A Writer's Block...

The good old cursor

I sit in my room staring at the blank white space of MSWord and the blinking cursor waiting for me to start typing so that it can race all across the screen. Its only purpose in life it seems is to race from one end of the page to the other leaving behind a slew of letters and words. A noble profession I might add considering how the lives and careers of writers and journalists around the world depend upon this blinking black line.

You might be wondering at this point, where exactly I am going here. Well the simple answer to that is nowhere. I have been struck by the one disease writers fear the most; Writer’s Block. It is a condition, in which a writer loses the ability to produce new work.

This is how my mind must look like now.

Ever since the World Cup concluded I have been thinking of something good to write about but have yet to find anything. I have tried my usual methods of thinking, i.e., staring outside the window, looking at the clouds and the sky, drinking coffee, listening to classical music, taking long showers and day dreaming, but to no avail. My mind it seems has just gone blank.

I've not gone mad, far from it. When it comes to talking or chatting with friends, I come up with hundreds of things to talk and discuss about. But the moment I sit down to write, my mind goes blank. It is as if there is a wall isolating the part of my mind that is necessary for writing from the rest. Try as I might I cannot break or scale this wall, it’s just too high and impenetrable.

In a funny way this wall reminds me of the advertisement for Ambhuja Cement. It is the one where two families try to break the wall separating them using all the means in hand including a stick of dynamite. When nothing works a voice in the background says, “Tutega kaise, Ambhuja Cementse jo bana hai”. It is the same voice I hear every time I try breaking the wall in my mind. This block is making me crazy!

On a serious note though, as I write this piece, I cannot help but wonder, ‘What if this thing happens to me when I’m in a job?’ The answer though quite simple is very scary. I better get myself out of this misery soon!  

India the World Champions...

the moment...

As the ball left Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s bat and sailed high over the boundary rope, there was a collective roar by 2 billion people. A roar which reverberated across the globe reaching every corner of the world announcing the arrival of India, the world champions in cricket. Yes, after a long wait of 28 years India has again captured the Holy Grail of cricket; the Cricket World Cup.

The great Muhammad Ali once said that, ‘Champions are made from something they have deep inside them – a desire, a dream, a vision’. The Indian cricket team proved this today. After the catastrophe that was the 2007 World Cup, it didn’t look like Indian cricket would reach the top of the rankings much less win another World Cup. There was a need for massive rebuilding and restructuring. It was a time to bid farewell to the old and welcome the new.

It all began with the new captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s desire to be the absolute best. He is a born leader and it immediately showed when he brought in young players to form a great mix of young and old in the team. His desire and positivity rubbed onto his team mates as the team steadily climbed to the top of the rankings in both the ODIs and Tests. The team also won the inaugural Twenty20 World Cup. Things became better and better as the team’s performances hit a consistent high and it also showed in the results.

They even dared to dream of winning a World Cup again and it was no surprise then that India entered into this World Cup as favourites to win. Things began well but hit a low as they tied a match against England and lost to the South Africans. But instead of being bogged down, the team rose to the occasion with every player playing his role. The stellar performances against Australia and Pakistan showed the character of the team and the players. Today against the Sri Lankans this was even more evident when having lost two early wickets they held their nerves to come up top in one of the most exciting World Cup finals.

Players like Yuvraj Singh, Sachin Tendulkar, Gautam Gambhir, Zaheer Khan, Dhoni and Harbhajan Singh lead by an example and inspired the others to perform. Players started peaking at the right moment. Suresh Raina came from the bench to finish off a very crucial game against the Australians. Nehra after having a horrid match against the South Africans came back with a strong performance against Pakistan in the semi-finals. Dhoni though leading the team from the front, saved his best for the last as he played one of his best innings when it mattered the most, in the finals.

A vision that was created in 1983 as a relatively unheard team felled the giants of cricket to lift the World Cup has been achieved again. It has taken 28 years of hard work and passion to achieve it but the wait has been worth every moment. A country which has been many a time blamed to be underachievers has answered her critics. Today as the Indian cricket team lifted the World Cup, I was ecstatic and I had tears in my eyes. But like Sachin I couldn't stop them or cared as they were the tears of happiness and pride. 

The World Champions of 2011...