Close Encounters

They probably change the dynamics of an equation. Miandad's last ball six off Chetan Sharma led to a prolonged period of Pakistani superiority over India - especially at Sharjah. It probably took a 5 over 55 run blast in South Africa by Sachin and Sehwag to overturn that equation.

The 326 chase at Lords was probably the basis for the great Indian run at the 2003 WC before Ponting washed us out (If you ask me, it was that first over from Zaheer that probably sealed the match). India went to the Windies looking to rout them 5-0 in the ODIs, we won the first - lost the second by a run and then failed to fire. Again a close encounter that changed the dynamics.

Its the close encounters that leave one shattered or on top of the world. Its one thing losing by a fair margin - its quite another when you have put in your all to win it and then fall short at the post - you probably start thinking that well if i cant win inspite of coming thus close - then life is a fight. The winner thinks - ah! if I could pull that off - then well i an pull anything off. And thats where the whole dynamics take a turn.

Champions however are created in that moment. Its when the team/person on the losing side of a closing encounter shrugs it off and looks at it as an abberation which deserves to be forgotten rather than a huge event, its that moment that the champion is created. Its the belief that matters and its the ability to face the low that counts.

I am hoping that the 4-1 loss against Windies will be treated just that way by the Indians and we will be on our winning cartwagon soon enough.

As for close encounters - i guess they build character

Generalisations

This Post is a wild generalisation based on my experience with gujjus in gujjuland. Ofcourse this is where you insert standard disclaimers.

Almost all people here consume some form of tobbacco - take your pick from gutkha, paan, maava, beedis or cigs and you are sure to find one form at the very least with any gujju worth his salt. Ofcourse, the first three varieties are more popular - which ensures that everyone gets enough and more opportunities to spit on the road. This then makes, watching ur step very important as you never know when an unintended spit missile may just land on a clean pair of trousers. This event becomes even more plausible when you are getting out of a shuttle-auto (which incidentally runs on kerosene - 20 bucks cheaper a litre as opposed to petrol). Both the shuttle stopping at the side of the road and the spitting are sudden acts and one never knows when the clean trouser and missile might just collide. Thankfully i havent been at the wrong end of this episode, but i have come close. Anyway with my company saying "Daag Acche Hain na" - I shouldnt really be fretting.

So while tobacco is one business that thrives in here - also pan shops as an effect of the same - the other one that is rocking equally is the hair colouring business. Again almost every person here, regardless of age has his hair coloured. The most popular colour is burgundy it seems. While you would argue that older people would have mehndi to cover their white hair - even they seem to favor burgundy. This hair coloring also cuts across all social barriers - thereby making it a equally likely phenomenon for a pseud dude riding an expensive bike and the dude driving the shuttle auto across the city.

This is fast becoming a boring post - so this is where it will have to end!