The Journey of a Raindrop

“Born of originality are the droplets of rain which fall from the roof and hit the rain soaked ground were once the first raindrop made its tiny mark”


It knows the inception of his will not define him as it thunders down thousands of kilometer to reach the earth. The journey will.


 It does not how long the raindrop next to its will share the journey. The force of gravity will make sure they share a common destination. Though the voluminous space that the air commands, will ensure they do not share a common path.  The raindrop does not have a definite form yet, but it knows the forces of nature - be it harsh or kind will structure its journey and there by its shape for maximum effectivness. In its sojourn, it might collide with others and be damaged, or coalese to form as one. Some will be influenced by the wind..it knows it will go through many a transition. It will affect him, alter his course of journey but it knows no matter how brutal the transition is, it is perfectly shaped for the journey.It does not know which part of Earth it is going to end up in. Might be in the dense Amazon, or be a part of the bewitching Niagra Falls. It might end up pelting the roads of a city or the roof of a  skyscraper . Its presence might cause grief or joy. It will not know till the journey is over.

I find so many beautiful parallels to this and a similar paradigm stood out. One of them is the journey of the raindrop and us. We do not know where we are heading but are controlled by a common force. We will take different paths, we will bump into people, we will cross paths - some will come along us if the path is similar ; others will have be let go. We will take different forms , some willingly some forced upon us by nature. But we know these are essential tools for our journey. I might find the other's journey less painful - but I cannot take that path. I am meant to take mine and he his ; we cannot swap - the nature is not that kind. We are heading for a common destination , we will take take different routes, but exactly perfect for the journey that we set about.


As I stand under the rayless sky and watch the city getting soaked, the raindrops visible against the glow of the street lights ; the roads getting pelted mercilessly, people running to take shelter and among them a beautiful women trying desperately to escape. She is still in my range of view but something else snares my mind's attention from her : a rain drop that had found its way on the bonnet of a car. It slithers down, the romantics of which can only be captured through a poetry, and disappears. Its journey has ended though I am still staring at the bonnet ; the trail is still clearly visible.The  legacy of its journey  remains : the path.  

The White Knight

"Wickets will keep falling because Rahul Dravid cannot be at both the ends " - so said a placard held by a young boy sitting on the shoulder of his father as he watched a rather familiar scene in Indian cricket started to unfold :

Rahul Dravid being  in the middle during most dangerous phase on the first evening after Sehwag exploded and then extinguished. He was there to see Gambhir confounded by a pedestrian deliver; he was there during the tricky phase on the second morning. He was there to see the crowd giving a standing ovation to the Little Master as he walked in and again as he walked out ; he was there when Laxman blossomed; he was there when Laxman left; he was there when Yuvraj/Raina (and others lining up to fill the shoes of Ganguly ! ) tried to revive their Test career; he was there when they left; he was there to see Dhoni using his pads more often than his bat to defend  and he was there when the lower order imploded in a short time . Dravid was always there.

For me, an ideal Dravid innings needs a most challenging pitch. The pitch should be covered with a inch thick layer of grass else be crumbling like powder. Cracks where you can put your finger through or a sandpit would be ideal - anything to make the ball behave like a demented cobra. If it’s a placid pitch with the ball coming on to the bat, give me Sehwag; if there’s a truly great array of bowlers set to be unleashed, give me Tendulkar. If it's Australians, give me Laxman. If it’s a minefield, give me Dravid.

Arguments are abound that he is last of his breed - a classical test batsmen.  That there will not be someone to take the torch forward , that it will be impossible to find a younger player who prefers to glide the ball  through empty corners rather than  give the ball a good thrashing for 20 overs. A batsmen relying on his wrists rather than his shoulders will some be an endangered species some say.

The dread was omniscient after the disastrous tour of Australia, that he would adieu to the game that became his ideal. It soon became a reality on a hot evening  when I check my messages and one said " Dravid set to retire ". My thumb grazed the screen of the mobile and a gentle smile figured on my face. Not for him a last test series to commemorate his 17 years of vigilance, a simple press conference would do. People say retirement is like death, you know when your time is up. The Grim would have become clearer as he walked off from The Oval where four years back he was the architect of India's first win in Australian soil.

 I don't expect there to be another Dravid. He gave me the greatest joy I have ever got while watching a cricket match in TV or live. They don't come back, and that kind of unadulterated delight in what is, after all, a game, cannot be matched when childhood gives way to adulthood.

The Indian cricket will not miss you Rahul;  they will yearn for you. Because you were the silent protector, the watchful guardian ,The White Knight.

CBI Charge Sheets Bal Thackerey for 15yr Old Case

" The caged tohta " created a sensation by charge sheeting Late Shri, Just missed the Bharath Ratna Awardee, Bal Thackerey for a 15yr old FIR lodged by an immigrant hailing from Budhelkhand- Karamveer Singh.

 Karamveer, as per report , had alleged that Shiv Seniks had bashed up his Vada-Pav stand as the shape of the vada was not meeting the "elliptical" standards set by the seniks. "The major axis of the pav was below the specified limit. The humid weather was the culprit. It was the act of god and these saniks manne te hai ki Bala sahab hi unke bhagwaan hain. What to do now? " 

The file reached the CBI director's office after a 10hr "dust cleaning" monitored by the junior workers. An immediate inquiry was formulated and the a SIT team was sent to "Matoshree". Officers were dumb-founded when they came to know that the "Tiger" had passed away almost a year ago. CBI director has squarely blamed the Govt of India and the falling rupee for this gap in communication. Govt has authorised us to only DD News feeds and no information has come from there regarding Bala Saheb's death

Calls to DD News went unanswered as they were following an important lead concerning the current economic condition - " Whether Rockstar Rajan of RBI has been signed for Dhoom-4" 

.