kartik kannan's space on the web

A world that existed Before work and home

Yesterday I was having some problems with breathing and also with my eye,with a slight headache that cut short my working day.I returned home as early as 5 30 pm and was resting for a while before approaching a doctor.It was then that I chanced upon a 20-20 match between two Local Pakistan Sides(Sialkot Stallions and Karachi Zebras).I was reminded of the days in School when I used to watch anything that was dished out on TV, to the effect that I knew the starting 11 of almost all the county teams in the English League in 1996.Those days watching the game itself, was fun considering the fact that I was so idle to have time to watch any match on earth,may it even be a 30 overs MRF vs Chemplast game at the Chepauk stadium having 30 souls watching including teh 2 teams.

Now coming back to yesterday,I was so deeply engrossed in the match, for a second I realised how formula minded I had become,since studies and work gained so much priority over the years,making me watch only those 30 minute highlight packages.Where were the days I used to have my ideal holiday in the summer of 95 as getting up at 3 am to watch a match being playd in New zealand,after which matches in Sharjah would start at 11 and ending at 7, after which the matches played in West Indies at 7 30 in the evening would take over.In between I used to take breaks to go out in the evening,taking a stroll to the nearby Ellits beach,where I used to play Cricket on the road adjunct to the Pathway... or play those intense "B Block vs C block" 6 over matches with a pride.

Over the years,I feel bad that such a natural interest had naturally degraded without even me knowing that my fundamental interests are getting eroded all in the name of studies and Work.All said and done...nothing like the innocent schooldays till 8th standard where pressure means a word used in the kitchen by the Mother of a child to describe her cooking apparatus. After 8th,every year we are goaded by our parents saying that If we work hard this year,it would keep us happy the rest of our lives,and we overworked animals keep listening to that in the hope that we would then get the job a "mattress consultant" where our job is only to sleep and test the softness of a matress and eat,sleep and drink cricket.

Then we slowly realize that Saturday Sunday stop to being 'weekends' and they are just 2 extra days we get to sharpen our saw when it comes to getting more marks and while at work,we are optimistacally told to view Saturday sunday as Manna from Heaven to finish the remaining work on the 5 day week.

How long is it since I lifted a bat and played serious cricket ? I guess 8 years ..and I dont do it now because I cant play in the "HOT SUN" and tire myself,while 10 years ago...all I did in the summer hols under 40 plus temperatures was to roam around with friends in the gully trying to ape Sachin and other cricketers.

Gone are the simple days of enjoyment..I may seem like moaning ,but the competitive world of today is seeing rest as a luxury which may or may not be utilised and I am also party to it.But after typing this , I know ...I will go back home and mentally prepare myself for another day at work...with the single minded objective of goals,page views and Targets .... Oh ! me ...am I now growing to be a Hypocrite