THE WALL THEY COULDN’T TEAR DOWN

Dear Rahul,

I do not know how to address this letter, simply because, you always have been a kind of “hidden” figure for me. Growing up in an era graced with the very presence of Sachin Tendulkar, the man we consider as our God; your involvement in the game seemed secondary for us devotees.

Now when I look back, all those times shine yet again, to show me your equal greatness which might have been a bit overshadowed by one man’s presence. Yet I am amazed, that all these years have not faded you; instead you have become that support, that anchor, that wall who has stood tall and become clearer than ever. 

A year ago, when critics and cricket fanatics had written you off and fans sighed at your poor form, you have not only bounced back this year with a great performance but showed every cricket follower of what stuff you are made of. As opposed to Sachin, who midst great fanfare has tumbled records and added some of his own; you have been that silent killer, patiently biding your time, playing your natural game, slowly & surely moving towards pinnacles of perfection. You have been awe-inspiring, indeed.

When I first came to know that you were chosen as the first player outside Australian subcontinent to deliver the Bradman Oration; my first thought was – Why you? Why not Sachin? While as a die-hard Sachin fan my emotions fall perfectly in their place; right now, let me tell you, I am embarrassed of accepting this. When I first read your speech at the Bradman Oration, I had goosebumps on my arms. It took almost 5 mins after I finished reading to finally snap back into reality. I read it. Re-read it. Re-read it again. Re-re-read it and in 48 hours I have been basking in the glory of those sentences….smiling inwardly at those little anecdotes you sprinkled along the way….thinking seriously about the issues you put forth and watching awe-struck at the finesse you displayed while delivering this speech. You have left me spell-bound. It takes a lot of courage for a Sachin fan like me to accept that you, Rahul, have conquered a place in my heart and earned a respect so great that it will last a lifetime. Your speech and the video has become my daily fodder since.

I absolutely loved your opening para –  “We cricketers devote the better part of our adult lives to being prepared to perform for our countries, to persist and compete as intensely as we can – and more. This building, however, recognizes the men and women who lived out the words – war, battle, fight – for real and then gave it all up for their country, their lives left incomplete, futures extinguished.”

It shows your strength of character in such a way that I can’t help but admire & feel proud of the fact that I am an Indian. 

The issues that you have put forth have made people sit up and take things seriously. Now whether something will be done about it, who knows….but at least you have given them something to ponder on. When I was younger, I always used to have a blast with my friends watching matches, enjoying them, playing our own version of cricket….While, I still enjoy discussing, watching & playing cricket with them; Sadly, most of my friends have been distanced from the game feeling that there has been too much of it lately and it has lost its original charm. It sometimes scares me and makes me wonder that this one thing that fills a spark in my life may one day suddenly vanish from my life too; especially when I think about Sachin’s retirement.

However, cricket has been so much of religion for me; losing it will be like losing my identity as a person and my meaning as a die-hard fan. Cricket has been family. Not a commercial bandwagon but a sentimental roller-coaster that I believe fuels not only mine but millions of other lives all over the world. 

And yes; as you say, it is this generation that has the power to re-write history, to set a tradition to honor the game and come to terms with the fact that players will come and go but the game will truly live on…

Your bold decision of quitting one day internationals especially at a time when the selectors were just realizing your mettle; was indeed commendable. You showed them that you aren’t a puppet to be pushed around. You command a respect that is as unparallel as the devotion that Sachin receives. Just because you have been a quiet and humble player throughout cricketing history doesn’t mean that you are dumb. But it actually means you exhibit an intelligence so profound, that few even have the capacity to grasp it. Recently, when you were felicitated for  being the second highest run scorer in Test history, my heart swells with pride to realize what rare gems this Indian soil has produced. 

Being a person of few words, the long speech you delivered gave us a glimpse of your intense passion for the game…the reverence you showed while uttering Sir Don’s name and the genuine warmth you displayed when you mentioned Sachin shows us the purity of your heart. The elegance, the poise, the perfection, the humbleness you display while batting truly puts you in a class of your own and you applied the same rule during this speech and touched our hearts in such an intimate way, that I feel a deep sense of affection towards you.

I came across the poster below while searching for your photos online. For once, I am not annoyed that it shows Sachin in a lesser light than you; instead I am amused as to why I didn’t realize before the importance of this simple statement.

Rahul, you are yet another person I would like to thank after Sachin for showing me what cricket is all about. For being that “lambi race ka ghoda” we all momentarily forgot. For being an inspiration…..a legend….a man that we have all come to respect. If it’s “utmost devotion” for Sachin, it’s “genuine respect” for you. If it’s “unconditional love” for Sachin, it’s “undying trust” for you. If it’s “pure admiration” for Sachin, it’s definitely a “standing ovation” for you for being the man we all look upto.

I always joke with my friends that if Sachin Tendulkar came in front of me, I probably wouldn’t know  what to say because I would definitely pass out cold with the euphoria of seeing him in the front of me. While, the same wouldn’t apply when I see you Rahul; I would certainly bend and touch the ground you walked upon. My love for Sachin probably doesn’t leave a space for anyone else but my respect for you has increased ten-fold, perhaps more and it’s one thing that I as a fan can sincerely give you.

I will dedicate this post to all your true fans and encourage my Sachin fans to read this too. ‘coz as people you two may be as different as chalk and cheese but inherently there is something divine in both of you.

And if at all, you ever come across this letter, let me tell you, I mirror the words of a much larger crowd. And I stand in front you with folded hands, praying to a man we never dubbed as god but worshiped all the same……a man we never understood……a man who lived in shadows yet one day unknowingly became greater than it that we had to stand up and take notice….a wall that we could never tear down…

With lots of respect, admiration & awe,

A  fan whose loyalties you just earned for life

I USED TO HAVE A BEST FRIEND…

(“I used to have a best friend” shares its similarities with the previous poem “We’ve drifted apart”. However, this one looks from the angle of a friend; friendships are so important in life. We can survive with the loss of a lover but losing a friend is like losing your identity; losing the very meaning of life!

The end of this poem might seem abrupt. But I have deliberately left it so. Because life loses its completeness with the loss of a best friend and this poem best remains incomplete…. )

I used to have a best friend

and he made my life whole

A friend, philosopher, guide

He played my life’s every role

I used to have a best friend

He used to live in my smile

Fill my surroundings with laughter

And make my time worthwhile

I used to have a best friend

He used to make me dance

And make my heart break into a song

With a single loving glance

I used to have a best friend

Who used to stand by me in thick & thin

Never did he let my days

Sink into chaos and din

I used to have a best friend

who also made me cry

But when I fell down & could not get up

He taught me how to fly

I used to have a best friend

Who sometimes got angry with me

Yet when we didnt talk for even a minute

He would beg and come to plea

I used to have a best friend

And though we had many a fight

In the end he just hugged me

And everything seemed so right

I used to have a best friend

And we used to talk every day

We might be anywhere in the world

But by thought, were never away

His calls fueled my happiness

His voice got me through the day

And when I was overwhelmed with work

He made everything okay

And then all changed……….

The calls dwindled & came to a stop

The mornings turned very bleak

The very reason that brightened my day

Went from strong to being weak

Sometimes I would remember some joke

Some funny moment we shared

And memories would come rushing back

As if he still cared

I didn’t know, whom to tease to

Or with whom to share my woes

I guess when best friends break up

They end up worse than foes

Death is not the only thing that separates people

Believe me, its true

What separates people is ignorance

Of a relationship they once knew

When the person who loved you once

Now behaves as if you don’t exist

And when you try to go away

He doesn’t even try to resist

I can cope with the loss of a mentor

I can cope with the loss of  a lover

But losing a best friend is traumatic

No identity left to discover

No other friend can make up

For the void that the best one has left

Even when you surround yourself with people

Forever  does life harbors; a deep-rooted painful cleft

If you have lost a best friend

You may know how it might feel

There’s no meaning to your life

How much ever you try to conceal

I used to have a best friend

I used to have a life

I used to have a best friend

I used to have a life

HAPPY BIRTHDAY GOD

Somebody: Hey, are you an atheist?

Me: No, I am a believer!

Somebody: You mean, you actually BELIEVE in GOD?

Me: Yeah, whats wrong with it?

Somebody: How can you believe in something that you have NEVER seen???

Me: Who said that I have not yet seen God?

Somebody: You mean you HAVE?

Me: Yup!

Somebody: Are you kidding me?

Me: Nopes!

Somebody: You have actually SEEN GOD in FLESH & BLOOD?

Me: Thats what I said!

Somebody: How? Where? When? What?

Me: I HAVE SEEN MY GOD.

I have seen him dedicating his life to something he believes in for 20 long years.

I have seen him opening the batting for India and the Mumbai Indians year after year.

I have seen him hitting centuries and centuries in tests and one day internationals.

I have seen him when he went to become the first and the only player so far to hit a double century in one day cricket.

I have seen him accepting countless “Man of the Match” and “Man of the Series” awards.

I have seen him hitting boundaries like never-stopping missiles

I have seen him exuding talent in all forms of the game.

I have seen him turn things in to gold just by touching them…..

Somebody: Hey, wait. I know what you are talking about. You mean that Tendulkar guy! He is the one? He is YOUR god? Baah!

Me: Yes, he is!

Somebody: But how can he be a God? He’s human!!!

Me: Whats wrong in worshiping a human? As far as I know, the Christians do the same! Jesus was the son of God, not god himself.

And so do Hindus? Don’t we worship, Lord Rama?

Somebody: Puh-leaze! Thats different. Those were mighty men with extraordinary powers. Why would anyone want a human god who is as ordinary as you and me? I mean, even Superman and Spiderman are supposed to have miraculous powers never seen on earth!

Me: Really? So, the prerequisite for worshiping someone is that they have alien powers and the ability to fly and glide over tree tops and mountains? Ridiculous!

Somebody: Why ridiculous? What about cricket then? Its just a game, right? Its not as if winning a world cup is going to make India a super power or just bcoz a guy name Sachin Tendulkar lives here, The floods are going to stop and it will rain plenty but in control, and there will be no earthquakes, no bomb blasts, not any other natural calamities either…..

Me: Well, these things have happened anyways even when Gods walked upon this earth.

It doesn’t count through what amount of burden and trials and tribulations we are put through; what counts is our willingness to get back on our feet!

Why wouldn’t I worship Sachin Tendulkar? What cricket-loving fan wouldn’t?

Whats wrong in worshiping the dedication that guy exhibits. The sheer patience and ample of self-control for 20 long years.

Whats wrong in worshiping a guy who never utters a bad word on field? Who maintains so much poise and dignity even when the opposite person is ridiculing him or cursing him. So much so that the person opposite gets embarrassed with such an open display of humility!

Whats wrong in worshiping genius in its purest form? The unaltered talent and the untarnished brightness that drips from him.

Whats wrong in worshiping an unbelievable display of hard-work and sincerity where most of us youngsters get bored even to walk a few steps to the supermarket?

Whats wrong in worshiping the lavish praise for other players that he is never tired of giving?

Whats wrong in worshiping the selfless guidance that he provides to upcoming players and fans?

Whats wrong in worshiping a dedicated family man who finds time for his wife and kids?

Whats wrong in worshiping an unselfish donor who donates countless money to the charity anonymously?

Whats wrong in worshiping the insatiable hunger he has for improving himself, correcting his own self, competing against his own self, beating his own records, bettering his own natural game?

SACHIN RAMESH TENDULKAR is not a lesson in cricket, my dear. He is a lesson in life itself.

It takes both Gods and Humans to make this earth, my friend.

The only difference is –

We bring some Gods to the level of Humans AND

We take some humans to the level of Gods.

(And I have one such God in the form of Sachin Tendulkar. On his 37th birthday, this is a post right from the heart.

Wishing you loads of success, happiness and a very happy birthday, Sachin……)

HEROES ARE PEOPLE TOO

(Michael Jackson’s death on June 25th, 2009 came as a shock to people all over the world. Never had I thought, that the person whose tunes I grew up on, can die someday, so suddenly, so unexpectedly. I thought him as timeless, as eternal, as interminable….. So did his millions of fans all over the world.

His death, makes us think…..that in reality, death is not partial even to one so famous. All people those we worship in life, be them ordinary ones or even great celebrities, all; all of them are mere mortals. And one day, like us, they will die too.

Yet what will be different about their death is that, they will still continue to live; in our hearts, in our soul, in their talents, their work and in all those people whose lives they have touched.

And this will inspire us that we can be like them too…..

To, Michael Jackson, a person who was our idol, our hero; I dedicate this poem, straight from the heart……….)

We look up to them & are in awe

For they are something different & nice

We love them with all our heart & soul

And follow their all advice

Yet sometimes we are confused

as to what is false & what is really true

How easily do we forget that-

Heroes are people too!

Their successes are our own

Their wins fill us with joy

They are revered as they are

Whether aggressive, sweet or coy

Their downfall is a wound

That never heals in us

Their failures a bad dream

That makes us badly cuss

Its as if our life is attached

To their very existence

No reason justifies our love for them

Be it logic or great distance

Yet sometimes we hate them

Why; we don’t have a clue

How easily do we forget that-

Heroes are people too!

For us, they are an open book

We expect they have nothing to hide

For us, we want them to move ahead

Leaving their personal life aside

When they give us happiness

We lift them up & worship them so

And their mistakes give us sorrow

Its like being struck by a blow

We pry in to what they are

We discuss their all affairs

But we still love their mannerisms

Those high-fi graces and airs

Yet sometimes, they seem so plastic

Like some entity new

How easily do we forget that-

Heroes are people too!

Their illnesses is a cause of concern

They begin residing in our prayer

One so talented should have a long life

Eternal should be the person so rare

And when they die, their death is a shock

Ordinary, what their life seems

For we thought them to be invincible

The rulers of our dreams

But they are mere mortals

Who live like us & die

But between their life & death

Give such a good try

That their ordinary life

Is much more than what ours is

Talents they learn to put to use

Thats what makes them a whiz

And so even when death takes them away

They still live within our heart

They house a particular corner in our mind

And never do they depart

So what they inspire us to do is that

We can be immortal too

They live their life with just a little difference

Otherwise, Heroes are people too!

ENCLOSED MEMORIES

Memory is a way of holding onto the things you love, the things you are, the things you never want to lose.

~ The Wonder Years

How funny and sad yet true; Memories have a much stronger hold on us than we imagine them to have. Ever wondered, when we look back, why do we laugh over all the troubled times of the past that don’t matter much now AND how pathetically we cry over all the happy ones that will never come again. Because, Sorrow in the long run, is nothing but a point of life to grow and learn and smile about and Happiness, in long run becomes a pain to endure forever….

Yet, for us, memories represent our whole lives. Even a 10 year old kid recounts the days when he was a baby. And then, as we grow older, our bag of memories becomes heavier and heavier until to the very end of our life, when we are a stooping old man, with a big sack of both pleasure and pain positioned on our back. A sack of memories…..

A camera is something all of us desire. We long as kids for those cartoon models, short and compact. We like showing them off to our buddies, clicking pictures on the playground, in the cafeteria, in classrooms, birthday parties, hanging out in the backyard, family outings….just about everytime. We wish to enclose every single moment in a picture or in a video. And years later, when we open up that dusty album, we automatically get transported to a different world. A world that once was our own. But, a world where we are mere strangers now.

I can remember all the cameras that I have owned. I still have them, safe and sound, yet I never stopped buying newer and newer models. This one’s the latest, the new sony cybershot. Its small and cute and now means everything to me.

Some years back, even the memories from the camera took a long time to develop. The film inside needed to be washed and then you used to get the photos. However, now with the advent of digital cams, you can have even few hours old memories stored safely on your computer.

This is one of the earliest picture that I clicked. I simply loved the simplicity of it. It was not a sigficant moment at all. Yet I know, as long as I have this picture, I shall remember that day. A very normal sunny day, with the beautiful sun shining, a forget-me-not blue sky, clouds like white cotton candy and flowers like innocent little children dancing along with the light cool breeze.

A moment so fleeting, so ordinay……a memory so everlasting, so extraordinary…..

Life is beautiful, just like the flower. So pure and white and it encloses so many memories. So many moments of “I wish”, “If only” and “What if”….. Of “could been” and “have been”. Of death, despair, disappointments, of hurt and wounds. Of life, love, joy, successes, of mirth and laughter. Of family and friends, of complete strangers, of the vast nature, of even the animals and the birds.

Life is like food. So very delecious, so very tasty and so very very necessary. It is something, without which, we cannot live. So is life. Life is different from Existence. In existence, we only exist but in Life, we live, we grow, we learn, we teach and we love….

Life is like food. Colorful. Tempting. Aromatic. It is our fuel. It compels us to always keep moving forward and never look back. o go on and on. It keeps supplying the energy and we keep converting it to do something productive.

People fade out from our lives. Not all, but chosen few are destined to be with us forever; while most of them last a season. (Previous entry: A reason for a season)

We keep on living no matter what. For us, no one’s gone, no one dies, we keep them alive day after day, night after night. Physical death is a mere certainty but people go on living in every memory they shared.

So strong are the memories, so strong their power, so obvious their existence yet so unpredictable their effect. They are an essential component of our life, something without which we are incomplete, something that connects our one life with millions of others, something that tunes our heart to the music of the world….

So, get a camera and start clicking. It need not be an expensive one. Even a small one will do. Click and store the photos, send them to family and friends, display them to the world. ‘Coz every moment that you captured, was once a part of your life which can never be erased. Every memory that will keep you alive even when you go away. A proof that you lived, you loved, you laughed and you enjoyed.

I know, our brain is a wonderful organ. And we can store memories there without having a camera. But, what a camera does is, it never misses any details. And sometimes, details are the only things that make a memory whole and authentic. You might use it for certain family functions or trips and all special ocassions and still know that even when you click a picture on a perfectly ordinary day, it gets etched in the life as an extraordinary never-before moment….

Life is indeed a MEMENTO……

TURNING NEGATIVES INTO POSITIVES

A joke used to do round in my maths class when I was in school. It was so that a boy comes late to school and asks the teacher whether he could enter the class. The teacher says, “NO.” The boy asks again and gets the same answer. However, on hearing the second NO, he quietly enters the class and takes his seat. The teacher is enraged and questions the boy that I didn’t allow you to enter, yet you disobeyed me. Why? The boy replies serenely, “Well, you said NO twice and we have been taught in maths, that two negatives make one positive!”

 

I used to laugh over the silliness of the boy and also admire his smartness. Now, when I actually have heard the joke over and over again, I realize that its not a joke. It is infact one of the most important lessons of life.

Everyone takes their life so negatively. We dissect and analyze the dark side so much that we forget the beauty of the other side. Not only do we do not look beyond the obvious but also dampen the hopes of all those who try to be different. We label others as “over-optimistic” and cover our negativity in the guise of “reality-practical thinking”.

 

When we fail, we become sure that it was always meant to be so. We accept it on our own terms. We firmly believe that we are the unlucky ones. We blame the destiny. We blame the society. We just about blame everything that is around us. We take other people’s experiences as our own and don’t understand that two people can look exactly at the same thing yet see something totally different. We take up age-old notions and degrade them further, turn them as negative as we can.  

 

Have we ever thought of working on these negatives? Have we ever believed that, every cloud has a silver lining? Have we ever converted our negatives into positives?

 

We take our weaknesses as our second nature. Instead of working on them, we excuse them as our basic attributes and believe that those can never change. We take our failures as an unlucky fate and cry and sulk and make ourselves miserable. We think we are the unluckiest person in the world and all bad things apparently to us.

 

Have we ever tried to use our strengths to overcome our weaknesses? Have we ever rationalized a particular situation in such a way that we allow us to observe the good side of things?

 

There is positive in everything you see. In 9th grade, our classroom wall had a frame hung on it. There was a single line written on it, “There’s never a WRONG time to do the RIGHT thing.” The quote still uplifts me, when I have to do a difficult thing. I realize the value of it. Realize the positive energy flowing through it.

All the positives in your life, however minuscule they may be, they have the infinite power to convert the entire negativity into a desirable force.

My life has been going haywire for a past few weeks. But, I am hanging on. I have suddenly understood that all the delicate situations that I have been facing so far have been a mixture of both sorrow and joy. Now, when I retrospect, I realize my joy at that time had the surprising potential of being highly negative and all my sorrows, if dissected well, held a tremendous amount of positivity.

If I learnt so much from everyday experiences, so can you! 

 

Always remember, situations may be bad, but we have something in us that can turn things our way. And that is the power of extracting the hidden positivity in any thing. Nothing in this world is 100% good or 100% bad.

There’s a little angel in every demon and a little demon in every angel…. 

OLD IS GOLD

The only thing that a cricket fan wishes is that his team plays well. Every good batsman you know, should hit a century. Every good bowler you know, should take a couple of wickets. Ofcourse, it’s not possible that every single player plays well in the same match. Obviously, some will fail and some will do well.

 

Dhoni’s comments on Sachin Tendulkar were a litle annoying. It’s true that Sachin wasn’t in his usual self in this tri-series but then, everybody has their ups and downs. Dhoni himself hasn’t been in the best of form. He has played a couple of matches but that’s it. In the earlier series, he was a failure too.

 

Sachin Tendulkar is a man who is so passionate about cricket that few can match his standards. He has been playing cricket for last 19 years!!!

He himself is his best judge. I think, he has the capability of deciding when to call quits. It will be his personal choice.

 

Everybody seems to be criticizing old cricketers. What one musn’t forget is their contribution to the game. It’s true, young blood is needed for bringing about a lot of enthusiasm but at the same time, the value of experiences cannot be ignored.

 

One should feel honoured that Sachin plays for our team. He is a human being afterall and not a machine. There will be times when he’ll falter. But, there always will be great times, when all fans will get a treat to watch his splendid game. Just like today. When he hit a amazing 63 with 10 boundaries.

 

Sachin, we all wish you loads of luck in the coming games. You play your natural game. You retire when you want to. The country is with you. 

But, retire with dignity and not because of someone’s taunts.

 

Today you showed your critics your greatness and let your bat do the talking. Silence prevails now and yet another person knows, what SACHIN TENDULKAR means! 

 

 

“All that is gold does not glitter, not all those who wander are lost, the old that is strong does not wither, deep roots are not reached by the frost. From ashes a fire shall be woken, a light from the shadows shall spring; renewed shall be the blade that was broken, the crownless again shall be king.” 

~J.R.R.Tolkein 

AM I DIFFERENT?

I always wonder whether I am NOT normal.

Sometimes, I feel so cut-off from other people, that it makes me think whether I am human at all.

I agree, basically we all belong to the same species but there is something unique in each one of us that sets us apart.

Still, I am way different.

I don’t think, what others think.

For them, I am a MYSTERY.

I am Stubborn. I have my own way of doing things. I don’t listen to everybody.

But then, who the hell is perfect in this world???

Is it my fault that my views differ from all?

Is it my fault that I value different things than others?

Is it my fault that my principles compel me to take a different path?

I listen to only one person in this world.

Only one person takes me as I am.

Only one person who makes me believe in myself.

Only one person assures me that I am not a freak.

My culture beckons me to behave in one manner.

My mind wavers between uncertainty.

My soul is pure but gets contaminated with baseless thoughts.

My heart is true yet confused.

AM I DIFFERENT?

Yes, I am.

But, not in the way you think.

I am different even basically.

I am an ENIGMA.

I will listen only to what I feel is right.

I will obey that which appeals to my inner self.

I will keep quiet and let others make assumptions.

And, in the end, I will follow what I have faith in…..

FAKE (A personal view)

(My view-point on the poem I have written.)

Many have come to me personally and said that “FAKE” resembles them very much. What happened in their lives and what is still happening. It’s a sad thing but true that we have become slaves of our fate and have forgotten that we still can hold the reins of our life and guide it to a more self-satisfying cause.

When our relationships are nothing but a formality for us, we have to stop and think, where exactly the humanity in us, has gone? How much ever the world progresses…. we cannot become machines and let our sentiments down.

All of you, who think, that life is really not what it used to be, that you are living for the sake of it, that people around are more of your enemies than friends, that true emotions don’t react with the “human” in you and that you have FORGOTTEN life…….Please don’t think so…

It’s not that you have forgotten life……You are just afraid to try it out….

Try once….there is at least ONE person in the entire world who appreciates your efforts….

For HIM, for HER…….Let this be the greatest battle you have undertaken against your own self….

I R IDIOT

Few years ago, we used to watch a cartoon I AM WEASEL on the Cartoon Network. It was a story of a smart weasel and an idiot baboon. The baboon, apparently, weak in his grammar skills, never managed to get any sentence right….While introducing himself, he always used to say, “I R BABOON”. What a stupid fella!

You know what, just like this so-called stupid baboon, we label so many kids as stupid too. Every kid, today, invariably gets suffocated under the burden of expectations that his parents place on him. Good marks in school, best at sports, that’s what each parent wants to hear. No one is willing to accept that our child can be just plain ordinary.

Now, how many of us, what’s DYSLEXIA is all about. It’s a common curable problem. I am sorry, I must say “a common manageable problem”. But, alas, very misunderstood and people are not aware at all. Parents as well as teachers at school, so conveniently dub the kids as “duffers” , when the kids are below average in their day-to-day school work.

Dyslexia is a very normal problem. It’s a learning disability that specifically manifests in form of difficulty in writing, as well as reading and spelling.

Children suffering from this disorder, normally get confused between the letters b,d,p,q and mix them up. Sometimes, the letters are written backwards, or upside down or like mirror images. However, dyslexia is not a visual problem at all. Sometimes, they have difficulty in understanding arithmetic, there is left-right confusion, poor short-term memory, problem in processing a lot of information together etc..

But, that’s alright. A little patience with these kids, and they can be the best at anything they hope to be. They are as normal as you and me and just as sane. Language therapy and working on their writing abilities can help do wonders.

Did you know, great personalities like Leonardo Da Vinci, Albert Einstein, Thomas Alva Edison, all were dyslexic. So are, Abhishek Bacchhan, Robin Williams, Whoopi Goldberg, Tom Cruise…

And, well, Agatha Christie, the great writer herself was a dyslexic.

I recommend, you watch, the Bollywood movie, TAARE ZAMEEN PAR. It’s an excellent film dealing with an 8 year old dyslexic kid and how he overcomes his disability and depression to pursue his passion of painting!

Brilliant portray of emotions and an amazing movie of competent and commendable actors.

It’s a film with a message. An universal message, that “Every child is special”.

As, Aamir Khan, says in the movie, Dyslexia is just a problem with the wiring in the brain. That’s it. Nothing else.

Every kid, every child, every little bud that’s about to flower, deserves the best in Life…..deserves a life worth living.

AND, I R NO IDIOT

You and me, all of us are SPECIAL…