Saraca asoca

Last night, as I lay waiting for sleep, I envisioned how this blog would start a spectacular chain of events, leading to a great writing career for myself. Among the many things which came up as part of this grand plan was to have a post on Delhi, titled "The Ashoka Tree"! Such an imposing name for a tree, Ashoka. Like Ashoka the Great, surely Ashoka the Tree must also be as regal in its stature. And I was certain that this tree was all over Lutyens' Delhi, flanking its wide roads, left, right and center, with great dignity and poise. In short, it would make for an enlightening post! With such giddy thoughts, I slept.

The day went by with much success, if you choose to see the glass as not empty. Finding myself to be quite content with the response to my debut post, I sat down to revive Lutyens' Delhi. To my horror, this is how Ashoka the Tree actually looks like: Saraca asoca

All my dreams came tumbling down - the "sorrow-less" tree brought me great sorrow...

I've always known that I know very little about Delhi, but this was quite embarrassing. It is fair to assume that all this involved a lot of wishful thinking on my part: a great name becomes a great tree: rising high, reaching far and wide, provides shade and shelter to one and all, would become an icon for Delhi and Delhiites' largeheartedness. But as much as we wish for things to appear in a particular way, things are as they are. The Ashoka tree is, to quote wiki, "a very handsome, tall, erect, evergreen tree", which is fast becoming rare.

Good things come in all shapes and sizes, and sometimes, a reality check on one's ignorance and prejudices is also quite necessary. :)

p.s. It also struck me as I ventured to write about trees, as to how little I am aware of them. In fact, I had walked past the Ashoka so many times in campus without ever wanting to know/remember what it was called. My theory is that I think I lack the connection with them: to stand back and appreciate their structure, the texture of the bark, the shape of the leaves. I respect them for all that they do to make the earth livable, but their identities just never get registered in my head. It is also strange, and quite correlated too, that I often recollect the fact that the same trees which produce oxygen and absorb carbon dioxide, reverse the process at night - not the most pleasant thing to keep in mind about trees, eh?

p.p.s. Another thing that I realized is that I have a bad memory for colours, shapes and sizes. Try this for instance: close your eyes and try to gauge from memory the colours of the things around you: the wall, the suitcase in front of you, the cushion lying next to you, the frame of the spectacles you wear...

p.p.p.s. I am not exactly sure how writing a blog helps to do research, but there is always hope.

"He was the last man to walk out of the training, head up, eyes on the ground in front of him."

I love cricket. I haven't played much since high school, but that has not ebbed down my association with the game. Soccer might be "the beautiful game", but for a billion-strong nation mad up about cricket, there has to be something about it. It is hard not to get fascinated by its characters - not just the players, but the coaches, umpires, officials, organizers, curators, commentators, and not the least of all, its audience. Sometimes, even its inanimate aspects capture your imagination more than the game itself! (Take this, for instance.)

And I love reading about cricket, much more than watching the game itself. For example, I don't think I can imagine cricket without Cricinfo. It never ceases to amaze me how prolific their writers are. To keep coming up with articles day-in day-out, within hours of each match, and even when there wasn't one! It is often said that sport mimics life, but this statement is largely realized and heightened with the help of the written word (and of course, images like this one). Take for instance, Ricky Ponting's current slump in form:

Ricky Ponting v Ricky Ponting This is a battle with the self. The struggle is within Ponting. Probably it is also the ego - the Indian fast bowlers will pitch it short as soon as the Australian captain walks in. Trust Ponting to go for the pull or the hook. So far this World Cup, Ponting has not made any noise except when talking to the match officials. He says he is trying to spend time at the crease. But he is trying too hard. If he can start enjoying batting at the moment, he might find his way back.

(source: http://www.espncricinfo.com/icc_cricket_worldcup2011/content/current/story/507671.html)

"Battle with the self", "trying too hard", "can start enjoying" - don't these words resonate with you?! Sure, all sports creates such stories, but maybe it is the same slowness of the game (where else will you get as much time to focus on the captain's frowning forehead), coupled with the exaggeration of action (the wild swing of the bat, the-oh-so-close-to-the-edge ball), which magnifies these battles. But to have a resource which oh-so-often reminds us of the life-like nature of the game is a real treat for any romantic (and also for people looking to get away from the trivialities of life, like yours truly). Thanks Cricinfo!

In less than an hour's time, India v Australia shall be underway. The fact that it could either be Ponting's or Sachin Tendulkar's last World Cup match is well documented, but the championship also signals the end of a successful tenure for India's cricket coach, Gary Kirsten. Such behind-the-scenes people make for great stories. Sachin is sure to get a tear-jerking farewell whenever he decides to hang up his boots, but wouldn't be it be a great moment if the team could present its coach with a nice parting gift!

But then, there might be other tales waiting to be narrated: "Ponting conquers himself", "India avenges 2003's loss", "Sachin's 100th", "Bhajji: Australia's nemesis yet again", "Hussey proves why he was worth the wait"...oh so many stories, oh so many stories... :)

p.s. For the title of the post, please refer to : "In the nets with Gary"

p.p.s. Other recommended cricket readings: "A Corner of a Foreign Field" and "The States of Indian Cricket" by Ramachandra Guha, John Wright's "Indian Summers" (co-authored by Sharda Ugra and Paul Thomas)

p.p.p.s. As a good friend just pointed out to me, the content does look a lot like a Cricinfo ad campaign. While it wasn't intended to be that way, it is only fair that I kick-start my writing endeavours by acknowledging one of my biggest time sinks. :)