From Setbacks to Triumphs: The Inspiring Journey of West Indies Cricket and Rohan Bopanna!

Just under a year ago, West Indies faced the rock bottom by not qualifying for the 50 over Would Cup, everyone has written off the West Indies and when a broadcaster mocked to dissolve the West Indies board and grant associate status to each island, former cricketer Ian Bishop patiently reflected that “When your friend is going through a hard time, you support them not to mock them”.

Fast forward to today, now the same West Indies team triumphed over the Australian fortress, Gabba, thanks to young man, Shamar Joseph. I was thrilled to know that he was once a security guard a few years back before transitioning into a full time cricketer.

The second inspiring news is of Rohan Bopanna. He won the Australian Grand Slam at the age of 44. Patience, Perseverance and Hope are just a few words until we meet someone like Rohan who dreamt of this moment from the last 20-25 years!!

In the world of sports, where triumphs and defeats intertwine, the West Indies cricket team’s resurgence and Rohan Bopanna’s Grand Slam victory echo the essence of resilience and dedication. Shamar Joseph’s remarkable journey from a security guard to a cricket star exemplifies the power of perseverance, while Bopanna’s win at 44 stands as a testament to the enduring spirit of hope.

As these stories unfold, they remind us that sport, beyond the boundaries of wins and losses, inspires us to believe in the extraordinary possibilities that unfold when one remains steadfast in the face of adversity.

Aussies and IPL Auction 2023!

Now that the dust of the IPL auction 2023 has settled, let us reflect on the Australian dominance in this IPL auction.

First things first, in the end, every IPL franchise wants to win the IPL and thus to have the best athletes, fielders and team players as its constituents, and needless to say, Aussies marked those criterias, like everytime.

Secondly, I feel it is no brainer that every IPL team creates or tries to create a combination that they think is perfect to win the IPL, at any cost. For eg. this time, Starc, Cummins have fitted and solved the missing jig-saw puzzle to KKR, SRH’s team combinations and thus they went beyond boundaries for them!

Third and the last point is that, however one may deny, it is winning arc of the Test Championship 2023, ODI WC 2023, which also led to enhance a psychological perception about the Australian players, which in my opinion has led to a bit increase in their prices, than the expected price. This might be at the subconscious level, if not necessarily consciously.

However, one must note that some celebrated but not in much form players like Steve Smith are unsold, which in turn highlights the underlying practicality in the auction as well.

Thus, to conclude, it would be wise to say that, the Aussie dominance in this IPL has not come just out of the blue, but is a combination of reality, perception and perceived image!!!

Some of my Write-ups from Social Media

More often than not, I write a few short things on Instagram and Facebook. Here’s the repository of those content, posted since the recent past.

Virat Kohli – The legend of the game!

Virat Kohli, a cricketing legend of our time, is like the North Star that has guided India’s cricketing ship through the darkest of nights. His bat, nothing less than a magic wand, has conjured centuries with the grace of a magician. He is certainly the maestro of consistency, creating masterpieces in the form of runs, with each innings like a stroke of genius on the canvas of cricket.

In the realm of leadership, he was undoubtedly the fearless captain, steering the ship through storms and leading the crew to unprecedented victories. Like a chameleon, he has adapted seamlessly to the ever-changing colours of cricket, excelling in all formats and conditions, whether chasing dreams or anchoring hope.

Kohli’s commitment to fitness and relentless work ethic is like a blacksmith forging a blade of excellence and sharpness. His iconic batting is a symphony of strokes, with cover drives that dance like poetry and leave spectators in awe!

In the grand tapestry of cricket, Virat Kohli’s legacy is woven with threads of records, victories and moments etched in time. Among all his contemporaries, his legend shines brightly, like a beacon in the cricketing cosmos, respected, admired and adored by fans and the entire cricketing fraternity across the globe!

Links to latest write-ups

Someone wisely said that, ‘writing is an intellectual exercise which streamlines your thought process and enables you to put your feelings in rational way’. Keeping that in mind, I have tried penning down a few things related to eLearning on my organization’s blog handle. Sharing links of a few of them, do read!

1)https://www.venturatechnologies.in/blogs/learning-and-development-trends-for-2023

2)https://www.venturatechnologies.in/blogs/gamification-in-elearning-need-essence-and-the-right-ways-of-doing

3)https://www.venturatechnologies.in/blogs/how-l-and-d-professionals-can-utilize-elearning-initiatives-to-demonstrate-their-effectiveness-and-achieve-key-result-areas

SKY is NOT the limit!

Cricket is nothing short of a religion in our country.It is a festival, a celebration, and an emotion to millions. And, this overwhelming popularity of the game has obviously led to fierce competition for being in that ‘top 11’, which in turn results in missing some great talents in the nascent stages.

Similar is the case of Suryakumar Yadav. He debuted in Ranji cricket in his early 20s, but due to some or the other reasons, he had to wait for almost a decade to make his debut in ODIs.

He was already gaining attention in Mumbai circle, but was struggling to be in coveted 11 at the national stage. I remember Rohit Sharma tweeting about his talent and potential, way back in 2011.

I have been watching him since his KKR/MI days. Years passed, circumstances changed, but his craft kept on improving further and further. From recent past, he is being appreciated globally for Topping ICC’s Global Batsman Ranking. Some are trying to question the permanency of his form, but they all need to be told that he doesn’t seem STOPPABLE atleast in near future, especially owing to the struggles, patience and sacrifices he has had till date, ‘this SKY doesn’t seem to be fearful of ANY LIMITS’!!

Why do I admire R Madhavan?

Ranganathan Madhavan aka Maddy,
when we hear this name, the first thing which comes before most of us is RHTDM movie. But, there are many things BEFORE and AFTER the RHTDM which is why I admire him.

He is middle class tamil boy, who completed Bsc from Kolhapur and went to Canada and England via scholarships even before completion of his graduation!

During college years, he used to conduct personality development, public speaking and interview guidance classes of his peers and juniors. Later, he decided to pursue career in this sector via taking classes at larger scale which led him to come to Mumbai.

Then, in order to take tution rooms for rent in the Juhu area, someone suggested to do Modelling (which can make him more money in lesser days!!) and this is how is modeling and then movie career started.

During the journey, he saw the Fame and Success- both, and that too at a scale which he only have imagined. This was about his journey. Now let’s ‘Decode’ R Madhavan as a personality!

He always believes that Fame and Success are two different things. And, always wants him and his son to pursue the later.

I had already written this in one of my blog, where he believes that there is nothing wrong in being mediocre/common. And, he gives example of his father who is happy being a mediocre throughout his life. Unlike Madhavan, who strives for success, always.

He always tells to use your strengths in whichever career you choose. He had taken 3-4 years gap to understand himself and the audiences in better manner. His recent movie Rocketry is driven by his passion towards Astrophysics and Space appliances.

The key thing to be mentioned about this movie is that he himself is both the director and producer of this movie. He has sold some of his properties to make this movie when bigger production houses were sceptical about the movie. And, he has went to a level of changing own teeth alignment to look alike the character he is portraying.

This level of dedication towards a subject in itself signifies his passion towards the work. One can be awe of his brilliance and crystal clear thought process after watching his speeches which are present on YouTube (especially the Harvard one!).

To conclude, I feel, Madhavan is the same thing for Bollywood, as Rahul Dravid is for Cricket: unpretentious, educated, full of wisdom and the best in the craft. Keep Inspiring Maddy!

E-learning and StoryTelling- ‘Why, How, Dos and Don’ts’!

[Few days back, I had written a small piece on LinkedIn, pasting it here, for easy reading.]

E-Learning in the last few years has become “a preferred choice for some, the necessity for few and a compulsion for others”! In a nutshell- many use it, some debate about it, but, no one denies its presence! In such a scenario, when one lists the aspects which were, are, and would be making e-learning more “Productive and Fruitful”, storytelling ranks quite higher.

Now, before diving deep, let’s hit the bull’s eye- what is storytelling, and why use it? It is basically a way of conveying the idea via the use of characters, incidents, or anecdotes. It is used because it can help to make the process of learning more- interesting, attentive, and retentive!!

When it comes to e-learning, the wise use of “tools, technologies, and techniques” increases the possibility of higher learning outcomes and makes the process of learning more effective. “Structured approach from beginning to climax” is also what makes the storytelling more ‘hitting to the point’. Moreover, “the use of emotions and use of instructional design theories” is what puts the process of learning- at an altogether different stage’!

But, it is rightly said that- all that glitters is not gold! There are some precautions, which if ignored won’t produce the results, the way we expect. For example, in the process of storytelling, the core motive of conveying the idea shouldn’t be diverted. So, the stories should be short, simple, and more importantly- relevant!

The next precaution is about the audience study. The stories should be not just relevant to content but to an audience as well. Thus, the ‘geographic, demographic, and cultural profiles of the target audience’ should also be considered while designing the story.

Lastly, storytelling is the powerful medium to “impart not just the knowledge of what but the wisdom of how”, thus, it should and must be used wisely!

Memes, Movies और We, the Indians!

As mentioned in earlier write-ups, We, the Indians, are inherently Filmy! By ‘inherently’, I meant that parents of most of us might have been filmy in ‘their own’ times as well.

But, in our times, we have one advantage (among many) to express our ‘Filmy being’. And, that is – “Memes”.

I have already said this to many of my friends that, Caricature/Cartoon which is known as “व्यंगचित्र” in marathi, was a popular way of expressing Humor in the past times. But, there was one problem. Only handful of people who were artists, could to it. Others, even with good humour couldn’t express themselves before the world, much effectively.

Internet and Social Media along with Democratizing Freedom to Express, has also Democratized the Freedom to Express- “Creatively“. And, this is what has led us, to Rise, (rather Flood!) of Quality Memes.

Be it election results, be it Cricket Matches, be it any popular occasions- Memes have become INTEGRAL part of our ENTERTAINMENT, rather LIVES!

Look at the above meme, it is indeed Hilarious!, but, on a serious note, inorder to create such meme, one needs 3 things:-

1) Good Interest in Movies

2) Knowledge of International Affairs

3) Wisdom to Interconnect above both, at RIGHT TIME and at RIGHT PLACE!!

Thus, I strongly feel, if something like ‘Global Meme-Based Creativity Index’ is curated, India and We, the Indians would leave everyone aside and grab the top position🤞.

Indian Police and Indian Movies!

Police forms the integral part of the society. And, it is said that- ‘Movies are the reflection of the society’. Thus, police also forms the topic of many of our films- either directly or indirectly.

Vijay(not me!), a courageous inspector from movie ‘Zanjeer’ depicted one of the early staged Angry-Young-Man who portrayed the urge of younger generation in 80’s to fight the inequality, unlawful acts in the society.

Following this, ‘Sarfarosh’- was another significant cop based movie where IPS Ajay shows an honest crime branch head, who fights the illegal cross border acts.

‘Shool’ movie depicted unfortunate political interference in the policing and ‘Gangajal’ showed that “our law is not weak but we as a society has made it weak,ebecause, when we point at a corrupt policeman- we forget that he forms the part of same society, as we are”. It thus made Strong Case against INSTANT Justice bypassing the Lawful means.

In last 15 years, we saw the rise of films like Dabang, Singham and recent one- Sooryavanshi. They are mass entertainer films, depicting- ‘Larger Than Life’ Police Officers. Since, they have earned quiet a good amount of revenue, it indicates that- larger section of audience liked these movies.

We also saw some good movies like “Article 15”, which underlines how a newly posted IPS officer fightsw the grave violation of Right to Equality, enshrined via Article 15 of Constitution.

Now, the movie which triggered me to write all this was recently released- Jai Bhim. It touches the ‘brutal misuse’ of our Criminal Justice System and ‘unLawful’ Policing visible in SOME cases. These issues have already been touched by Malimath Committee Report, Prakash Singh Judgment by Supreme Court etc, but still, we have a long way to go!.

Now, the question is should we go for Sooryavanshi like ones or for Jai Bhim like ones?

Obviously, it is personal choice, but, I feel, if you are watching 2 Sooryavanshi like movies in a month to entertain yourself, DO watch, at least one Jai Bhim like ones to get the REALISTIC experiences of our society, because, movies are reflection of the society and “IN ORDER TO CHECK HOW DO WE LOOK, IT IS IMPORTANT TO LOOK INTO THE MIRROR ONCE A WHILE”!!