Rafa - Thank You!

Many of you must have read or heard about the incredible feat Rafa Nadal achieved by being the first man to reach 21 grand slams and how the world went crazy over the win. It was definitely one of the best moments in sport not because he achieved something that no man has before, but the way he did it.

Rafa has been one of the greatest inspirations since the day I started watching him play tennis. I was mesmerized by the way he chased the ball, reminds me of an over-enthusiastic dog (I mean it with great respect and love 😍) who just goes after every ball thrown to fetch, irrespective of how far and impossible it looks. The game changed overnight as what used to be winners before were being returned like a counter punch. In his early career, he never let the ball die on him. I could also relate to him as a person with a highly disproportionate physique (with the left arm twice the size of the right making him look like an alien at times), different looks when compared to the elegant FedX, shy by nature, and incredibly humble. Even though I'm not even 1% of his fitness, I do have a disproportionate arm 💪, never used to be elegant, and was a misfit at times. Of late, I have developed some bit of, as my friend calls it 'Humbility' 😆. The way he approached every game with the same intensity and treated the opponents with the same resilience irrespective of who they were was something to follow. He has grown thinner and meaner as his career progressed. Shows the time he is spending outside the court to be strong and relevant. 

His dominance in the French Open has been incredible. I think he won 4 of those titles without losing a set in the entire tournament which shows how good he is on clay. I do not think anyone will come close to that level of dominance in a tournament ever.

Every time he was written off due to a serious injury or a great opponent, he came back stronger. It is his mental strength that does not allow him to give up and gets him to try even harder. His comebacks are like a fairytale and almost unbelievable. Not playing for 6 months, going through surgery, and to come back the way he did and win the final against one of the best players in super form and a decade younger after being 2 sets down is insane.

I have a confession to make here, I have stopped watching Rafa games for the last few yrs. I admire him so much, I cannot watch him go through these intense moments. It gives me heartburn and at times almost a heart attack. All I do is pray for him to do well and not let himself down (not win as he is beyond winning for me).

I did manage to watch the highlights yesterday and ended up feeling the heartache when he lost crucial games (breaking twice in 2nd set and losing it, losing the 6th serve game in the final set, etc). The way he played yesterday was incredible. Some of the points he won were unreal, those beautiful drop shots, killer forehands gave me goosebumps. Every shot he plays has 100% effort, there is no holding back, every ball gets the best possible return. Just to keep going at it in the face of adversity say a lot about him. 

There could have been no better man to hold the record of highest grand slams as Rafa has shown he is worth it from the day he started. He is still the same over-enthusiastic dog who goes after every ball and I am sure he will continue to be so for the rest of his career. Records are there to be broken, who would have imagined in the 90's that someone will beat Sampras's record, and here we are with 3 of them overtaking him with ease. I'm sure someone will go past 21 slams and be called the GOAT. But what I can bet on is, there will never be a better competitor than Rafa. Not just in tennis but across other sports. My respect for him is up there with that of Dravid. Dravid might not be in the top 5 batsmen ever but he will always be the best ambassador for the game and a great role model. Most of his records are/will be broken except the most balls' face or time spent on the pitch. It showed his determination to put up a fight every ball. 

Rafa and people like him will help me "not letting me let myself down". Rafa will end up inspiring me every time I fall down or think of giving up no matter how broken I might feel coz life is worth fighting for. As he said in the ceremony, he is not done yet, he is energetic enough to keep coming and trying to do well. Keep it going my friend, you are inspiring billions of people to not give up. There can be only few winners in real life and they keep changing, what matters is putting up a fight even if everything is against you.

I'm eagerly waiting for his book 'Rafa: My Story' to be delivered to get a better insight into his upbringing and what made him the greatest competitor of all time 😅

I have not mentioned Daniel Medvedev in this post on purpose. The kid deserves a separate one, he definitely moved me 👏

All I can say to Rafa is 'Thank You' for being the fighter you are 🙏

Update 7th Feb: looks like I have to wait for Rafa to win a few more grand slams before I get to read his biography. 4 months back the order got canceled and last week the wrong book was delivered 😡 Maybe ill wait for the updated biography with his next achievements 😜

Update in Mar 2022- I finally received the book and man what a read!!! Loved every aspect of it and his struggle. He is completely opposite to what he is on the court which makes it such a good read. His discipline, ethics and family bond is so inspiring. Vamos!!!

Being Practical!

 Being practical is something I have been very proud of. I am as practical as you could get when it comes to work or personal life. It has helped me make decisions that work best and not think very emotionally. In the recent past, some of the events have made me rethink being practical.

Does it stop you from exploring difficult options? Or does it help me pick the right option?

Does it restrain you're imagining the impossible? Or is it helping me not drift away into something impossible?

When I think strategy, is it stopping me from thinking big?

Is it stopping me from listening to my heart? or is it stopping me from getting hurt?

Does it remove my risk-taking ability and make me play safe and practical? Or it is keeping me out of trouble?

I recently watched a movie 'Shiddat' which is a typical Bollywood romantic movie where the hero is as impractical as you can get. But something made me think if he was right and lived a life of complete imagination and gave it his best shot?

Lots to ponder over!!!

Boredom and Habits!

 It is so easy to get bored and fall into laziness. The past few weekend lockdown has got people to that stage where they do not have to do anything and end up binge-watching or lazing around. I have been no different and not able to travel has made it worse. The best thing was empty roads and would have been great to just walk or cycle around.

I guess that is where habits and hobbies play a big role.  Developing some useful, indulging habits is key to keeping active and having a fruitful life. Thanks to some recent good influences/inspirations, I have been trying to build some, like exercise, gardening, blogging (even though I am not able to express my thoughts), reading, and the latest of all AQUARIUM 😁. Exercise is something I have been able to stick with which is a surprise given my reputation. Gardening has developed as a passion but I have gone so overboard, I am not able to maintain it well. Need to give it a complete kick start and make it manageable. There are so many beautiful plants and ways to display, I just can't get enough of them. 

Having a pet is such a good way to build a bond and care for someone. Just staring at the fish bolw is so relaxing. Couldn't believe my luck when the guppy laid 13 offspring within 2 weeks crowding the fish bowl. One of the best places to keep the fishbowl is on the dining table. It has helped me use the dining table more often and stay away from TV/phone while eating. For anyone who wants to have an aquarium, I would suggest getting a fishbowl as a starter and graduating towards a full-fledged Aquarium. I think im getting there soon 😎

I definitely need to do something with the guitar hanging on my wall. Need to do justice to all the music-based movies I have watched to get inspired.

Trust me, if I can do it, anyone can (I was the epitome of laziness). I just hope to read this blog when I fall into one of the laziness traps and I hope it inspires me to pick up something new.

Music!!!

 As a kid, I was not the kind that appreciated music the way I do now. Even though I was excited to listen to certain genres of music, it was limited to what I got to hear. Thanks to not having a TV at home till i was 14 (trust me I do not regret this part) and literally living on the streets playing with friends, I hardly found time to think about anything else. I was so bad that I was stupid enough to walk out of a Pt. Bhimsen Joshi concert in my middle school (yes, I actually did that I wanted to go play gully cricket), which makes me kick myself to date 😖. Little did I know those aalaaps will grow on me and I can spend time with my eyes closed just listening to them 😇

Music has a magical way of healing, expressing, motivating, and relaxing. I can't think of anything else that can help with all these things with such ease. Some songs bring back childhood memories and innocent days where I and my cousins had to divide a song paragraphs and write down the lyrics as it was played on the radio (I can still sing 'Meri bheegi bheegi si' thanks to that). Some bring back old teenage crushes and heroines I admired (Manisha in Bombay 💓). Some take me back to the crazy dancing numbers during my college and early working days. Some still give me goosebumps and feel patriotic, I do not know how many times I have heard of Swedesh and it played an important role to keep me motivated to return to India 😍. Some devotional songs make my heart filled with faith, some songs make me feel human, miss the good times, and also appreciate the world around me. 

Of late, songs have become an integral part of my life with humming while traveling, dancing in the shower, relaxing on the bed, to working out. So much so, it has inspired me to do whatever little workout I can manage and start enjoying it. Yesterday one good song pushed me to go from the normal 20 push-ups to 50 and trust me it is a big deal for a sloth like me 😅 which inspired me to write this blog.

I envy today's kids for the exposure they have to almost all the music that is produced in the world and also feel bad that many still do not appreciate it. I just hope I keep this momentum going and keep exploring new and old music. I would love to explore Indian classical, jazz, and other genres to make this a never-ending learning experience. 

One of my biggest regrets in life is not learning music (instrument or singing) which would have given me an incredible way to spend time and express myself. That said, I have the second half of my left to learn it. I am sure I will get there one day and appreciate it even more. Cheers to that hope 😁

I would like to close this by thanking all the musicians, lyricists, producers, composers, technicians, singers and people who inspired them to get there. You have definitely made the world a better place and given hope and life to billions of people. Just keep it going and keep inspiring 🙏