Monday, January 13, 2014

Abhi Toh Mein Jawan Hoon

From left: Siladitya, Sandip, Soumyadeep, Mansoob, Me, Saptarshi, Nayan
"You can take the man out of a boy but never the boy out of a man."

While I'm finally here to give shape to my thoughts, my shoulder still hurts. I can barely walk a single step without trembling and stumbling in pain. But it's all worth it. That exciting week before the match, those last minute discussions that seemed as important as BCCI team selection meetings, the night before the big game... some old men in their late 20s and early 30s couldn't sleep well in excitement.

This was not just another get-together outside office. It was a chance for most of us to show our tired backs and dead brains that we're not getting old and there's a life outside clients and deadlines. We dropped easy catches, ran like we were chased by wild bulls, hit sixes only to realize that our wrists were begging for mercy, took valuable wickets and supported each other like brothers from the same mother. It was like finding a place to breathe after spending almost 11 to 12 hours daily in office. That too, with the same team. People who only exchange words about deadlines, files, client meetings, software, projects, and all the other boring things in the world, suddenly found themselves in the middle of a green field patting each others back and high-fiving.

I wanted to thank my entire team for giving this quickly-getting-old guy a chance to share the ground with the local kids once again, after 8 long years. So the next time my mind tries to convince me that I'm getting older, I'll remember this match and say with a gentle smile, “shut the fuck off!”

Now if you excuse me, I'll have to go and take a painkiller.

8 comments:

  1. Couldn't have it any better! Here: http://i.imgur.com/dhMeAzK.gif

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Now that's an awesome GIF to express yourself, Soumya! Too good. :D

      Delete
  2. The illustration is awesome throughout the post. I really liked it coz the feeling is mutual. The match was extremely competitive where we thought it would be a friendly match but all of my friends & colleagues have contributed their best in the field. Totally it was a nice weekend because of this match. And don't mention about the pain..... It’s excruciating :P . However, I want to feel the pain for this kind of match again & again.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks a lot for the great words! I agree with you, we all gave our 100% there, at times more than that. I know we all feel that way, that's what made me write this post to celebrate this awesome match. Don't remind me of the pain, I'm living on painkillers. ;) But I'm looking forward to the next match. The fun and excitement we had, it was a priceless experience!

      Delete
  3. Haha
    This is so sweet ! I think we only get old in our heads. Being old is subjective and infact I dnt think we should ever feel like we have got old and boring :P

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Whoa! Thanks a ton for reminding me the wise words, Ritika. I needed to hear that. Glad you liked the post. That match really made me feel young once again. :)

      Delete
  4. Lol! You sure do get a kick out of that F language! While I don't know or care about it, I can easily say that I love what I read here! :) Not a fan of cricket but your write up brought back some real sweet memories of my school days... It indeed feels lovely to take a break from this crazy life!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's a real pleasure to hear such encouraging words from another blogger and who's pretty good at it. :) Thanks and keep coming back.

      Delete