Fountainhead - so it begins !!

The idea to start a blog has been manifesting in my mind for quite a while. I put it down to laziness and limited technological advancement of my mind that I was unable to begin this sooner. However, better late than never!!

 

Why a blog

 

I am a person of many interests (not necessarily interesting!!) and thus invariably of many beliefs and opinions. Not only am I all of that I also carry a stirring desire to transmit those opinions to my fellow beings. Thus the blog.

 

Me

 

31* meandering towards 32* freshly introduced to a. fatherhood (Ayaansh has just opened his innings and is studying the wicket as he prepares to face the first ball) and b. sense of getting old or maturing (depending on the state of mind I wake up in)!!

 

What went by

 

Brought up in a half atheist nuclear urban mildly affluent fiercely socialist Hindi speaking Marwari household with the ethos of all men being equal except on account of meritocracy and kindness. I never took to studies as a diligent youngster should - laziness has been a lifelong companion.  Inclined towards literature and history to the point of romancing them in school, I abandoned their pursuit after Class Xth, a mistake I regret to this day. Living example of a Chartered Accountant Papa was all too easy to imagine emulating, although in practice it was back breaking work. Papa inculcated in me the sense to understand that instant gratification is never a substitute for plain hard industrious work. Never preached - I only saw him practice. How wonderful the decision of Mummy to move away from Jodhpur & both of them to come to Mumbai was - me and Avni will benefit from it for all our life and would be able to impart the same to our children. If Papa was content, Mummy was not. That is who they are. Better life is what they aspired to and I & Avni have benefitted fully from it. Be it in landing A class education or able to speak fluent languages or able to connect instantly with people across geographies. An open adaptive secular & socialist upbringing has had immense benefits and both of us have stood in good stead because of it.

 

All said CA is what I did manage to become. However, had I pursued Literature and History - what would they have made of me - I will never know!!! Thus I now try to devote as much of my free time to them as possible. I devour history & prose in all forms - visual, verbal, written or graphic.

 

During this phase, I met a person who would change my life forever. I met her during my pursuit of Chartered Accountancy and from being very good friends to becoming soul mates the transition seemed seamless. I was the talker - she the listener. I the humourist she the audience. And now, I am the father & she the mother!! Diligent, hardworking, intelligent and funny in her own way - she is the flame that keeps me glowing. When asked why she wouldn't touch alcohol her reply was Mujhe Zindagi ka Nasha Hai (Life intoxicates me!!). Such is her passion for life.

 

Many interests, beliefs and opinions

 

Being an Indian - urban affluent and lazy as I am - it is very hard to not love cricket & cinema. I believe 3 Cs run India - Cricket Cinema & Corruption (generating the 4th C - Cash). Thus I am a fan - of cricket & of cinema. They give us moments to cherish - away from the daily grind - a picture larger than life - a meaning beyond our personal being. You can relate to the courage of Bhuvan in Lagaan as it is heroic and replicable and you can also relate to the firebrand cricket of Kapil Dev which led an innocuous looking India to usurp the Invincible West Indies to lift its maiden world title from being nobodies. Thus I am confounded when I find Indians not in love with either of these two infectious interests. I must admit they are rare - you will often find someone loving both cricket and cinema and almost universally someone attracted to either of the two. 

 

Cricket and Cinema - They provide an unparalleled insight into human psyche and the contemporary Indian life. When we won independence in 1947 neither of them were flourishing. Neither was India.

 

Today and in between they have had very similar journeys. India, its Cricket & Cinema have come a long way. From being an under developed starving nascent democracy it has become the 3rd largest economy in the World, a major Cricketing & Motion Pictures powerhouse generating highest revenues in Cricket and screen time in movies. With potential greater than past performance, still untapped and unlocked, India looks forward to the 21st Century with the same ambition with which its erstwhile colonial masters, the British, would have looked upon the 19th Century of Splendid Isolation.

 

The above are two primary interests from the many I would like to opine on and elaborate in my upcoming blogs. I would welcome criticism, debate & like mindedness - in summary your opinions on any or all of them.

 

Signing off with my first post for now!!

 

Akash

http://aku1785.blogspot.com/