Rajesh Chokhani: The Real Maverick

He started the meeting saying

' Tell me what is common between Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid & Anil Kumble?' 

I was asking to myself, how was the question relevant to meeting agenda. But still, I confidently replied saying that they were the three pillars of Indian Cricket. 

But the next statement from him completely flabbergasted me. 

He said ' Those three stalwarts can never win WC or IPL Trophy for team as a Captain.'

Being a player, fanatic & a follower of the Game of Cricket, I thought this was a mere joke my boss was trying to crack or there was some pun intended for sure. But he was in a no nonsense mood.

 He continued that "these players always have been calculative, meticulous and the calculation does take toll on their captaincy". He said that those things were important, but risk taking, surprising the opponents with unforeseen moves, shooting in air also are important qualities if the Leader trust his brigade."

There couldn't have been a better kick off to the Ideation meeting. It is the story about a person who always thinks across the boundaries, never gets bogged down by critics, never is afraid of trying. There were lots of occasion where he failed. But every time he fell, he rose again. Like those waves which fall, but only to rise again.

He never forced anyone to believe in his ideologies, People just bought those ideas seeing his confidence & belief. At the same time he also allowed & encouraged the people working under him to develop their own flair, thought process & thoughts. Lucky were the few who got chance to work under him or with him. He not only inspired but also perspired success.

He always loves to brag about numbers & inspired others to achieve it. But he always keeps thinking how to use these numbers for the brand, for the company. A role model would be an understatement for him.

Some of you might call all the above as a HYPE. But all those who know him or have known him will more than agree to each and every word written above. Every time he speaks there was some take away for all of us who were looking to learn & grow.

He is a real MAVERICK who has carved his own style and continuously keeps improvising it. I have never seen him working, coz he is so passionate about what he does, so he always enjoyed. If he doesn't enjoy he doesn't do it.

Today, at this juncture where he has decided to move on, I would like to thank him for all those words of wisdom he spoke knowingly & unknowingly. Thanking him for bringing out the best out of us without even us realizing it. Thanks for awakening the mavericks within us & making us think independently.

Thanks Rajesh Chokhani the Real MAVERICK for being a wonderful boss, great philosopher, guiding hand & awesome friend. Above all, thanks for being such a wonderful person who always lived his life for the others...

You may have bid adieu to the company, but you have left a LEGACY & RICH CULTURE behind you. Also you sure have left a Lacuna in the corporate space we work in & our hearts too.

Wish to take those enlightening sessions every once in a while from you to keep the Mavericks with us alive. 

HATS OFF TO YOU!!!

Yeh hai Mumbai meri jaan!!!

Aye dil hai mushkil jeena yahan

Zara hat ke zara bach ke, yeh hai Bombay meri jaan

The song dates back to 1956 from the movie C.I.D, but the lines seems to be apt even in 2011. 

26/11 terrorist attack, 7 blast & counting, the loss of thousands of innocence lives has completely shattered the image of this city. The city once known as city of dreams has become the city of nightmares. Hardly when we recovered from the trauma of one attack, there is another reminder ready to be served. The pain, the agony, the despair just refuses to subside.

While the world & the politicians can only condemn the blast, start the blame game & pour in their condolences, we Mumbaikars just like sitting ducks wait for another blast to rock the city. The world praises about our resilience and spirit with which we bounce back. Let be the 26/11 terrorist attacks, the 7/11 train blast or 1993 blast, Mumbai has always bounced back and moved on. The whole city is back to work the very next day.

But isn’t this making us a soft target?

While USA immediately beefed up their security measures after the 9/11 attacks, While India on other hand just keeps on setting up the inquiry committees.  We as Mumbaikars just pour out our anger on Twitter and Facebook.  We just sit back and hope that we are not the next.

Leave apart being Shangai, can we ever be a better Mumbai.

Couldn't agree more with the tweet "I Don't Wanna Ask Govt 2 Hang KASAB.. I Just Wanna Request Them 2 Protect Us In The Same Way As They Have Protected Him."

Even after writing & reading about all these, we all will just think about the apathy and forget it. Every time we say that 'This time I am not going to just watch and forget, I am going to take action and protest because if I still keep quite I will be taken for granted.I need a better life. I work hard for it, I pay taxes for it, you can’t finish my life'. But our outrage is very short lived.  Hope our lives are not. 

Hope prevails, hope survives. Hope for a dream and not a nightmare. 

The dark history of the terror attacks on Mumbai

March 12, 1993: Serial blasts rock Mumbai 257 killed 713 injured.

Oct 29, 1993: Blast in Matunga station, two killed, over 40 injured.

Feb 27, 1998: Blasts in Virar, Thane, two killed.

Dec 2, 2002: Blast in bus in Ghatkopar, two killed, 49 injured.

Dec 6, 2002: Blast in Mumbai Central Station, 22 injured.

Jan 27, 2003: Blast near Vile Parle Station, over 30 injured.

March 13, 2003: Blast in train in Mulund, 13 killed, over 80 injured.

July 29, 2003: Blast in bus in Ghatkopar, three killed, 30 injured.

Aug 25, 2003: Twin blasts at Zaveri Bazar and Gateway of India, 55 killed, over 150 injured.

May 3, 2006: Blast in Ghatkopar, one killed.

July 11, 2006: Blast in seven suburban trains, 189 killed, over 1,000 injured.

Nov 26-29, 2008: Mumbai terror attacks, 166 killed and over 300 injured. 

July 13, 2011: Three blasts rock south Mumbai, including Zaveri Bazar, 21 killed, 130 injured.

All we gonna do is sit & wait for the next one..Unless one that really hits us.

Cricket is a simple game, don't complicate it

"Cricket is a simple game, don't complicate it"

These are words of all the coaches from Barbados to Eden Gardens to the Lords. The level of coaching might differ from international stars to small cricket enthusiastic kids, but the words remain the same.

Further more, all of them are advised that 'One Ball at a time', 'Play every ball on it merit'. All these sounds so simple & achievable, but yet most of the players strive to achieve that.

Patience surely is a virtue but possessed by very few. Shivnarine Chanderpaul can surely take pride in being one amongst those few. He is known for his unorthodox front-on batting stance, doggedness and ability to stick on the wicket for long hours. Serene, Calm & composed approach, makes us think that he is on some other planet altogether. Chanders who made his debut in 1994, has never looked behind, taking it ball by ball to 2011.

Come 2011, India tour of Carribean. The host already have been marred with controversy of not including Chris Gayle. Chanders & Sarwan are only the two senior pros in the team expected to carry the burden of the team and salvage pride if not win.

Chanderpaul is at that stage of his career where 

1) He is not amongst the runs. Needs to prove a point to himself

2) Need to prove his place in the side to the selectors

3) Defying his age

4) Leading the team batting from the front

5) Fighting the Board & politics

6) Answering Media

Now he would like to ask his Coach who once advised him 'Cricket is a Simple Game'. That is Cricket really a simple game.

Chanderpaul's approach towards batting might not seem to have changed drastically. But it is certainly not enjoyable any more.  In fact to be candid, 'Not enjoyable'  is an Euphemism for 'Pain Staking' here. Even the WI crowd gives a thumbs down to his batting. Cricket analyst might believe that it requires grit & determination to hang in there, leave the good balls and wait for the ones. But the wait is getting painful and amidst the hope of things turning around a good ball does him, and the fight with himself gets all the more painful.

Harsha Bhogle wrote 'Dravid's flame still burns' in his article http://www.espncricinfo.com/magazine/content/story/520481.html but for Chanderpaul it will the ash is hoping the wind to reignite fire. Many questions will be raised after the series.

How much more should he hang in there?

Is it the right time to retire?

More importantly,

Will the Fire ever Reignite???