With some experience as a Trainer (of Banking & Soft Skills) one has had highs and lows in the classrooms but as a famous line from ‘The Karate Kid’ goes ‘There are no bad students only bad teachers’ ! Every trainer worth his salt can gauge the impact he or she has on the audience as reflected in non-verbal cues like body language, avoidance of eye contact and type of verbal queries raised. At times there are unexpected disruptions too.

Recently I happened to be a part of the audience in an on-line training session from the Service Industry that was being conducted for members of the company from the units/ branches across the country in what could be termed as a linguistically divergent group. Typically how the social media platforms could be effectively used in marketing the products and services was being expertly dealt with by two young trainers who thought it fit (convenient) to conduct the session in English, considering terminology involved.

After about fifteen minutes, there were voices raised that a section of the class was not able to follow English and the coordinator advised the trainers to use a mix of Hindi & English for better understanding. Though the trainer tried but somehow the English and Hindi ‘Combo’ seemed to disturb the flow of the session. Added to the confusion was a group saying that the session had to be in English only as they couldn’t understand any Hindi (quite unbelievable to cosmopolitans like us !). The session was halted and it was decided that every point would first be explained entirely in English, then followed by the same by the second trainer, entirely in Hindi. Communicating became a challenge.   

Somehow the two trainers, like brave soldiers unprepared for fighting an unexpected battle, completed the session knowing that full justice had not been done. But trainers are resilient and never give upon their trainees. The coordinators in all their wisdom promised that henceforth separate sessions would be held in English as well as in Hindi. I recall my ‘Trainer’ days of the 90’s – people envied us for our ‘Cushy speaking job role’. But true leaders know it’s real value. As Zag Ziglar had said ‘The only thing worse than training employees and losing them is not training them and keeping them’ !           

After teenage sensation, Vaibhav Suryavanshi’s mind blowing, record breaking century in the RR vs GT’s IPL T-20 match just a few days back, there was a poser ‘Where were you at the age of 14 ?’ just to remind us how some of our prodigiously talented young can operate in another stratosphere, thanks to new opportunities, manifold support systems and growing commerce in sports, specially enhancing cricket to a blue-blooded status.

Seniors will have a pretty staid answer to the question posed- like normal kids we were in school studying (hard or hardly, it matters little) but mostly playing with classmates sans smart phones & app games. However, a certain ‘cricket obsession’ existed then too and most of us played cricket in our college field wielding  wooden chair backs broken as bats & with tennis balls during lunch intervals & gully cricket on holidays. In the 1960-70s, no system existed for purchasing a prodigy’s cricketing skills in an auction bidding for a thousand bucks, forget tens of millions that today’s IPL owners lavish on ‘winnable’ prospects. Sports and even ‘divine game’ cricket, wasn’t a viable job option that parents could urge their kids to pursue, barring the ‘sports quota’ available to few select players.

Flashbacking, in Class X at age 14, I recall doing reasonably well in both studies and in hitting square cuts but having some brilliant geeks as friends focused on pure academics & one couldn’t get left far behind in class. One genius actually came up with a scientific invention based on ‘physics’ leaving teachers in awe and earning applause. Yet, many (including me) dreamed of becoming batsman of class watching the phenomenal rise of ‘little masters’ Sunny & Vishy in 1969-70. Our parents were sports lovers & indulgent to our passions as long as we labored enough to become engineers/doctors/civil servants that ensured respectability in terms of family tradition, pride and marital prospects !

As it happens, in school there always existed a ‘different kettle of fish’ who were wild and ‘bohemian’ in outlook indulging in irritating teachers, bunking classes and smoking pot. One of the most interesting incidents of our time was when three of our classmates were reported missing from school & were certainly not at home. When they didn’t return till night, a search was launched by the influential parents and the local police tracked them  to discover that they had boarded a train to Mumbai to become actors ! At that time it was all quite sensational, we now hear similar ‘struggler’ stories from successful stars !

It’s universally emotive bringing back happy memories when reminiscing school days of playful exuberance & precociousness with an innocence that hadn’t got vitiated in a pre-digital era. Few decades ago, pressure of unrealistic expectations, ‘being the best’ and of  making it big, wasn’t so intense ! As a 60’s song cries ‘Koi lauta de mere beete hue din..’ !

The recent chilling and traumatic stories of the dastardly attack and macabre killings of unarmed tourists by terrorists in Pahalgam, Kashmir sent shock waves across the entire  country, yet side by side, like soothing balm to the survivors and terror-stricken tourists were acts of courage, sacrifice and humanitarianism, far above and beyond call of duty shown by local Kashmiri service providers, horse-walas, taxi drivers & shop-keepers. In glowing terms they’ve spoken of  many ‘Good Samaritans’ all extending a helping hand.   

This reminds us of our travel story that’s ten years old and fortunately didn’t have any mishaps or setbacks but remains memorable for the yeoman services of one man. We’d  undertaken a ‘Rajasthan’ trip in 2015 (to Udaipur & Kumbalgarh), & the travel agent arranged for a vehicle and driver to be with us from Kota throughout, to show us around the important sites and history and heritage of the place ! The driver, a frail looking man met us early morning at the Kota Station. Little did we know, in next few days he’d show exemplary commitment and spirit like a ‘star player’, beyond our expectations.

As he expertly took us around, the grand history of the picturesque Lake City of Udaipur resoundingly came alive with the relics, artifacts, pictures, paintings in the Rana Pratap Memorial and amazing City Palace museum in the Old City. Our driver was keen that we must cover the most famous ancient temples of Eklinga and of Srinathji (Lord Krishna) in Nathdwara & made arrangements for a wonderful darshan there, all in a span of four hours to and from Udaipur ! Evening stroll around the Fateh Sagar Lake trying out the chat stalls was awesome ! It was followed next day by a drive up the hills to see the exquisite Jain temple in Ranakpur about 100 kms from Udaipur & inside deep forests.

Next on our travel plan was the impregnable and massive Kumbalgarh Fort built by the great Rajput King, Rana Kumbha, ruler of the Mewar dynasty. The arduous climb to the top of the fort needed great determination but our driver kept egging us on ! The final lap of our journey was the drive to Chittorgarh Fort, the capital and centre of the Mewar ascendency from the 7th to the mid 16th century. Our driver then wanted us to also see the 7 wonders (their replicas) on the beautiful lake in Kota, buy city’s famous Kachauris, shop for exclusive Kota saris and have Rajasthani cuisine at Umaid Palace Hotel ! This done, he safely drove us to the station to board the train back and was reluctant to accept any reward. On reaching back, I got his call inquiring about our safe journey !

I haven’t mentioned his name – ‘Farooq Khan’ from Kota city. Not as charming as the late actor Farooq (Shaikh) or as flamboyant as King (Shahrukh) Khan, but to us he has remained a real star alright ! His kind of selfless service and devotion exhibited in doing his professional duties is rarely seen today. The Kashmiri locals have proved they do exist !

Back in 70s, in the good old days, the diligent ones became doctors, 

Brightest joined the Civil Services, And academics became professors,   

The was set pattern to our studies, we aspired to become great in life,

Professionals in suits, name & fame, with bank balance, family and wife,

Few could however achieve the goal, for life is more than a job & earning,

Some professions need compassion, dedication to serve, spirit of helping,

Our Alma mater proudly contributed, preparing many for this noble work,

Our classmate Dr Surya too is part of, journey five decades ago he’d embark,

There’d surely so many who can recall, your kind words & your healing touch,

In the unwavering dedication to serve, you’ll try to treat and not speak much, 

May your birthday be truly as magical, as your ability to diagnose and to heal ,

Here’s wishing u many happy patients, less late nights and no missing a meal !

Best Wishes, Somnath & Tandra

(Funny Videos on Youtube/Facebook)

If we were to research, we’d discover that no topic has evinced more amusement and a sense of elated release from one’s own mundane marital woes than listening to the ‘tit for tat’ repartees between two intelligent consenting grown-ups who happen to be much married for decades on ! Despite surviving it, people talk about being married in mock seriousness & self-deprecation. Here’s what Henry Youngman said “We were married for better or worse. I couldn’t have done better, and she couldn’t have done worse.”

The legion of quotes on marriage is extensive. In one of our banking seminars on work-life balance, the humorous speaker said in jest ‘Marriage cannot be described in one word, it is a ‘sentence’ for life. It may appear from literary works of men that men are ‘oppressed’, yet Ruth Bader explains ‘In every good marriage, it pays sometimes to be a little deaf’. However, Ogden Nash feels ‘Marriage is the bond between the a person who never remembers anniversaries and one who never forgets them’ ! And in this struggle of wits & patience ‘its one where each partner secretly suspects they got the better deal’ ! Stand up comedians (ones who play it safe !) haven’t still got tired of making cracks at the much-married class, starting with their own spouses, so that’s nothing very novel.

But of late, Tandra and I are both hooked in the battle of wits and words between a real life pair, Dheeraj and Supriya Sarna, who have been prolific in making short videos on their domestic tussles on virtually every issue that arises with the middle class domain. What’s fascinating is the level of comfort each derives while ‘fighting’ and standing their ground – be it shopping, entertaining, household budgets, child’s educational demands, time with friends & drinking beer, planning holidays & most importantly : ‘FOOD’ !  It’s so real and amazingly hilarious that they almost hold a mirror to us all married folks. 

Interestingly, it’s clear that though they’ve been married for about 15 years, Dheeraj & Supriya share a great rapport, but in arguments that arise on almost every subject that comes up for ‘important discussion’, Dheeraj is hopelessly ends up unable to convince his wife, who invariably terminates the talk. It looks eerily familiar to people married for years on &  who often think  ‘East and West- twain could never meet’. This pair succeeds in making us enjoy realizing that lots of energy is spent in disagreements and verbal battles that arise on daily basis but are quickly forgotten: for another fight another day!

Hat’s off to their acting prowess as they play their parts with realism and ‘Sarnas’ have our whole hearted applause for a comedy act that’s clean and free from profanities. The lesson we can get – ‘Married folks are funny, let’s have more comedy than melodrama !’

(Funny Videos on Youtube/Facebook)

If we were to research, we’d discover that no topic has evinced more amusement and a sense of elated release from one’s own mundane marital woes than listening to the ‘tit for tat’ repartees between two intelligent consenting grown-ups who happen to be much married for decades on ! Despite surviving it, people talk about being married in mock seriousness & self-deprecation. Here’s what Henry Youngman said “We were married for better or worse. I couldn’t have done better, and she couldn’t have done worse.”

The legion of quotes on marriage is extensive. In one of our banking seminars on work-life balance, the humorous speaker said in jest ‘Marriage cannot be described in one word, it is a ‘sentence’ for life. It may appear from literary works of men that men are ‘oppressed’, yet Ruth Bader explains ‘In every good marriage, it pays sometimes to be a little deaf’. However, Ogden Nash feels ‘Marriage is the bond between the a person who never remembers anniversaries and one who never forgets them’ ! And in this struggle of wits & patience ‘its one where each partner secretly suspects they got the better deal’ ! Stand up comedians (ones who play it safe !) haven’t still got tired of making cracks at the much-married class, starting with their own spouses, so that’s nothing very novel.

But of late, Tandra and I are both hooked in the battle of wits and words between a real life pair, Dheeraj and Supriya Sarna, who have been prolific in making short videos on their domestic tussles on virtually every issue that arises with the middle class domain. What’s fascinating is the level of comfort each derives while ‘fighting’ and standing their ground – be it shopping, entertaining, household budgets, child’s educational demands, time with friends & drinking beer, planning holidays & most importantly : ‘FOOD’ !  It’s so real and amazingly hilarious that they almost hold a mirror to us all married folks. 

Interestingly, it’s clear that though they’ve been married for about 15 years, Dheeraj & Supriya share a great rapport, but in arguments that arise on almost every subject that comes up for ‘important discussion’, Dheeraj is hopelessly ends up unable to convince his wife, who invariably terminates the talk. It looks eerily familiar to people married for years on &  who often think  ‘East and West- twain could never meet’. This pair succeeds in making us enjoy realizing that lots of energy is spent in disagreements and verbal battles that arise on daily basis but are quickly forgotten: for another fight another day!

Hat’s off to their acting prowess as they play their parts with realism and ‘Sarnas’ have our whole hearted applause for a comedy act that’s clean and free from profanities. The lesson we can get – ‘Married folks are funny, let’s have more comedy than melodrama !’

It’s said ‘What’s in a name’ but for people from the North the genial form of address as in ‘Sharma-ji’ is not only age-old but has an endearing ring to it. That’s because not only do people with the surname ‘Sharma’ abound here, many have achieved fame & success. For me, there are some fond memories of the ‘Sharma’ family who were our neighbours in Lucknow in the 70-80’s and of many friends in school and college who’s claim to fame was excellence in academics & sports, apart from their famous surname. Because it also belonged to one our late Presidents, poets and writers across the spectrum.

While working in BOB, I recall two genial Hindi Officers who we loved to call ‘Sharma-Verma’ Bandhu since they preferred to refer to all of us as ‘Bandhu-Gan’ ! Late Rishi Kapoor’s finest(unfinished) roles was a lovable character in ‘Sharmaji Namkeen’ (2022).   Though some indiscreet stand-up comedians are in ‘eye of the storm’, there’s one ‘Kapil Sharma’ and his ‘Comedy Show’ that has more crass than class, but he rules the roost. Call them ’Sharma-ji’ if you will, but they’ve been indispensable to us in many ways ! 

In our country, contributions in the cricket arena become folklore and ‘Sharmas’ have scored heavily in this field. Remember the late Yashpal Sharma, the doughty right hand batter who was one of the 1983 World cup Heroes. How can one forget pacer Chetan Sharma who’s a superb hat-trick was slightly marred in history by Miandad’s last ball 6. Ishant Sharma, the tallest of pacers still rolls his arm in IPL after a great Test career. A lesser known talented all rounder was UP’s Gopal Sharma who also played for India.

That said, it’s the present day cricketing super-stars who are in limelight. Leading the pack is ‘Hitman’ Rohit Sharma, India’s Captain who brought home two World Cups in a year and has led MI 5 times as IPL Champions. Yet, he’s looking woefully out of touch in IPL 25, but his leadership skills are vindicated & he’s likely to remain India’s Captain. A sensational talent emerging from the IPL ranks is Abhishek Sharma (playing for SRH) who’s blistering 141 in 55 balls stunned a resurgent Punjab into an unexpected defeat.  He’s mentored by splendid Yuvraj Singh that doesn’t augur well for opposition bowlers. Also, there are at least three other ‘Sharmas’ playing for the various IPL franchises now.    

It’s unintended but we’ve talked so far about the ‘Sharma-jis’ and all the likeable men but how can there no mention of illustrious ladies ? Anushka Sharma was one of the finest stars who had a superb start with Ranvir Singh in ‘Band Bajaa Baraat’ and acted in powerful roles as in ‘NH-10’. Now, less active as an actress she’s been acknowledged by her husband, the iconic King Kohli, as his biggest support system. Not in same league, but starting out well in films are two young actresses Neha Sharma and Adah Sharma.

This article is a small tribute to all the versatile and charming ‘Sharmas’ I’ve known !  

Sinha’s Premier ‘Jamai’ – In a League of His Own

Life’s akin to a game of Cricket, Where some do score & thrive

Having ‘Class & Consistency’, In executing a perfect Drive

He’s faced many a tough battle, New Switch-hits aren’t his style

Performing in India & Overseas, With pure elegance and a smile

All-rounder who plays shots, Without  risk & much fanfare

He’s always taken the route, Which only few can ever dare

Backing himself and strengths,  Playing the game fair & square

For him life’s not a T20 league, It’s match-on & a Test for sure

At 75 , He happens to remind, He’s truly GOAT of all times !

Happy Birthday, dear Sapanda, Love & Wishes – Sanju, Tandra

A quote I read says ‘Grandfather is a man who has no clock, no plans and lots of time for his grandkids’. Some fondest recollections are my childhood years spent with my Grand-Dad, Sri Narendra Nath Sinha. ‘Dadu’- as we siblings called him- was my Dad’s Dad and was originally a Barrister who’d also been sent to London to study Law by his illustrious Father, Kali Prasonna Singho, a Dist. Judge in the British colonial era. Dadu had been a widower for long, having lost his wife early, due to illness. His two children were Dad & our Aunt, whom he dearly loved. Dad was a devoted son & Dadu stayed with our family.

Dadu’s world centered around his grandchildren till he passed away in 1970 at age of 85.   Naturally, as a very young boy I spent a lot of time with my Dadu, to me, one of the  best story tellers I’ve ever known. From the Shakespearean tragedies like ‘Othello’ & ‘Julius Caesar’ to the ‘French Revolution’ and classic ‘Tale of Two Cities’, from escapades of that ‘damned elusive Scarlet Pimpernal’ to the revenge of the ‘Count of Monte Cristo’, he had us spellbound with his dramatic narrations which made the stories come alive.

One of his preferred tales was the fascinating battle for the ‘Ashes’ and an amazing man, Don Bradman, whose prowess became cricketing folklore for all times. Why ‘Ashes’ and more importantly whose ashes I had then asked. As we now know ‘The Ashes’ Cricket Series is traditionally of five Tests, hosted in turn by England and Australia at least once every four years. But term originated in a satirical obituary published in British paper, which stated that English cricket had died, and the body will be cremated and the ashes taken to Australia. The mythical ashes immediately became associated with the 1882–83 series played in Australia, before which the English captain Ivo Bligh had vowed to “regain those ashes”. English media then took over, calling it ‘The Ashes’ !

Dadu’s recounting would start from the 1930s when a small built batsman called Donald Bradman made an unimpressive debut and the inexperienced Australians were heavily defeated by a very strong English batting side with the likes of Wally Hammond, Jack Hobbs & Billy Sutcliffe. But the legendary ‘Bradman’ show was to follow to make history forever. I vaguely remember seeing a Scrapbook that had pictures of  Bradman. As Dadu would unfold to us the dramatic story, it was the awe of Bradman’s invincible bat that caused England’s Captain Douglas Jardine (1932-33) to adopt the nasty tactic of fast leg theory, known as the infamous Bodyline. Although England decisively won the Ashes 4–1, Bodyline caused such a furore in Australia that it was banished from laws of Cricket.

Apart from Cricket, Dadu was a lover of English cinema & often mentioned the name of  ‘Ellen Terry’, the actress of late 19^th & early 20^th centuries and would sing her songs, that were reasonably tuneful. That didn’t mean he didn’t have Indian favourites like ‘Wahidu Rehman’ & ‘Meena (Kumari)’ and he’d take us to Hindi films and ice cream thereafter ! He’d recite ‘Ramayana’ and ‘Mahabharata’ as they were known to him by heart. We like to call knowledgeable old folks as well-read. Dadu was truly learned – of another league !

Someone (read Shakespeare) had famously said ‘The course of true love never did run smooth’. However, for venerable Mumbaikars, simple act of road travel from home to workplace & vice-versa is generally so long that no one minds a few potholes, roadblocks and traffic blues in the journey, as long as they eventually reach their destinations. Since Mumbai’s annual ‘Paoos’ (rains) arrive around June second week (at least, they used to 10 years ago !) there is always frenetic digging activity which include road repairs, laying new pipelines, widening and the endless ‘Metro’ work, some three to six months prior !

Well-seasoned Mumbaikars always understand all complex municipal issues involved in maintaining this burgeoning metropolis but even the most resilient have suddenly found that navigating the traffic has become more challenging in the recent times with spurt of digging, making half of the road inaccessible & roadblocks across most lanes & by-lanes.  Auto-walas are generally unfazed by minor disruptions (Yahan aisa hi chalta hai !) but of late they too are a confused lot ! When I got onto one yesterday, he asked me ‘Kidhar se jaye, sabhi road toh khod ke rakha, baad mein mat kehna – that I took a longer route’…

While this may be a universal problem for the daily road commuters, we retired senior citizens have made our own strategies as we always do. I’ve now stopped driving and my Car’s unscathed, doesn’t face parking problems, stationed as it is in my own paid Society space nor does hurly burly of reckless two wheelers, speeding autos & errant bus drivers pose a threat to my declining motor driving skills ! More importantly, I’m saving on gas (petrol) that last checked was about Rs.104 per litre and doesn’t look like coming down. But ‘look before you leap’ into an auto for base price has quietly risen to 26/- from 23/- !

Also shouldn’t there’ve been a net positive impact on the middle class household budget, now that the trips to the petrol pump are over ! Not really, for staying at home one tends to consume for power and with return of Mumbai’s sweltering afternoons, the ACs come into play in a big way. Equipped digitally than ever before, why go out when on-line you can get ‘dal, sabji, fruits ‘ delivered home. Who can resist those ‘Swiggy’ & ‘Zomato’ good samaritan like offers for Pizzas, Burgers, Chole Bature & Biryani .. just check the menus. And at any cost, don’t forget the monthly payouts or else Tata Play, Netflix, Prime, Jio, Hotstar will stop your TV binge-watching and Mobiles will lose their signals promptly ! 

All one has to do is be ready to spend (with GST thereon) and not worry about expenses. There is this recurring problem of small change and being equipped with small notes is being wise. But digitalization has solved that issue also – just scan with G-Pay and pay !