Hogwarts in Hyderabad?

This post is about magic,elegance and spells. Before you jump to the words like Accio, Avada Kedavra and sundry incantations from Ole Harry Potter, let me say this is about another Wizard who has given me joy over the years. This post was triggered from a replay of match on telly which set me thinking. The Wizard is no Harry Potter but a toothy Hyderabadi who answers to the name of VVS Laxman. And instead of a wand, he wields the willow. Ah,well wands are sure made from willow in the Harry Potter universe. He averages less than 50 (less than Gautam Gambhir) but his innings retain a special place on one's memories. To me, he was all magic. When Michaelangelo was asked how did he create those wonderful pieces of sculpture in the Sistine Chapel, he said the sculpture was already there in the block of granite, he just set it free. There is such an inevitability in a Tendulkar classic. The innings is there, it is bound to happen and he will make it happen as Sun shall rise in the East. In case of Laxman, there is almost a childlike need to create magic. The audience is enthralled and enchanted and he looks forward to what will happen next. Almost like the petal in the water magic by Lily Potter. Its simple, its beautiful and it transcends normal thoughts.
Everybody talks about the iconic 281 Kolkata classic. For me, its the 32 runs he made in South Africa which was magical and at the same time ephemeral like all magic is. Its probably the best 32 runs anybody has made. The standout shot for me was a hook of Shaun Pollock for a six which was sheer beauty. In the movie Escape to Victory, the good (the only one) German General replays the bicycle kick of Pele in his mind and applauds it after every one has stopped clapping. He applauds for the sheer poetry, elegance and magic. I would do the same for that six of Pollock.
I have met VVS on a flight once to Hyderabad. By meet, I mean we traveled by the same plan. But I shall use the word meet for bragging rights. Thats my party line and I am sticking to it!!! First impressions would indicate a self-effacing person off the field. On the field, one gets a feeling that he is thinking new ways of conjuring magic. In a test against the mighty Australians, they had two fielders on the offside seperated by an arms length from each other. In fact , if they were to stretch their hands their fingertips would touch each other. And then Laxman caressed the ball which bisected the two fielders and raced to the boundary leaving the fielders scratching their heads. Magic is deception and deception is magic. Like all elegant batsmen, Laxman always had the extra second to play his shots. It was always great to see him almost slow the ball down and then scratch his chin and decide which shot he would play. Neo from Matrix,anyone?
Inzamam had always the extra time, but he was hampered by the lumbering gait which was like a time bombing waiting to explode in the next run out. Mahela Jayawardene has same magic to an extent and no better exhibition than the 100 he made in the WC final before it was drowned by the whirr of the Dhoni helicopter.
If there was a person for whom I would pay money to watch, it would be Laxman. There is always "Where were you " moment. Like where were you when Man landed on the moon? Where were you when Rajiv Gandhi was assasinated? In cricketing lore, it has always been "Where were you when Laxman made that 281?" at least for me.
Not for him, the savagery of Sehwag or the dependability of Dravid or the inevitability of Sachin. It is always been the caress , the touch and timing. He has been criticised for lack of footwork. I say, when did a Wizard ever walk? Even the Death Eaters flew. Alladin had his carpet. Laxman has his willow.
TO Laxman for those 'Pele' moments. And I am sure somewhere Down Under the Aussies agree!!!!

My tryst with the Monk who gave away his Porsche

Everybody is aware of the Robin Sharma cult classic "The monk who gave away his Ferrari". I had the privilege of having met a real life Monk who gave away his Porsche. And no, this blog is not about whether a Ferrari is better than a Porsche (sorry, grease monkeys out there!!!). What makes it more poignant is the fact that I am very wary about Godmen and Godwomen in general. So the fact that I am writing about my tryst is indication of my awe and spellboundness (literary license to use such a word) I still am in. The Monk was a successful businessman and had offices in Canada, Silicon Valley and Sydney. He gave it all away ,including his Porsche, to take the path of a renunciate. The Monk is very much tech savvy and communicates on email. He is a friend of a friend of mine. This friend had spoken to me about the Monk, but in my addled meat-and-potatoes thinking, I greeted that with sceptism. One day, for no rhyme and reason, I decided to write to him pointing out questions regarding miracles and the effect it has on Karma. The Monk responded with a very cogent, coherent explaination and then went on to describe certain traits and events of my life which only I was privy to. That started onto a conversation thread which even now continues. His reasoning was rational and bereft of inanities and mumbo-jumbo. I have been questioning him and he has been indulging me. It is a cycle which repeats itself in every thread. Some time back I decided to go meet him since till then all conversations were conducted through the Internet ether. He resides in the Ashram in Himachal Pradesh and the journey to his ashram is a story by itself. After disembarking at Kalka I took a ride to a place near Solan. I reached the foothills of a hill and the rest of the journey was on foot. It was getting cold out there and despite a porter to help me with the luggage, I was moderately challenged by the climb. As I started walking, the treeline started changing and one could feel the onset of nature unsullied by pollution of the urban life. Presently we came across a river cascading down with the deep murmurring sound that only a flowing river can make. We started looking for a fjord for us to cross the river. My jeans hitched high, I could see the crystal clear water which I had read about but not encountered (not in Mumbai for sure). The water was icy cold and the stones polished to a smoothness over the years by the river. The good thing was that the icy water invigorated the tired limbs and it gave enough impetus to make it to the Ashram on top of the hill. It was around 4:00 in the evening and I made some small talk with another seeker ( a college professor) . Around 6:00, the Monk came to the room and assumed his yogic seating position when I went to meet him. The first thing that struck me was the glow that emanate from his face. To the rational mind, it can be attributed to the disciplined life that a renunciate leads including the food and continuous yoga . It is nobody's case that yoga does create wonders. To the non-rational person, it suggests an evolved person. It is pertinent to note that the word 'Rational' is absolute and 'Rationale' is relative. It would be highly self-delusional of me to say that I am rational. My rationale is a function of my conditioned thoughts. It was biting cold out there and despite being swathed in layers of clothing my teeth was chattering away like an agitated simian. He on the other hand was draped in a simple thing cloth and there was not even a semblance of discomfort. We discussed several things that night, some of which shall remain privy to him and me. We discussed among other things the software industry, sales cycles, the effect of Tibetan Bon religion on the Tantric school of thought in India and the Tantric school of thought in general. Before you conjure up visual images of ash smeared matted lock bearing bearded Nagas, it is pertinent to note there are many schools of Tantra and the one the Monk follows is Dakshina school of thought which is based of arduous meditation.My knowledge was and is limited and primarily from secondary sources. So it was great to hear somebody who had been through the path first hand.As we were discussing yogic practices, he asked me to feel his pulse. I registered ZERO pulse. You heard it right, ZERO pulse.So to remove any parralax similiar effect, I again felt his pulse and it still registered ZERO. He believes that anybody can attain the same proficiency (or powers if you may) if one persists. He has been tested by doctors in Chandigarh in a suitable test environment, so really, empirical evidence will suggest such powers. We continued talking on that wonderful night and it was a conversation with two diametrically opposite conversationalists. Me , a man fond of his material accoutrements and really, pseudo-intellectualized thinking and he who gave it all away to pursue a higher goal or calling. Eventually scepticism had to give way and I felt I was in the presence of a much evolved power. As I made my way back to the hurly-burly of the world that I left behind at the foothills, I realized this could have been the life-altering experience that one looks for. Some gain that by skydiving, some gain by scuba diving and some by running away from rampaging bulls (Ok, it is a straight lift from Zindagi Na Mile Dobara). I gained that experience by meeting the Monk who gave away his Porsche and I would not trade it for anything else in the world.
P.S : He does not accept any donations as a rule. As I said , he is a Monk who is cut from a different cloth than the ones one sees on TV.  For the readers who want to know more about the Monk , he is Om Swami and he can be reached on his blog www.omswami.com. I would encourage the reader to read his blog and experience the Mystic in him , and God willing, the mystic within you.