inky pinky ponky...

There are issues we discuss over and over again, often overshooting the scheduled time of meetings, extending the work week to Saturdays, still not succeeding in reaching a decision. The work plan I make for the week goes into doldrums when I spend a major part of the business day in conference rooms.

I am impressed with Diya, my 6-year old daughter taking instantaneous decisions effortlessly with the tough situations of her age.

She has 2 GEMS, pink and green. Which one to eat first..inky pinky ponky...

She has to read the English Reader and practice writing Hindi words for dictation. She hates to do both. She coaxes Mamma to compromise with one of those for the day and Mamma wants her to choose between the two... inky pinky ponky...

boxing, olympics and more..

Boxing has never been an interesting soprt to me. In the first place, I thought that those punches are inhuman and belong to a primitive age. Sights of blood drippng from boxing rings made me switch channels when I chanced to have glimpse of this sport on TV.

My mental block is partly attributed to association of this sport with Mike Tyson, famous for his off the Ring activities with a chain of criminal records to beat any sportsman the history has seen given the fact that the only two names I can recollect are that of Muhammed Ali and Mike Tyson with my limited knowledge of this sport.

It was a revelation to me that this sport is not about muscle power, but tactics. I could not have thought I would become a great fan of this sport I'm today, and Virendar, Jitendar and Akhil, my heroes!!

I enjoy the sport despite knowing the rules of the game primarily because it brought the sheen of a Olympic medal to India, a non-performer of all times whose only intention appears to save its face with a bronze or sliver from the risk of being counted among the countries at the bottom of the medal tally, which are either too small to send a decent delegation to Olympics or just waking up to modern civilisation.

The way these boys have come up with their humble social background achieveing success through their sheer hardwork and dedication with minimal support from the system talks about where India has to begin its efforts.

If one Thomas Master in Koruthode (a remote village in Kerala) can produce 3 Olympians (Anju Boby George, Shiny Wilson & Jincy Philip) and many athletes of national repute,(http://www.outlookindia.com/mad.asp?fname=Making&synopsis=&subsubsec=Kerala&fodname=20051024&personname=K.P.+Thomas) it is a testimony that we can do a better a job with a concerted effort in finding talent and providing training and environment to grow them.

Is there a point is expecting a sportsperson to practice 8 or 12 hours a day to excel in his sports and bring Olympic glory, when he has to fight for his and his family's sustenance? This becomes the role of the system (read as government) to provide this along with infrastructure and training facilities for sports.