A contender or pretender?

'And all should cry, Beware ! Beware !
His flashing eyes, his floating hair !
And close your eyes with holy dread,
For he on honey-dew hath fed,
And drunk the milk of Paradise.'

The rise of Roger Federer threatens my reality.... I never believed that within three years of Sampras' retirement, people would be heralding the arrival of a new King of Tennis. It began with the horrifying winning streak and the breath-taking tennis Federer has a habit of playing. Non Sampras lovers first joined the camp, declaring that he was the best they had ever seen. With every grand slam victory, the Sampras faithful were crossing over, believing rather unwillingly that the Swiss devil surpassed all limits previously imposed upon tennis legends. The worst blow came in the form of a tribute from Agassi. “Federer is the best I have ever played”, said he, shattering all the illusions I’d built up of the phenomenon being nothing more than a short-lived quirk of reality. Some of the resolute old faithful claimed that the statement, coming in the aftermath of a long rivalry between Sampras and himself, could not be held up as heart-felt. Yet, the slightest doubt crept into my mind and I was curious to see still more of this Swiss brat. But as the adoring fan base grew, I found myself shying away from watching him… Out of disbelief; out of fear… Fear that anyone could replace the hero, the champion of my heart.
After spending long hours arguing with friends and family, I have gotten the fair to admit that Federer could never surpass Sampras at Wimbledon and that his opponents hardly hold a candle to Becker and Agassi at their prime, and the uncharitable to admit that it hasn’t been long enough to declare him better than the great man who won seven titles at Wimbledon. After that, I will be able to watch Federer with a fragile state of security but the anger and frustration never goes away. I am angry at his once adoring fans for finding a new idol; at his once respected rivals for the show of disrespect; at Federer, however unfair this may be for being a gentleman but most of all at God, for never giving Sampras a chance to get even after Wimbledon 2002…..

A reality check...

I've discovered quite a few things about my family and friends and myself following during the events following actress Kushboo's statements to a tamil magazine (newspaper) about the use of condoms as a means of preventing AIDS... They can be startlingly conservative and simply cannot stand the illusion of the perfectly conservative society being broken. They also believe that the keeping of that illusion is for the benefit of children of my age. I was left wondering if I was perhaps “evil” (not a proper decent Indian girl at any rate) for believing that it was perfectly alright for Kushboo to say those things. In fact I think it was beneficial to the people to have her say them, because, all said and done, I would prefer an India which was having safe sex and was AIDS-free rather than an India which has one of the highest percentage of AIDS victims but protests ignorance of existence of premarital sex and condoms.
I suppose the primary issue was her condoning premarital sex or rather openly acknowledging its existence. The whole thing is ridiculous- we all know it exists! Why on earth should she not say what’s on her mind? She did it with good intentions and not to malign TAMIL society… She didn’t even single out Tamil women so I can’t understand why we should take offence.
Even assuming her statements were meant to offend (which they weren’t), she should’ve been left alone because she has the right to say whatever she chooses. There was no call for banning her films, protesting against her and filing cases against her. Suhasini had a right to come to her defense but she has no right to declare herself representative of the Tamil community and apologize on their behalf. They have as much a right to voice their displeasure at Kushboo’s remarks as she has to make them. The whole thing has been blown out of proportion and every Tamilian party, the actors’ forum and celebrities have been unnecessarily dragged into it. It’s about time it stopped and it’s about time people learnt to accept reality or at least stop condemning those that aren’t afraid to accept it…

The Man Above....

Supposed to be studying for my 'Continuous Assessment Test' tomorrow but feeling inspired after reading blogs of fellow PSBBians. Johnny Cash’s ‘Burning Ring of Fire’ running in the background. (*not the Joaquin Phoenix cover*) Listening to more of the old timers these days. Bob Dylan, Johnny Cash etc. There’s something very honest and down to earth about their lyrics. Dylan’s very socially conscious as well- ‘Mr. Tambourine Man’, ‘Hurricane’ etc. Probably the only musician who managed to raise awareness through his music… Very special dude.
What do you do when you’re distracted; when you don’t want to be and because someone you don’t want to be distracted by? It happens to everyone. Some say, “Talk about it”. But that never works for me- I end up dreaming about the person… I end up thinking about the other person’s opinion about that person; about that person and me. Writing about it works sometimes. The best cure I’ve found though is God. In my mind’s eye, I throw myself at his feet. I guess it’s because I don’t have to apologize to God for anything I’m feeling. I merely ask for it all to be taken away. It works, I think because once I’ve told Krishna (to me God invariably takes the form of Krishna at least when I’m thinking about ‘love’) I kind give up responsibility for feeling everything I’m feeling. For those of you who suffer from the same ‘pangs of love’, try it next time…
Very weird? Religious? I guess I am…

Some answers to 'Life, Universe and Everything'....

"Forty-two!" yelled Loonquawl. "Is that all you've got to show for seven and a half million years' work?"
"I checked it very thoroughly," said the computer, "and that quite definitely is the answer. I think the problem, to be quite honest with you, is that you've never actually known what the question is."


Ever wonder exactly what you wanted in life? What you want out of life? Success is just so vague… I was talking to my friend, Vivek when he suddenly asked me that. I said “Love” instinctively but I’m not sure. Hell, love isn’t any less vague than success. I love my mom, I love my brothers and sister, I love my friends and I even love Physics, Math and books but I don’t think there’s anyone I’m “in love” with… If that’s what I was referring to, I would be surprised because that’s quite cliché – Ally Mcbealish almost. There are lots of things wrong with this ideal of “true love”. First is, does it exist…? Are there people out there who love one another –heart, body and soul, loving each other passionately in a way I can’t even describe because I haven’t experienced it? Are the stories in Georgette Heyer’s and Baroness Orczy’s novels anywhere close to real? (Most of the time I’m thinking, who am I kidding- of course not! But the romantic in me wins sometimes and I end up dreaming of Kabir (A Suitable Boy)/ Mr. Darcy(Pride and Prejudice)/Scarlet Pimpernel lifting me off my feet and carrying me off into the sunset…) Or is “true love” a slightly romanticized version of friendship, given a new look by adding physical attraction? Is it easy to find either? Do people really obsess over it as much as American sitcoms depict them as doing?
I know success for me isn’t about the money (which is basically success in the conventional sense). We’ve always lived happily; lavishly even with what my mom and dad say is a moderate income. Fame really is more trouble than its worth. Having recognition could be Success perhaps, but that isn’t the same as ‘fame’. A ‘well-rounded’ life? That never made sense to me. Most people really want only one or the other- monetary/career-based success or love. You’ve just got to get your priorities right.
So if it isn’t love or this weird and vague ‘success’ thing what really do we want in life…? I’m going to rule out Vivek’s answer here. ‘Moksha’ I don’t think would be a popular choice among the ‘common man’…
Happiness? Yes, that seemed to fit. Except it’s even vaguer than success! What does it mean? To me or to anyone? But I do think it covers it better. I guess to all of life’s “great” (don’t scoff!) questions we’re invariably left with questions that ask us to probe deeper into the self… “Know thyself” as the Pythia would say…