Finally watched Vicky Donor after much wanting-to and thoroughly enjoyed this completely off beat, whacky and funny movie of a prize sperm donor Vicky, his greedy and businesslike infertility doctor Chadda and a cast of quirky characters who step in to make it all the more enjoyable.Dr. Chadda (Annu Kapoor) is an infertility doctor who is facing the heat from his clients who are unhappy at not getting the results they want. Chadda says its all about luck but since his business appears to be endangered, he starts seeking out some stud types who can donate good strong sperm. His research yields Vicky, a young lad who does nothing but play cricket, hang out with his friends and go clubbing. When approached Vicky finds this whole idea disgutsing (despite Chadda trying to convince him that its an ancient science and that rishis and munis would do that in the days of old). Vicky is offended when Chadda says his sperm all going waste anyway. But enticed by the money he is offered and the taunts of his beautician mother to earn money, he donates his sperm and its a hit - or as the tag line says, Vicky's sperm is lakhon mein ek.
Vicky becomes rich soon in his unconventional and rather pleasurable career, and so does Chadda, as Vicky's sperm brings great results. Chadda pays handsomely, his own graph is on the upswing and now top businessmen and politicians are now queuing up for his services. But Vicky falls in love with a Bengali divorcee and marries her. But he does not tell her his source of income, lying that its all exports and imports. When the girl learns after marriage that Vicky is a donor and is technically a father already (and by some quirk that she cannot have children of her own) she is upset and wlaks out. But all is well finally and one of Vicky's own (one of the 53 he has fathered) is adopted and all is well.
It is a fun movie and money is well spent. I liked the way the team handled relevant issues of marital stress, of sperm donation, of adoption and so on in a light and yet responsible manner. Great performances by Ayushmann Khurana, Yami Gautam and Annu Kapoor. If you haven't seen it do! It is as it claims - lakhon mein ek.
For the third day in a row I picked and read an interesting book from Rajesh's enviable collection - this time 'Legs on Everest' (Random House India, Rs. 499, 190 pages) written by Mark Englis, a New Zealander who scaled the 8848 metre high Mount Everest, the highest peak in the world, from its North Face on May 15, 2006. What makes Mark Englis's effort special is that he is the first double amputee in the world to scale Mount Everest on prosthetic legs. Though written in a humourous and self-deprecating manner, Englis's book is very disturbing in many ways, and one wonders at the limits to which human endeavour can take us.
Englis, born in New Zealand in 1959, is a researcher, mountaineer, wine maker, entrepreneur (he has a sportsdrink called PeakFuel) and motivational speaker, an accomplished cyclcist and a silver medal winner at the Paralympics Games in Sydney 2000. In 1982 he lost both his legs to frost bite when he got stuck in a blizzard for 13 days on Mount Cook, New Zealand. In 2002 he summitted the same. In 2004 he summitted Cho Oyu, one of the 8000 meter peaks in the Himalayas, and became the second double amputee in the world to scale a 8000 meter peak. The Cho Oyu expedition was made of a team of 6 guides, 8climbers, 7 sherpas and was an expedition that started on September 14, 2004 and summit achieved on September 27, 2004, Englis's birthday.
In 2006 he undertook the Everest expedition with the HIMEX expedition team led by Russel Brice and summitted the Everest on May 15, 2006, becoming the first double amputee to do so. This expedition had 4 guides, 11 climbers, 16 members of a camera crew, 10 sherpas and 6 cooks. Englis details his preparation for the Everest summit, the physical training that is required (strength is one thing one must certainly have), the various types of illnesses one can be subject to which are often fatal - mountain sickness. high altitude pulmonary edema, high altitude cerebral edema, hypoxia and so on. The winds are ice cold, temperature around -35 degrees and - 50 degrees and the climb is only half the job done - the descent is more treacherous than the climb.
Englis describes his days in Cambodia where he does his social work for those who have lost their legs to land mines and then the lead up to the Everest climb. Kathmandu, Lhasa and the climb up to the base camp. There are pujas before the climb, the mandatory medical tests including the brain swell test, the kit, the sherpas and the climb itself. Englis and his other team members encounter fever, head aches, stomach aches, sore throats, but somehow go on, find the strength to go on. It is tough and scary as there are stories of injuries and death. Englis's prosthetic leg broke during the ascent and he had to wait for a replacement before he took up the rest of the climb. Going up beyond the camp, 1, 2, 3 and 4 and then reaching what they call the 'death zone', somewhere about 500 meters short of the summit is completely crazy. He talks of the mushroom rock and the trickiness of climbing it.
But what was most traumatic even to read is the story of 'Green Boots', an Indian mountaineer Tsewang Paljor, head constable from an ill fated expedition of the Indo Tibetan Border Force in which three climbers lost their lives, whose corpse lies till date and probably forever, well-preserved in the icy tomb of the North Face of Everest's Himalayan route, and is a landmark (just as there is another landmark of another corpse hanging from a rope). There is no way that these bodies can be brought down and they remain as landarks and warnings for the climbers from the North Face.
Englis's feat is marred by a controversy of his sighting of David Sharp a frostbitten Briton whom Englis claims he saw huddled in the cave near 'Green Boots', frost bite and all. But that day almost 40 climbers passed Sharp, who was finally attended to by one of Englis's climbers Max Chhaya, the first Lebanese to sclae Everest, but by then it was too late for Sharp who was scaling the Everest without support and oxygen and perhaps proper equipment. Despite all the criticism, Englis in my opinion, need take no blame for his action to pass Sharp on his ascent, as he did what he says had to do - "take care of his own life in the upper regions of the Everest". Lack of oxygen, the sheer effort can play tricks on the mind and one would be undermining Englis's own feat by attributing his actions to Sharp's death.
It is interesting to know that the climbers are asked to get off the summit, 20 minutes and no more up there, because it is too dangerous to be in such high altitudes with the mind playing tricks. The descent is as treacherous or worse than the climb and the climbers are allowed only a few moments up on the summit, a place where 50 climbers can stand up at one time says Englis. In his descent Englis suffered serious injuries to both his leg stumps for sheer effort and cold, frost bite on his fingers, and had to be carted quickly down to medical care on the backs of yaks and other improvised tranpsort. In extreme pain Englis was finally flown off to New Zealand where his stumps were shortened by another 3 cms as a result of frostbite and five fingers amputated to frost bite. But he contines to get on at lfie, with zest and his crazy sense of humour.
One line on the blurb of the book says it all. "Whenever you have pushed yourself to the limit, you know you can achieve things that were once only a dream. The more times you undertake the extreme journey, the greater your confidence that you will attain your dreams and the bigger your dreams become. And if you want a bigger dream then why not go for the biggest - imagine standing on the summit of the Everest".
Englis writes the book in a humourous, self deprecating manner. There is no self-pity and he pokes fun at himself, much bathroom humour included. He writes non chalantly about his pain, his travails, his loss of limbs and sticks to telling his story. The preparation, the money, the sponsors, the cameras, the trauma, the pain, the loss, the sacrifice - its crazy to imagine what people can do. The controversy is needless and Englis is not the man to blame certainly. To me he should remain an inspiration for achieving something like this without his legs and many can take inspiration (though I doubt they will - just the thought of how much he lost despite his constant jokes about them - can put people off). For a long time now I have been wanting to read a book on a climber who scaled the Everest and there can be none better than this honest, hard hitting and telling-it-like-it-is book that does not waste time on the technicalities too much. It is certainly not a book for everyone - it is disturbing - and the style may not appeal to everyone. But to me, Englis is a champion, despite what Sir Edmund Hillary feels about him.
I read 'Rafa - My Story' the biography of Rafael Nadal (304 pages, Hachette India, Rs. 595) from Rajesh's increasingly interesting collection with great relish in one sitting this morning. Rafael Nadal comes across as the scrapper, the one who won't go away, and this book talks of how the tennis great built himself up to be that - someone he really is not. (In fact there is a whole chapter that addresses this dichotomy titled as Clark Kent and Superman.) Nadal's greatest asset they say is his mind and this book is all about a tennis player who believed that he was not naturally as gifted as Federer, not as well co-ordinated and one who was prone to injuries, fears and self-doubt, who conquered it all in his mind to become a true champion - one you can never write off and one who seems to increasingly become bigger each year.
The book is told interestingly - from two points of view. One of Rafael Nadal himself as he describes the great 2008 Wimbledon final against Federer in a series of chapters - a game which many have described as probably the greatest sporting contest in all history and which McEncroe said was the greatest game of tennis ever played, in great detail, from the locker room to pre-match routines (taking sips from two different bottles, tying his bandana etc) and the match itself. The other point of view is that of John Carlin's as he pieces all the other stories and pieces that make up the entire portrait of Nadal and his success - his tightly knit family, his association with his native town in Mallorca, Spain, his support staff, his childhood, his pillars of support, his injuries and so on.
The resilient Spaniard born on June 3, 1986, comes from a small town called Manorca on the island of Mallorca in Spain which has a population of 80,000. His family is intensely close knit, living in one big building, with his grand parents and uncles and aunts. His father Sebastian Nadal is an astute businessman, his mother a housewife who gave up her perfume business and he has a younger sister Maribel who studies sports medicine. His girl friend Maria Francisca works in an insurance company in Palma. The young Rafael however has some illustrious genes - his grandfather was a famous musician who ran the opera and his uncle Miguel Angelo was a Spanish International and Barcelona player in soccer. The family had fame, wealth and to top it all, an uncle, Toni, who played tennis to a particular level before giving up. It was Toni who took Rafael under his wing and taught him the one thing he felt had failed him in his career - mental toughness and the skill in tennis. Rafael was doing well in his soccer too and there came a time when he had to make a decision to choose between the games. And he chose tennis and the harsh lessons of 'endurance' that his coach and uncle Toni put him through which included picking up more balls, endless hours at practice without any time off, sweeping the courts and so on.
Rafa showed early promise of course as the Under 12 and Under 14 champion for Spain and an ATP victory at 15. But an interesting Davis Cup victory at 18 over a higher ranked Andy Roddick made Nadal believe he could beat players at the highest level. Then followed the French open when he was 19. That paved the way for his legendary rivalry with his friend Roger Federer and their many fantastic duels that continue to date. If Federer ever showed nerves it was against Rafael - and it was the 2007 Wimbledon loss to Federer that Rafel ranks as one of the lowest in his life. But he came back the next year and the 2008 final described in amazing detail was one that Rafael won - two sets ahead and then levelled by Federer and a fifth set that went to 9-7. The tension of the match could be felt through the pages of the book and tears flowed for me at the sheer elation of the win (great sporting events do that to me all the time!).
But the story of the shy, polite, respectful and highly sensitive young man who is easily affected by emotional turmoil around him and how he transforms into a highly combative, almost fearful opponent on the tennis court who seems to only desire to crush the opponent ruthlessly, is what the book is all about. Rafa's team is long term and he believes in continuity - from his agent to therapist, his doctor to his PR man, his sponsor to his friends - they are all there for many years. Rafa's family believes in no big celebrations, always bring him down when they think he is overconfident, and always taught him to respect his racquet as much as the game and what it brings to him. His first coach and uncle Toni instilled much of this almost rustic philosophy that rules Rafa's mind.
But if there is one thing that describes Rafa, it is his endurance and his mental toughness and that is what we must look at. Here I will quote from the book some of the quotes that made an impact on me which probably say it as it is.
When he talks of endurance Rafa speaks with a maturity that belies his age.
"Enduring means accepting. Accepting things as they
are and not as you wish them to be; and then looking ahead, and not behind.
And on the virtue of never giving up he says.
"I learned that you always have to hang in there,
that however remote your chances of winning, you have to push yourself to the
very limit of your physical abilities and try your luck."
After the famous victory over Roger Federer to win the Australian Open coming into the final drained after a 5 setter against Verdasco, he says.
"That day in Melbourne I realized more clearly than
ever before that the key to this game resides in the mind and if the mind is
clear and strong you can overcome almost any onbtacle including pain. Mind can
triumph over matter."
On the effort and sacrifice that goes in he says as a true champion should.
"The fact that I had got to this point was the
culmination of long years of sacrifice and dedication all based on the
unbreakable premise that there are no shortcuts to sustained success. You can't
cheat in elite sports. Talent alone wont get you through. That’s just the first
building block, on top of which you must pile relentlessly repetitive work in
the gym, work on courts, work studying videos of yourself and your opponents in
action, always striving to get fitter, better, cleverer. I made a choice to
become a professional tennis player, and the result of that choice could
only be unflagging discipline and a continual desire to improve."
And on the satisfaction he derives and of what differentiates great players and good players he says.
"One lesson I have learned is that if the job I do
were easy, I wouldn't derive as much satisfaction from it. The thrill of winning is in direct proportion to the
effort I put in beforehand. The difference between a great player and a good
player lies in how well you’re prepared."
And an important lesson to all sportsmen.
"If you’re tired, do not show it."
Rafa talks in detail of the fear of winning and on that he says, when on the point of wining the fourth Grand Slam by beating Djokovich at the US Open, he made a couple of errors.
"I tried to push away thoughts of victory that
flooded my mind; tried to do what I knew was right, which was to think only of
the next point, in isolation from everything else. I felt quite simply afraid."
Coming on the heels of Bob Woolmer's book on cricket, Rafa's story is something that every sportsperson should read - rather anyone who is gunning for excellence should read. In many ways this is the story of how a champion is made, how he built himself piece by piece, how his support staff helped, how his work ethic helped and how he overcame injury and mental fragility to emerge a true champion. Highly recommended reading and certainly one for any library. Thanks is owed to Rajesh for lending me the book too!
Bob Woolmer was a cricketer who gave pretty much everything to the game and someone who sadly died while on duty as coach to Pakistan in the 2007 World Cup in West Indies. He was a cricketer of reasonably good standing, having played for England in International cricket, but it was as a coach that he made a big impression, bringing technology into the game and trying to make the game better in his own way.
Woolmer's Art and Science of Cricket, Supernova Publishers
I saw this book, a 654 page tome (30 pounds, Supernova Publishers), which Rajesh had bought, and wondered what Woolmer and his co-authors, Professor Tim Noakes and Dr.Helen Moffet, wrote in such great detail. This was the book that he was in the process of completing when he passed away suddenly. I flipped through the pages and saw some pictures and familiar shots of cricketing techniques being demonstrated but what caught my attention was the first part which contained a large section called 'The Mind Game'. Appropriately, this section got almost 70 pages and I thought that was interesting. There have been enough books on technique, rules and regulations anyway.
Right up front in the Mind Game section comes the quote from Tony Francis, the author of the book 'Zen and Cricket' - who says that he became three times the player he was by getting his thinking right. Francis went to the extent of saying that he believed that cricket at the professional level is 90% in the mind and only 10% raw ability. (I think its true even at other levels.) And then the book quotes Sandy Gordon, the well-known Australian mental toughness coach, and his definition of mental toughness - as the ability to "(a) Generally, cope better than your opponents with the demands of the game and (b) Specifically, to be more consistent and better than the opponents in remaining determined, focussed, confident and in control under pressure."
With certain examples the book deals with the mental toughness part. How some crumble under criticism (which one gets a lot of, beyond a level anyway) and how some turn it into success. The book deals with basic mental techniques such as Deep Breathing, Deep Relaxation (including hypnosis) and Visualization. At a basic level they can be used by anyone to prepare better for games. Interesting to know how Wasim Akram used hypnosis (from his wife) to perofrm better in big games.
The book then delves into the psychology of the player and his fears that affect his performance - fear of the unknown, fear of failure, fear of success, fear of injury and fear of losing form. While on that the book delves into the 5 lessons that Steve Waugh learnt from his failure - (1) Ask for help (2) Learn from the opponents (3) Use good luck charms only to get morale up and not bring morale down (4) Find out what works for you as a preparation and stick with it and (5) Relish the challenge of playing the best. This he learnt on a tough tour against India in India.
On mental strategies for batting the book talks of preparing for the innings being the key - so the mind is at rest and fully geared up. Getting information about the pitch, the weather, the opponents, the grounds, the refreshments available to start with. Also getting the gear completely ready well before the game so there are no surprises. Also, to participate proactively in team talks and enlist family support to complete the circle. Woolmer's personal strategy is about visualising the perfect innings one has played so one is in that frame of mind and carry it to the next day. Woolmer recommends it before big games. There are some tips on handling danger points in the innings (the 30s and the 70s apart from the beginning of the inning) and how to counter sledging.
For bowlers the book emphasises the importance of getting psyched up. Here he brings in some wonderful points from Peter Philpott's book 'The Art of Wrist Spin Bowling" where he says that the bowler has to "clear the mind of everything except what you want to bowl and where". He says the bowler has to decide first on that and concentrate on that fully. Bowlers can gain from the concept of Circle of Concentration - which is about things the bowler can control such as to (1) steady oneself (2) grip the ball properly (3) make up the mind about what to bowl and where (4) run in rhythmically (5) stare at target (6) have a clear mind and (7) bowl. All else about the batsman, the spectators, the pitch, the weather, and all other things that we cannot control and should be blanked out.
There are several chapters that cover techniques of batting, bowling, fielding and wicket keeping which most other books do. I found nothing new here and that was rather disappointing. I did find an excerpt from Richie Benaud's book about the atributes a slow bowler should have interesting (or any bowler in general) which include Patience, Concentration, Economy, Attitude and Practice.
There are chapters that discuss Strategies and Captaincy, Use of Statistics, Coaching, Cricket and Science and the Future of the Game. I read briefly through these - though they may interest an academic.
To me the book was rather confused in the target it was writing for. It has techniques for the beginner but also deals with the pressures of a cricketer including women and sex (which only international cricketers would be exposed to). The statistics and scientific aspects would appeal to some academics perhaps. In strategies and captaincy I found little insight. With the services of the South African team and his vast experience and access to all International cricketers and authorities, I expected more meat, more finer points on the 'keys' that guide all the aspects than mere 'how to' of the technique. It fell short of my expectations over all but its singular biggest contribution was bringing the mental part right up front in the book for me. But its an honest and comprehensive effort that tries to cover as many aspects of the game and its history and its future and for that I appreciate what it tries to convey. More depth, more content, more live examples from internationals, would have given this book an edge that no other book has. A lost opportunity. Rather steep at its price as well. But for one who has not read a book on the 'Art and Science of Cricket' in contemporary days, this book is a good one to have, though, it may not be the best in covering all the aspects.
And finally Anjali and I went to see one of her favourite cartoon characters 'Chota Bheem' in the animated movie 'Chota Bheema nd the curse of Damiyaan'. We headed off to Inox for the 11 a.m. show and armed ourselves with Coke and popcorn and seated ourselves. In a couple of minutes I realised that I had wasted an entire 150 bucks on Anjali's ticket as she preferred to sit in my lap to watch the movie instead of sitting on her seat which she said was not comfortable. The hall was rather empty for the 11 a.m. show and we were surrounded by children accompanied by their parents - in most cases by both parents. Children's movies are watched by more parents than children it appears.
Anyway the Chota Bheem movie had all the familiar characters. Raja Indra Verma (his daughter Princess Indumati was missing though), Bheem, Jaggu, Chutki, Raju, Kalia, Dholu and Bholu and a new set of villains. This time a snaky magician from the underworld called Damiyaan is trapped in the underworld and needs Bheem to free him. So he sends his underworld type of guys to get Bheem and gang to the desert. The underworld snaky gang goes and lures the Raja with promises of gold and riches and so they all land up in the Sonepur village in the desert - and unwittingly free Damiyaan - which it turns out was as simple as digging up a bit in the desert and turning a key which anyone could ahve done. Now Damiyaan needs to be fought with magic (as he is a master magician) and Bheem and gang are taugth some magic by the good guru and finally Damiyaan and gang are vanquished. Bheem returns to Dholakpur a hero on his birthday!
I was not too happy with the movie and felt that the animation needs to be much better. Chota Bheem is a great character and the stories and characters deserve far better than what the makers put up. It's very two dimensional and a real apology when you compare it to some of the movies Hollywood makes (even the pathetic ones). Chota Bheem story is far better and has wide and loyal viewership and they could have made sequels if only this had been made better. Though the kids laughed and tittered at some places I am not sure it was any great experience for them. The story was a tad predictable and dragged along a bit. Rather unconvincing and I really do wish more effort had gone into making the movie. Chota Bheem did deserve much more.
Success is achieved when failure stops bothering you. It is that moment when you think that failure can be handled anyway and start looking beyond it.
Pic by Satish
When there is enough failure and you see it as a teacher, as a master, success arrives.We can fight failure and get frustrated. Or see failure as part of the route to success and welcome it and enjoy the ride.
This should interest the wannabe film makers and ad merchants. It will challenge the creative juice of anyone in fact, but I do think it is a good way to visualise the good life for yourself.
Pic by Satish
Make a trailer or an advertisement (a mental one of course) of the ideal life as you see it for yourself. Say, a 10 second video. Start with the introduction or rather the titles - Presenting "The One Who Never Quit" (or some title that epitomises your story or wannabe story). And then - Starring "Yourself" (describe yourself as The Dashing Hero or Sizzling Heroine or whatever you want to describe yourself). And then flow into the body of the trailer. You in success. You in pain (current situation!). You in happiness walking through the forests, swimming the seas. You overcoming odds. You in riches. You enjoying life. You helping people. Then give your ad the end you want. You waving to the crowds and fading out. 'The Epic that Never Fades'.
The mental trailer or ad helps to see goals or outcomes of what one may want better than words which are evry limiting. It gives visuals, pictures, videos and add tremendous clarity to what one may want in life. Of course, the first cut won't be the best so you can make changes, add and delete and get to the one that makes you say, ha, that's what I want! Then boss, you have a story!
