needs constant access to health services. Although this profile can describe any greying population, a shortage of younger population which can take care of the elderly is a serious concern, which bothers only the developed world. It so happens that most people in developed world also believe (more or less) in independent living from an early age, which can make them more vulnerable in their twilight years. Because of their evolved life styles, now a situation has come in which the governments have to provide for both care for the elderly as well as incentives for fertility. It appears that a life that is ‘too proud’ to go back to a shared living may be the reason behind this problem. The shortage of younger people is just a symptom.
Now, have a look at the images I have clicked of the Queen embossed on coins since the 1970s. I have deliberately chosen the backgrounds. Click on the image to see an enlarged version.
An Ageing Queen
It is refreshing to see these coins keeping up with time and updating their images once in every ten years or so. You can also see the emphasis on the detail. The ability of a typical western civilization to see any element in detail is tremendous. However, in that process it compromises continuity and fails to see any problem in its entirety. It knows that the problem is here to stay. It remembers the past but struggles (often fails) to draw important conclusions from it to understand the present and decide a future.
In India, coins and currency notes have had dead and old politicians, endangered wild life, and an old ‘n’ stuck Mahatma Gandhi’s picture on them as long as I can remember. Because of either economic reasons or our lifestyle that has evolved in a different direction, we are aware of better ways to deal with age. Perhaps, it is also important to remember that we learned it long ago. Learning from the past is different from remembering what we have learnt in the past.
ಕಣ್ಠೀರವ CanTHeeRava 