ML Jaisimha Sports Foundation - Inaugural ML Jaisimha Memorial Lecture by Sunil Gavaskar

March 29, 2021.

The ML Jaisimha Sports Foundation, a Sports Trust formed by the family and friends of ML Jaisimha, kickstarted its agenda by way of the Inaugural ML Jaisimha Memorial Lecture by Sunil Gavaskar, avowedly Jaisimha's greatest fan. 

Vivek Jaisimha, Keerti, Sunil Gavaskar, Jayanthi Jaisimha and Vidyuth Jaisimha

A key initiative of the ML Jaisimha Foundation is to provide free coaching to 30 deserving young underprivileged cricketers, 15 boys and 15 girls in the 15 to 19 age group. This was ML Jaisimha’s dream. The cricketers will initially be from the State of Telangana and training will commence once permission is granted by the government during this pandemic.

Me speaking about the Foundation - Jayesh Ranjan, SMG, Junie aunty and Ritika on the dais

Further activities that the Trust proposes to take up are

• An annual ML Jaisimha Memorial Lecture by an eminent personality
• Coaching by experts assisted by Trainers and Physiotherapists
• Online Webinars, Lectures
• Debates and Panel Discussions
• Workshops on Leadership, Peak Performance, Umpiring, Sports Management, Commentating
• An E-Zine on Subscription Model
• Cricket and Sports Library
• Digital dissemination of cricketing knowledge
• Match opportunities in India and abroad
• Scholarships for talented sportspersons
• Fund-raising activities

  

  Me and Junie aunty

Sunil Gavaskar kindly consented to deliver the inaugural lecture. A select gathering of 100 people was invited which included the Hyderabad senior women's team and select members of the press.

Me, aunty and Vidyuth

Jayesh Ranjan, IAS, a trustee on the Foundation (other Trustees are Jayanthi Jaisimha, Vivek Jaisimha, Vidyuth Jaisimha, Ritika Jaisimha, Jayesh Ranjan, Tarun Singh Chauhan, MV Ranganath and myself) called the meeting to order, invited Sunil Gavaskar to garland MLJ's portrait and take the dais along with Mrs Jayanthi Jaisimha and Ritika Jaisimha. I introduced the Foundation's plans and invited Sunil Gavaskar to deliver his lecture.

Loved this pic - me and old buddy Vidyuth confabulating

And then SM Gavaskar spoke as only he can.

Sunil Gavaskar

It was as well-crafted a speech, as well-constructed as any of his knocks we have seen. SMG began with how he will always be a fan of MLJ, forever and forever. 

He recalled how he saw a black and white picture of MLJ as a ten-year-old and was struck by it and ever since MLJ has been his idol. In 10 years time, he was playing for India alongside his idol, heading to the West Indies for the historic 1971 tour. He recalled the initial interactions with MLJ, how he tried to copy Jai's habit of using cold cream on his hands, his infected fingernail which was treated by Govind Raj and PK (stick it in a lemon), his discussions on cricket and life with MLJ, how he wished that he had got 300 runs less on his maiden tour so that Durrani and MLJ could have made the England tour. The way the small yet key contributions that these two seniors made was overlooked when analysing the success of the tour and we are left wondering again at the importance of assessing contributions by their impact and not sheer numbers. 

Nice shot by Kumar sir - MLJ in front 

He spoke of how every March 3 (MLJ's birthday) he wishes his idol and how on July 7 (MLJ's death anniversary) he wakes up not wanting to get out of bed. 

And then the toughest person we have seen perhaps, showed why he was the toughest, broke down at the memory of his idol passing away, and how he could not deal with the fact that he would be no more, and how he did not want to see him any different from how he always remembered him. And as he choked, we in the audience felt that emotion as if it were own own and remembered that we were all mortal. 

Joel and D Suresh who came all the way from Haryana to attend the function

SMG had a conversation with his wife and she told him he was being selfish and that he should meet MLJ, whatever state he was in, for MLJ's sake. SMG did come on July 7, met MLJ, was glad that he looked just the same. He left and MLJ also decided to leave soon after.

Me and my first captain  - Shivlal Yadav

To see such open emotion, to see SMG break down and choke not once but twice, was a revelation. This is how deeply one feels. Even as a fan he had to be the greatest I felt. It was beautiful.

Joel clicking a selfie  with SMG

He then switched on to the game and as memorial lectures go, gave his views on the improvements to be made in the game - longer boundaries, a relaxed bouncer rule, less timewasting to contain games, removal of leg byes - and other improvements without changing the game too drastically. Like I said, it was perfectly crafted with a foot in the past and another leading to the future. Superbly balanced.

Venkatapathi Raju and Vijay Mohan Raj

Some important guests were Shivlal Yadav, Venkatapathi Raju, D Suresh, Carlton Saldanha, Rajeev Reddy, Vijay Mohan Raj - might have missed a few here and there. After the lecture, we all had some fine high tea, organised by Pallavi who did a great on in organising the event at short notice. (Tarun remotely got the whole show going with his enthusiasm, energy and clear direction - so big thanks there - he couldn't make it due to the COVID situation there.) SMG patiently took pictures with everyone almost, standing up each time to take the picture, signed books, bats tirelessly. 

With the Hyderabad Senior Women's Cricket Team

All his great qualities were on display - courage, humility, patience, style, candour, loyalty, awareness, humour. Wonderful. I gifted him a copy of 50 Not Out which he graciously accepted.

Me gifting a copy of 50 Not Out to SMG
-  Didn't realise that the photographer had clicked a pic

For the ML Jaisimha Sports Foundation, it was a wonderful start made possible by the incomparable SMG. Now to build on it.

For those who wish to donate to the Foundation, here are the details to make the donations to.

 

M.L. Jaisimha Sports Foundation

Account Number 10761011000409

IFSC Code PUNB17610

Punjab National Bank

PNB Kapra, Dr A.S Rao Nagar,

G Pay - 9866355154

Address - 207/5, Bantia Estate, Sikh Road, Secunderabad - 500 003

Contact - Vidyuth Jaisimha 98663 55154, Ritika - 98668 69179

 

     

eCanteen Fundas - Marginal Gains of 1% Add Up to 37 times in a Year!

 The aggregation of marginal gains - tiny gains, remarkable results! Rakesh, Rahul and Rinku discuss James Clear's Atomic Habits.

https://www.edexlive.com/opinion/2021/mar/27/e-canteen-fundaswhen-1-goes-a-long-way-in-achieving-100-19350.html

E-Canteen Fundas: When one per cent goes a long way in achieving 100%

'Bhaiyya,’ said Rahul. ‘I’ve been trying to top the class for a while now. But however hard I try, I am not making any progress.’

‘True,’ said Rinku. ‘Why can’t we get big results through smaller and more efficient efforts? Why is change so big and difficult? Isn’t there an easier way?’

‘There is,’ said Rakesh. ‘In fact, all big things are a result of tiny changes, made consistently. In his book Atomic Habits, author James Clear explains how a simple 1% change daily can lead to unbelievable results.’

‘Just a 1% change?’ asked Rinku. ‘How?’

‘Look at this example to understand how it works,’ said Rakesh. ‘The British cycling team hasn’t won a single major title since 1908. In 2003, Dave Brailsford took over and introduced the idea of ‘aggregation of marginal gains’, wherein, they broke down every aspect related to riding a bike and improved each by 1%. Seats, grips, fabric, massage gels, hand-washing methods, pillows, mattresses — all things, directly and indirectly, affecting the process. Over the next decade, the British team won 178 world championships, 66 Olympic and Paralympic medals and five Tour de France Championships. The marginal gains added up and delivered astounding results.’

‘Wow,’ said Rahul. ‘So, if I pick my studies as my area to improve, how can I break down the system?’

‘Let’s figure it out,’ said Rinku. ‘Where we study, when, who with, how, the chair, table, light, posture, clothes, food, water, rest, distractions and routine. Even a five-minute improvement works out to 30 more hours of study time over the year.’

‘True,’ said Rakesh. ‘Gains can result in direct process improvement or by cutting losses. Mathematically, a 1% gain daily over 365 days translates to a phenomenal 37.78 times increase, while a 1% loss daily takes you down to almost zero over a year. That’s the impact a 1% change has over a year. The key however is small changes made consistently. Big and inconsistent changes will have no effect.’

‘Great,’ said Rahul. ‘My goal is to top the class. I’ll use this marginal gains technique to achieve it.’

‘I’d suggest you adopt a systems-focused approach rather than an outcome-focused one,’ said Rakesh. ‘Clear says we don’t rise to the level of our goals, we fall to the level of our systems. So keep your focus on small improvements in all the systems that affect your studies — and you’ll achieve way more than you can imagine. A bigger benefit of being systems-focused is that you’re fully engaged, the process becomes highly enjoyable and every 1% gain is a win.’

‘Wow, bhaiyya,’ said Rahul. ‘That’s true. I’m starting right away.’

Pro Tip: To get significantly bigger results, incorporate tiny 1% changes in your systems and processes daily. These tiny gains aggregate into huge results over a period of time

North Country - Movie

 2005. Based on real life incidents and the 2002 book Class Action: The Story of Lois Jenson and the Landmark Case that Changed the Sexual Harassment Law. A mining company employs women who are subjected to sexual harassment under the guise of boy talk. One of them protests and brings on a class action against the company. Powerful movie. 

Recommended.

In Family We Trust - Movie

 2019. Spanish.Romantic comedy. Crazy family, lovely scene at the end where they all dance when the mother passes away. 

Very watchable!

Pimpal - Movie

 2018. Marathi movie. An old man lives alone in a town. His children are all abroad and they are worried about his well being. They force him to join them but he realises he has to go towards his roots and not away from them. He returns to his village and plants the Pimpal tree that his mother had asked him to fifty years ago.

Never too late!

 

Thought for the Day - Stress comes When we Go Away From Ourselves

 This one is inspired by Hari Rao who asked me what nirvana was? I had no idea. he said nirvana is being in your body as you are. The further away from your true self that you go, the farther away from nirvana you are. 

The more stress you have in your life.

There is a reason why we go away from ourselves. It is because we do not like our true selves as we are. We go away and try to be something else instead being the best version we can be of ourselves.

If we can go back to our true selves, if we can accept ourselves as we are, we are in the best possible space.

Thought for the Day - When We Give Up Attachment to an Outcome, We Give Freedom for it's Opposite to Come Alive

 We are attached to not looking foolish. We become rigid in trying to protect that aspect of ourselves with our life. All our life is about protecting 'I am not foolish'. What agrees with you, you will associate with. What does not, you reject.

 The world is - 'those who think I am not foolish' and 'those who think I am foolish'.

We are mortally scared of being found out as foolish. Even more significantly we are mortally scared of the opposite (being seen as intelligent) which we feel we may never be.

But let's say we give up our attachment to this being 'foolish'. We are light and loose about it. We are ok with being called 'foolish'. Then what happens?

It gives us the freedom to explore what this 'intelligence' si about. We can, like a simpleton, or a child, or a foolish man, hold this 'intelligence' in our hand, turn it this way and that, press a button here or there and slowly learn or understand it.

We can begin the process of learning, or becoming intelligent.  

The first step to growth then is to let go of whatever we are holding on rigidly to. All that we are holding on rigidly to means that we are scared of its opposite. That we are scared we can never be the opposite of that.

To get there, let this one go.