Play it again, Paes - The Hindu

http://www.hindu.com/2006/04/10/stories/2006041006511900.htm

Play it again, Paes

Sport is mostly trival pursuit. It is men such as Leander Paes and Steve Waugh who elevate it, writes Nirmal Shekhar

Sixteen years ago, on a windy morning in Melbourne, as noisy passenger and cargo trains drowned out the calls made by a rather soft-spoken chair umpire in an `outback' court at Flinders Park, an Indian spectator — one of two in attendance — turned to his companion and said, "`The kid has it, doesn't he?'' The man sitting next to him nodded, and smiled.

We — Rohit Brijnath, familiar to most readers of these columns, and I — knew on that bright January morning that we were witness to something special. Leander Adrian Paes, all of 16 years old, was playing one of the highest ranked junior stars of those days — Jan Kodes Jr., son of the 1973 Wimbledon champion Jan Kodes — and dominating the Czech teenager with his sheer strength of will in the Australian Open.

A pair of hardened sports writers sat on seat-edge and heralded the arrival of a special champion on that day not because Leander's shotmaking skills were extraordinary; they did so because few

Indian sportsmen, and perhaps no Indian tennis player before him, had displayed the raw fighting skills that Leander showcased when the chips were down.

Since that unforgettable day in Melbourne, through everything that has happened in Indian sport — from the highs of the Tendulkars and the Anands and Dravids — one little thing has remained unchanged. When it comes to spilling his guts in the cause of the nation, one man has stood head and shoulders above the rest — Leander Paes.

A yardstick

This is precisely why Leander transcends sport — _ he is much more than a tennis champion, or even an athletic achiever. As an Indian, Leander is a yardstick. You measure every other champion of the era against Leander when it comes to commitment to the country's cause. Even our admirable, upstanding cricket captain Rahul Dravid — who comes closest — for instance. And this is no insult to the man from Bangalore. It is, in fact, a tribute.

Watching Leander fight cramps, and a little-known Pakistani opponent, in the decisive fifth rubber on Sunday, a question suddenly popped up in my mind yet again. Has winning for the country ever meant so much to any other athlete in the entire history of sport in India? Has it ever meant as much to anyone as it does to Leander?

Not for a moment would any sane Indian ever question the patriotic zeal of several sporting icons who have brought off great victories for India. Nobody in his right mind would ever say that these sportspersons gave anything less than 100 per cent each time they turned out for the country. Yet, the question remains. Would the odd failure when playing for the country have shattered their hearts as devastatingly as it happens each time Leander fails to win a crucial rubber for India in the Davis Cup?

Pride and commitment

In the pantheon of Indian sport, the Gavaskars, Tendulkars, Krishnans and Anands may demand — and deserve too — more prominent places than Leander, but no man who has ever played for India can claim to have done so with greater pride and commitment and with a bigger heart than India's Davis Cup hero. This is a fact that is underlined every single time that Leander turns himself into a virtual one-man army on the Davis Cup stage.

Money doesn't move Leander, emotions do. As a product of the I-Me generation, Leander is very much an outsider. The biggest source of his motivation is not the same as it might be for the average champion of his generation. This is precisely why he seems to be able to climb on some invisible ladder to achieve an impressive altitude when playing for the country.

In the context of what Leander pulled off in Mumbai on Sunday, it's all very well to talk about an opponent being a push-over. But, then, it still takes someone who is brave enough, and strong-willed enough, to do the pushing. And, in Indian sport, not the least in Indian tennis, when push comes to shove, more often than not, many of our champions move over rather than come forward courageously to author the final act.

Say all you want about dazzling skills, celebrate all you want the gifts of an array of superstars in the sport of your choice. But give me an ageing, hobbled, down-and-out Leander any day — with the scores tied two sets apiece in the fifth rubber of a Davis Cup tie.

This writer has found only one thing equally soul-lifting in sport: Steve Waugh walking in to bat for Australia with his team staring down the barrel, four down for 49. Sport is mostly trivial pursuit.

Some moments, rarely, go beyond its defined boundaries. Mostly it is men such as Leander and Waugh who author those special moments that elevate sport.

Welcome to America

http://www.hindu.com/mag/2006/04/02/stories/2006040200180400.htm
NIRUPAMA VAIDHYANATHAN

"MY daughter's going to the United States to do her Master's in Engineering at Texas" — we often hear statements like that. How do these students fare culturally and socially in their first few months of university life in America?

Strange surroundings

Sanchit Agarwal, in Ohio State University, says, "I still remember the strangeness of the physical surroundings. At the Chicago airport, I remember feeling that an English film was going on, and that I had to become a part of it. And, as I walked through the airport, the sight of another Indian made me feel happy."

Indian graduate students feel a sense of freedom after leaving the cocoon of Indian family life. But, along with that comes the burden of living life in a new country, with few close relatives to depend on for emotional support. Manish (name changed at his request) said, "I would pester my mother to write a letter every week. Her reply was that there was nothing new to write about every week. Yet, reading about her weekly routine gave me a feeling of security that nothing could match in the first few months". When one goes to the USIS in India and spends hours poring over information about universities, "loneliness" is not a term that you come across. But, that is a reality for many graduate students, till they build a supportive community of friends around them.

In the first few months of life, common concerns revolve around issues of surviving day-to-day life on a university campus. Many students found ordering food in a restaurant a daunting task. Kanwarpreet Dang, being particular about eating only vegetarian food, says, "Initially I just had raw vegetables and Coke."

Another daunting task is renting an apartment, finding room-mates and learning how to read and sign a rental lease. Then comes the task of pulling out cooking utensils, doing grocery shopping and getting an edible meal to the table. How do you get to the only Indian grocery store in town, which is a few miles away? Most of the time, you would probably find an Indian "senior" who has a second-hand car, and then, what do most Indian students do at the grocery store? They convert every purchase into rupees, of course, trying to debate the merits of each and every purchase. So, as Anand Subramaniam from the New Jersey Institute of Technology says, imitating new students, "A can of milk costs Rs. 250. Let's not buy that".

But, for each of these issues, the Indian Student Associations (ISA) that exist in many American universities have helped provide solutions. They are built around this guiding principle — "Being a `senior' in this system, I know what it is like to go through the first year of student life in the U.S. How can I help you get a footing in this country with little heartache?" The websites of several ISAs have detailed instructions. There are lists of clothes to bring, checklists of cooking utensils, advice urging students to learn recipes at home, details of baggage specifications, lists of documents to carry in your hand baggage etc. A few weeks of monitoring emails on an ISA bulletin board reveals the crucial role they play in helping newcomers through a difficult period of transition. Starting with airport pick-ups, the first few weeks of temporary accommodation are also arranged for. After being in this atmosphere for a few days, the Indian students can look for roommates among incoming students. Ohio State University ISA Treasurer, Kirtiraj Parmar says, "For the first time this year, we are planning a separate orientation session aimed at helping students from India."

What do Indian students face inside the classrooms? The informal atmosphere of the American classroom throws some of them off-guard. Calling a Professor by his first name poses a problem for Indian students. At the same time, this informal air belies the hard work that is done throughout the year. As Sandeep Ramachandran from Texas A & M says, "Most of us are used to cramming in the few days before the final exam. Here, if you get out of the loop at any point, it becomes very difficult to catch up."

Learning to manage time

The other issues that Indian students face is poor time management skills and very high expectations of student integrity. Class times are adhered to strictly, and keeping track of multiple courses requires good time management skills. There are no shortcuts to academic success within the American University system and stealing of ideas without quoting sources are treated with punishment, leading to a suspension from the university. American university life poses challenges on several fronts in the first few months for Indian students. But, once they settle in, most enjoy student life to a great extent. Graduate education in American universities provides many Indian students an educational experience that they treasure throughout their lives.



Nirupama Vaidhyanathan is a Bharatanatyam dancer, teacher and writer who is interested in issues related to the Indian diaspora. She lives in San Francisco.

A brave new world - ANIMA BALAKRISHNAN

http://www.hindu.com/mp/2006/04/03/stories/2006040300600100.htm
Hindu Metro Plus
April 3,2006

Barely into his 20s, Samit Basu dared to take a decision that was considered madness. He dropped out of IIM-A to write a book. Now at 26, he has two fantasy novels to his credit — The Simoqin Prophecies and The Manticore's Secret — and the concluding part of the trilogy is on the way.

Basu is not alone to have walked away from a premier institute, a prestigious degree, a job to die for and big money. More and more IT and management professionals are bidding adieu to a cushy life to realise their calling. Software programmes and marketing strategies have given way to fiction, pre-schools and reporting.

"IT jobs are challenging and I believe it's a good career path. But I was not putting my talent to full use," says 26-year-old Vasudevan Rangarajan, who quit his job with JP Morgan Chase to join the media.

Twenty-six-year-old Vardan Kabra knew he wanted to be an entrepreneur right from his days at IIT-Mumbai. So, after his MBA from IIM-A, he spurned a P&G offer to set up the Fountainhead Education Foundation in Surat.

"I always knew I wanted to do something on my own. I may not have had the business skill to do that after my engineering. So, a management degree was a logical choice," he adds.

But they all agree that saying no to all that came with the sought-after-job was not easy.

"Most of my family and friends thought I was plain crazy, but those who were really close to me and knew I was planning to write, were supportive," says Basu. Jacob Alexander, who did his B. Tech in Computer Science, could not resist the lure of writing and publishing. "Though my family was supportive, the pressure was always there.

They still try to convince me to return to a conventional job," says 25-year-old Jacob, an editorial executive with a publishing house.

If a "perfect" job at a young age once meant a passport to blissful existence, it is now about discovering where your talent lies.

For Vasudevan, it would have been "a fair and stable climb." But media is the happening field in India; there are risks involved and the play is going to be exciting.

It is not enough to pursue your passion, but also ensure it pays. "Right now, I'm doing work I really love and getting paid for it," says Basu.

For Kabra, with the Fountainhead Pre-School completing its first year, things are looking up. "The drawback about an enterprise is that it takes a year and a half to yield results. It is the prospect of immediate financial gain that has to be forgone," says Kabra.

Of course, there are no regrets. "I've never had a single occasion to regret not doing my MBA. Sure, I would have earned more money, but money isn't all that important," says Basu. For him, it is the "creative satisfaction, the opportunity to meet great people, control over my own time and the joy of seeing my own book."

Kabra believes it is about giving Generation Next better education. "I have studied in several schools and was not happy with what I got. Towards the end, the curiosity element in me was zero," he says. His school aims to make learning a joyful experience for the child.

"Moments of doubt, not at all," says Kabra. But pangs are, of course, there when he sees his classmates taking home hefty pay packs, for he knows he was equally talented to do that.

The emphasis seems to be able to think out of the box. "Here in Class X, it's decided what you should do and it is about plodding to reach there," says Vasudevan.

The road not taken

But post-1990s, there has been a change, "As the economy matures and diverse jobs are available, people will gradually begin to realise that the jobs we grow up thinking are good are rather boring. And for the first time, in this country, you have a chance to do whatever you want and make money doing it as well," says Basu.

As Jacob puts it, "It is about not taking the beaten path, but picking up what you are comfortable with." Though their professional degrees are always a security, going back is "an option locked away," says Vasudevan. "I have already made a choice and I am sticking on," says Jacob.

In a nutshell, Vasudevan says, "A convert is more religious than the priest."