MS Dhoni, SuperHero

Players like Sachin Tendulkar were Gods. Anything they did, good or bad, was ascribed to their divinity and accepted as gospel by their followers. Most other players are mortals, eking out an existence based on hard work supplemented by some ability.

Then there are SuperHeros, who love putting themselves on the line every single time. They triumph when lesser mortals have fallen. They prefer the buzz of the fight than the glamour of the flashbulbs.

MS Dhoni, SuperHero

But the SuperHeroes are cursed unto eternity, to be doubted when they do good and to be pilloried when they fail. However, they do not mind the punches. When a barrage brings them down, the only thing that they want to do is to sit up, wipe the blood off their lips and the sweat off their brow and look up at adversity with a smile.

The Indian cricket fans should be thankful that their team is led by one.

MS Dhoni, SuperHero.

 

* This is a 3-year old post that I had written in Jan 2013. It is now Mar 2016 and the sentiment expressed in this post applies just as perfectly now as it did then. That is testament to the unique ability of MS Dhoni.
Photo credit: Sevi_Lwa / Foter.com / CC BY-NC-ND

Yo ho ho and a bottle of rum

Homeless

He sits there, huddled, in the alcove of an abandoned doorway near the railway station. A threadbare suitcase and a brace of soiled quilts, his only possessions.

There is an unmistakable stench of cheap liquor and urine when one walks past him. When people turn up their noses as they pass him, it is difficult to tell if they do it because of the revolting smell or because they are disgusted by his hoarse “Spare some change please?“, knowing where their change would inevitably end up!
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Is the argument against Facebook Free Basics about Net Neutrality?

200px-NetNeutrality_logo.svgMuch as I support Net Neutrality as a concept, I cannot conflate the debate on “Free Basics” with that on Net Neutrality. Net Neutrality is a larger principle and an ideal worth striving for. “Free Basics” seems to be a part of the jigsaw and more of a Competition / Antitrust law issue.

By making the case against “Free Basics”, one of solely Net Neutrality, the activists (well-meaning and all), may actually be weakening the case for Net Neutrality as a whole.

The Protector

African Lion
Atop the highest rock stood the alpha male, un-moving, regal, as if hewn out of the very rock he stood upon. As the giant, pale yellow moon rose on the horizon, the solitary figure on the rock was silhouetted against it, lending an eerie, almost surreal touch to the scene. His eyes, red as glowing embers, set deep under a huge forehead, surveyed the surroundings. His territory! Over the years, he had expanded it, bit by bit… claiming victories over others who had dared challenge his superiority. His enormous body bore the marks of his triumphs.

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Paris Cityscape – Les Invalides

Les Invalides or formally, L’Hôtel national des Invalides, is a huge complex of buildings made up of museums, monuments relating to French military. The complex also houses hospitals, homes for veterans, etc. Here, Les Invalides is surrounded by a maze of Parisien buldings and streets. The photo was clicked from atop the Eiffel Tower.

Independence, my dear, is a moving target

And that’s why you do not understand the significance of Independence Day. You think it is something in the past. A relic. Done and dusted and locked in a glass showcase.

Independence, my dear, is a moving target. Getting rid of the British was only the beginning of something much bigger. Yet it all stopped there. Happy that we had driven out the British, we called “Mission Accomplished”, raised the flag and took the day off for the next sixty-six years.

…

We put Independence day in our history books rather than in our daily calenders. We let new rulers, new dynasties keep us in chains, using the same old techniques that our old masters from the across the sea did.

We forgot that August 15 is not just a day for looking back, but a day for marching forward.

– Extracted from “An Independence Day Story“, a superb read from @greatbong.