Change: the quintessential human reality

Kumble retired. Anil Kumble started playing in 1990, when Tendulkar had played just 9 tests. Today 18 years later, his retirement signals end of an era. But this post isn't about cricket. Or at least not entirely.

I grew up watching this bunch of cricketers Tendulkar, Kumble, Dravid, Ganguly, Azhar, Jadeja, Srinath. Their victories were mine and their losses were personal - they hurt, almost physically. My memories of myself are incomplete without cricket and I can only say that I have been extremely fortunate to have witnessed some of these greats who enriched the game by just being who they are.

I was watching the match till tea on Sunday Nov 2^nd. The match was headed for a draw. I took a short nap for 1 hour and switched the TV back on. I noticed that Kumble was taking a victory lap. I was stunned. Had India won? Then it dawned upon me that he had retired. I was in a state of shock and disbelief. He had surprised the nation with the announcement, just like he always surprised the batsmen with his deliveries. He wouldn't have it any other way.

I felt empty within. Something had changed and changed forever. The old guard had changed. And the old guard was with whom I grew up. My grandparents when they talk about cricket, talk about Farookh Engineer and Nari Contractor. My parents, uncles and aunts discuss Gavaskar, Pataudi, Bedi and Amarnath. My cousins discuss Kapil, Srikanth, Shastri and the 83 world cup. And I am going to talk about Tendulkar, Kumble, Dravid, Ganguly, Azhar, Jadeja and Srinath.

But Nov 2^nd is symbolic in many other ways.

Post my graduation, I moved to Bombay in 2006. The city that never sleeps and yet it is the city of dreams. There was a big group which moved to Bombay from my campus which included around 6-7 of my close friends. And it is because of this group that I have had a great time over the past 2.5 years. Over the last year or so, these folks have slowly, one by one, moved on with their lives. Some have progressed to the next life stage and some have moved ahead in their respective careers. But the common story is that they have moved out of Bombay and are now spread across the world. Sunday November 2^nd, was the day when a few of us got together to give farewell dinner to my friend G who is moving out of the country. And with this, every person in the group but one, has moved out of Bombay. Suddenly it feels like you are all alone.

Just when you thought I was done.

My flatmate for 2.5 years S, is getting married this weekend in Madras. S is my colleague and we joined together in P&G. We've been flatmates since moving to Bombay. S has been an equal partner on some of our escapades. It is just not possible to not get influenced by him. His enthusiasm for cooking both mundane and gourmet dishes is unparalleled. While I have pained him by being too much of a stickler for neatness and he definitely has had his moments by being not too bothered about it; in the larger scheme of things, his genuine niceness and simple thoughts are qualities not easily found.

He chooses Nov 2^nd to shift out and move into a new house in the city. My house this week wears an empty look. The physical emptiness of the house actually accentuates this feeling of being alone.

So much change and all of a sudden. Sigh! However, change is, as we all know, the quintessential human reality.

So here is raising a toast to Kumble. 'Sir, you have proven that we don't need verbal duels and sledging and elbowing to prove our mettle. Cricket can still be a gentleman's game played with the aggression of the silent assassin. And as your greatest contemporary Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar quips - Champions turn stones into milestones. You have done just that.'

To my friends who have moved onto the next stages in life and career, ' Here is wishing you good luck and godspeed and google talk is always there. :)' And to my flatmate who begins a new phase in his life, here is wishing you truckloads of good fortune.

And of course to myself 'Accept the fact that you are old but stop behaving like a grandpa, sitting on easy chair reminiscing old times. Wake up, smell the coffee and hit the road'