MS Dhoni : A man who represented vast majority of us.

 In my opinion, Indians are never neutral. We love to identify ourselves with teams, religion, caste, parties, sects, actors and the list goes on. Cricket has never been an exclusion. After all the most favorite sport in India, how could we stay neutral and enjoy the game without being biased? Dhoni came into Indian cricket when the cricketers of the 90s were reaching their retirement time. Also, that was the time when Yuvraj and Kaif were already into the system as successful recent additions. Keeping wickets was never a sought after thing in Indian cricket. How many of us love to keep wickets in our gully cricket. Gully cricket to me is a very sacred part of Indian cricket. I would say a POC[ Proof of Concept] of BCCI in large numbers that people love to use. 

Dhoni was a very very interesting player to watch out in the squad because of his vibrant batting style and his long hair look when we only had idolized Sachin, Dravid, Ganguly sporting such gentlemanly looks. Unorthodox shots attracted a lot of cricket fans. He was a new sensation. I still remember his explosive batting style. Of course, that also came as a youth package. 

Dhoni was a great representation of the Indian middle class, humble beginnings,tier2 cities, and a bag full of struggles. We love to celebrate such players and actors. Its often confused that leadership comes with seniority. But its a myth. Leadership needs a different set of nerves. Sachin was a great example to quit captaincy and to show that he wasn't meant to lead and he was only meant to score runs for himself :) It was an easy win for Dhoni to get captaincy than for Yuvraj. Yuvraj never had that composure even though he was a perfect blend of method and talent. Staying calm or rather Flaunting his composure and having an aggressive game strategy is one thing that Dhoni did in style and very very rare to find.

T20 world cup and 50 over world cup winning didn't make a difference to him as a captain and player. One of the finest qualities Dhoni possessed is to nurture young boys to come to limelight. Many cricketers like Raina, Jadeja who played along with him both in Indian Jersey and CSK's yellow jersey rose to this peak of fame because of Dhoni. Their careers to a great share is a tribute to MS Dhoni. The only time when I felt Dhoni's tactics should go wrong was in IPLs which was again very rare. The kind of adoration that CSK fans and people from Tamil Nadu have on Dhoni is unparalleled and never heard of. I am sure of one thing, people cant connect to Kohli like Dhoni for the reason that Kohli has been elite from Day1, and Kohli cant represents the vast majority of us. Having said everything I had on top of my mind I want to conclude by saying that I am just looking forward to that day when MSD gets back to the team as a coach. 

                                                            Miss you MSD.

ABCW : Anybody can Walk

Amidst lockdown, I was happily working out at home following cult.fit live sessions. By the end of April, I had noticed one thing apart from a good 1-hour workout, I wasn't moving much throughout the day and the obvious reason was clinging on to office work. Inspired by a couple of people in cult fraternity, I too wanted to cover 10K steps a day. I did a trial in the last week of April with my regular routine and I was surprised to find that my steps weren't crossing 2K steps a day unless I did a good dance session which was equivalent to 3K steps. But the story when we actually go to the office is different. Office spaces encourage us to move around. Cafeterias, Chai Breaks, Washrooms, Gossip Walks, Mobile 1 on 1s can keep us active the entire day. With the enforced Work From Home, I felt it was the need of the hour to keep myself active throughout the day else I was damn sure lethargy would hop onto me. That is when I set a goal of 300K/3Lakh steps to cover this entire month of May. So today on the 31st of May, I crossed 300K mark and I feel extremely happy.

I categorized my walks into the following categories
1. Retrospective Walks: These sessions of walks helped me understand where I stand in my life and how I could have handled my previous situations better. After all, what is life if you don't look back and learn.

2. Gossip Walks: I am no free from Gossiping! Walk sessions with school friends, neighbors, or phone calls with besties and talking about everything under the sun was super fun.

3. Knowledge Packed Walks: Yes at home after clearing my walkway, I used to take my kindle and keep reading and moving around which contributed to my walkathons.

4. Podcast Walks: For a couple of my walk sessions, I started listening to python podcast which also enhanced my perspective about my love for Python Programming language.

5. Bhagavad Geeta Walks: I started this in the last week of May. I found an amazing series of Gita on youtube which helped me walk with a calmer mind.  Sree Krishnarpana Masthu.

6. Office Meeting Walks: This was my favorite. For the office calls which didn't require my full attention or my laptops like AllHands or a certain type of meetings you don't present, I started taking the calls from my phone and cruised out to catch some walk.

7. Family Walks: Lockdown also helped me spend quality time together with my folks. Definitely, these walk sessions helped us unwind and helped us understand each other better.

8. Farm Walks: The Mango farm which is still in its nascent stages demands us(me and my dad) to visit at least twice a week. In a 4 acre farm, walking around monitoring and doing my bit to help my dad also helped me achieve my target in a super-duper healthy way.

My walking sessions were not limited to any one particular time of the day. These different types of walks were spread across the day. Weekdays with meetings were different and without meetings were different. Walks definitely helped me unwind, bust stress, and also burn some stubborn calories. Most importantly it kept me active which is what I wanted. I should also thank my sister for giving me Fastrack Reflex band which helped me track my steps.

ABCW: Anybody can Walk !! 

5 Things this lockdown has taught me

Here are the top 5 things this lockdown has taught me.

1. Family is everything: 
In my last few years, I had never stayed with my family for this long. It was due to my studies, my work I had to stay away from my parents. My parents stay in Kolar and I stay in Bangalore even though it's just a matter of 1.5 hours to commute between two places. Staying with the family has brought me a lot of happiness. Sometimes presence makes a huge difference. My parents have been very happy since all of us are under one roof.

2. Beware what you wish for:
I have seen a couple of people complaining about the boredom during this lockdown time. Those were the same people who used to love work from homes hated coming to offices. Now that God has given the opportunity to work from homes for as long as 2 to 3 months(hopefully) people should be grateful. But they are not. So I really feel people should be careful in wishing what they want. Do they really have it in them to have what they wish for?

3. You can live with basic needs. 
Needs and wants are two different aspects of life we have been entangled with. A lot of times wants have become needs. Like I want to watch a movie in the theater had become a need for me to unwind myself. But now that all such luxurious things are not there is the lockdown, I am pretty much satisfied with movies that Netflix/prime offers me. Many other wants like eating out in a fancy restaurant, road trips, cafes, etc are good to have but not necessary is what lockdown taught me.

4. You can learn pretty much anything on your own.
I have come to an understanding that as long as are having a good internet connection, there is nothing that you can't learn. Learning is super fun for me. In fact, I really look forward to learning new things. That is my high. Vedic mantras, Exercises, Coding, Technologies, Gardening, Cooking, Hacking and you name it you have everything at your fingertips. So I strongly recommend making use of this time to learn and upskill yourselves.

5. You can't really control what happens to you. 
I hate to say that I am a control freak. I always feel things and people around me should be in my control. That is one quality in me I am really fighting hard to get rid of. Probably this lockdown is teaching me that that lesson in a hard way. There are things happening in the world and society around me which I have no control over. I can't choose to go to the office because I want to. These sorts of lessons have surely calmed me down instead of driving me crazy.

Please share things that lockdown has taught you.

5 Things I have been doing in Lockdown

5 Things I have been doing to make use of this lockdown of the Corona pandemic.

1. Learn a Language:
They say learning language makes your brain active. I have been learning Spanish from a month and a half and I am using lockdown time to hone my skills. Not just I am learning, I have also made my wife, sister, neighbor kids to also learn. So I drop by them and happily say "Hola! Como Estas?"

2. Workout:
Since there are no more excuses like fighting traffic, sweaty gyms, uncomfortable trainers, one has to work out. In my earlier posts, I have mentioned the motivation factors for my workout. I am very motivated to come out of the lockdown period being very fit.

3. Chant VishnuSahasranama:
It takes around 25 mins to chant complete VishnuSahasranama. I started this recently and I am feeling very very good after chanting. After all, what are we without the divine power of God. So dedicating half hour in a day to the devotion of God is making me feel very good.

4. Automate:
In a year and a half, I have become very passionate about coding in python. The richness of libraries and easier syntax has made me love Python. I was always a C and C++ guy. But ever since I started coding in python, I can't think of any other better language. I have been automating my regular work with python so that I can carry out my work efficiently.

5. Gratitude:
I reinstalled my habit of expressing gratitude in the lockdown time. Expressing gratitude makes us feel good about people and things and reduce the negative feelings of people and things. Gratitude attracts more positivity in life. Being grateful is a great attitude to develop.
Example: "I am so thankful to God for waking me up alive and all my loved ones alive."

Let me know how you have been making use of the lockdown time.

5 Reasons to Watch Money Heist.

5 reasons why I love Money Heist:

1. Very Gripping:
I don't usually binge-watch any TV series. I always professed that its a sign of indiscipline. I had to binge-watch first 2 parts(seasons). There was no way out without watching for me, my wife and my sister. Such a very well written script. Not fair to compare with other serials but writers have done such a fabulous job.

2. Love of Spanish:
From the time I saw Narcos, I fell in love with the language. The fact that Spanish is the second most spoken language in the world made me love the language even more. The Puta, Mierda, Khabron were like Vedic chants for me. So that kept me going.

3. Emotional:
The very first episode of the first part(season) hints that this is going to be one hell of a crime thriller. They have brought in a lot of emotions like revenge, love, hatred, and situations indicating frustration, helplessness, a vulnerability in a beautiful way.

4. Twists:
What is a crime thriller without twists? Kudos to the screenplay. The way the series goes forward and backward in time without making people go bored is the key highlight. Just sufficient to keep up us hooked onto the couches is something Money Heist offers.

5. Calm and Composed Protagonist.
I have always fallen in love with movies or tv-series having a composed protagonist. I really look up to such characters in my life because I am not so composed. I really love the meticulous planning of the characters, the fallback plans, and the resiliency of the team.

5 Quotes which has Inspired me

Quotes are very powerful and sometimes a single quote can change the entire perspective of life.  Quotes may not necessarily be from a philosopher. Quotes from movies/web-series and books have also made a huge impact on me. Here are the 5 quotes which have inspired me.

1. Arise Awake and Stop not till the goal is reached - Swami Vivekananda

Probably I was 14 or 15 when I heard this quote for the first time.  Umpteen number of times this has uplifted me and every time I feel like quitting or stopping, I read this and ensure that I don't stop midway.

2. The nature of promise is that they remain immune to changing circumstances - House of Cards

A wonderful quote by the leading character Frank Underwood in TV series House of Cards.  This quote emphasizes on promises should not be taken lightly and one has to stick to the words made as a promise. This also stresses the point that before making a promise one should be very sure :) 

3. Mind needs books like swords need whetstones - Game of Thrones.

If you are a GoT fan, then I am sure you would also love Tyrion Lannister. The quote means that just like swords need whetstones to keep them sharp, the mind needs books(knowledge) to be sharp and powerful.

4. If you don't have time for exercise, then you should make time for illness - Robin Sharma

The first time I read this it hit me really hard. This quote is very deep and warns us very strongly that if the fitness regime is not a part of our lives, then surely we are going to develop some sort of illness later part in our lives. So better to stay fit and stay disease-free.

5. If you want something you've never had You must be willing to do something you've never done - Thomas Jefferson 

For all the people who rant that they don't have enough money or enough health or success, this quote tells to work harder or to do something differently which will lead to different results. Example: If I want 99% in the exams which I never had got in my life, then I must be willing to study like a topper which I have never studied. 

5 Forms of Workout For Beginners.

Here are the 5 forms of workout I really love to do. I recommend you start with any of these if you haven't already.
1. Dance:
Dancing is a very good form of cardio-based workout. The best part of dancing is we would actually not feel burdened by the term called "workout" instead we would enjoy the workout. We need to pick the right songs for the dance. Dancing helps in losing weight as well. There are many forms of dance-based workouts that would have music on. A few of them are Aerobics, Prowl(check cult website), Zumba, Dance fitness. If none suits you and none are available then a simple Tapanguchi dance would do the needful.

2. Yoga:
I am sure in some or other forms you must have been exposed to Yoga. Yoga is not just physical it bridges between our mental faculties and physical faculties. Synchronization between those two is very crucial for us. Yoga is a very effective form of workout for increasing the flexibility, range of motion and stretching. If you are not sure where to begin with then Suryanamaskaras must be a good start. You can follow this link to start with. There are multiple forms of yoga-like Power-Yoga, Hatha-Yoga, Vinyasa-Yoga, etc.

3. Walking/Running/Jogging:
Every one of us would have done this category of workouts. Of course, we walk, run or jog. But doing that consciously is what going to be considered a workout. So we can start with brisk walking for a kilometer. If you are not so tired, then increase the pace to slow jogging. After a while, you can rip and be another Usain bolt. These forms of workouts are good cardio workouts and will help us in losing weight.

4. Strength Training:
I am sure everyone would have heard this "If you stop strength training then you are gonna put on weight massively". I beg to differ because what will make one put on weight massively is their food habits. Of course, quitting any form of workout and not quitting overeating will make one increase weight. Strength training is to increase our strength by introducing some resistance in the movement. We can choose to do strength training without any fancy types of equipment. Instead of a simple squat, we can choose to hold a 2-liter water bottle and do a squat.

5. Sports:
I love being athletic. Any form of a sport like football, hockey, badminton, swimming will give a good workout to the body without your knowledge because you are too focused on winning the game. Of course, to play any game better, we need to pick other forms of a workout so that your body is conditioned.

As they say, the workout is just 30% of our fitness regime. Rest 70% is about what we eat, drink and how well we sleep. 

5 Reasons to Workout !

Here are the top 5 reasons why I work out regularly and you should also consider working out.

1. Health:
A famous proverb says "Health is wealth". There is also this saying by Robin Sharma in the book "Who will cry when you die", If you don't have time for exercise, then you will have to make time for illness. The primary reason for us to work out and being fit should be to keep our health in top-notch condition. I go by the saying "Staying healthy is cool!"

2. Mobility:
Everybody now has a mobile phone. But is everyone mobile? Mobility in simple terms is the ability to move our body around freely with ease. Having good mobility in our joints and body will help us move around easily and help us carry our daily activities in a hassle-free manner.

3. Challenges:
Exercising throws up new challenges to our body and mind. I personally love challenges and solving problems. These challenges will help us unlock our potential and gives an opportunity for new us to emerge. Each time I hold a plank for 20 secs more than the previous time I raise my bar.

4.Good Looks:
The way you look is directly proportional to the way people perceive you. Your confidence levels boost up when you look good in the mirror. Everybody loves to fit into that short dress or a size smaller. Working out regularly will definitely make us look good.

5. Sound Mind:
A sound mind lives in a sound body. None can deny the power of the sound mind in our lives. To be able to perform better at our work, to be able to stay calm and composed we need a sound mind. I am sure with a regular fitness regime we will be able to develop a stronger mind to take on this world.

I am just hoping that you integrate any kind of fitness regime into your lives and make your lives awesome.