Criticism

Criticism, isn’t it a simple word whose meaning everyone understands? Yet, how you deal with it can make or break you. Every one of us has received it and every one of us has been generous enough to shower it on someone else. Even the almighty God is not spared by us.

A person who takes action gets criticized for taking action. Someone gets criticized for inaction. An individual gets criticized for speaking while another gets criticized for keeping quiet. Hiding away from criticism will invite more criticism. Taking it head on will also be an act that would get criticized. You may take a decision keeping in mind the best interest of everyone. However, the people whose interests you are trying to safeguard could be the ones with the most bitter of words for you. Someone you had helped tide a difficult phase will not bother to thank you for it. In fact, he may at some point in the future criticize you for it. Difficult it is to deal with such people. However, running away is not a solution if you have to deal with such people day in and day out. 

Criticism is unavoidable. One needs to keep his cool when dealing with it. This is a skill not easy to develop. Being emotionally weak doesn’t help. One has to face it with courage. Personal experience has taught me that getting bogged down by unwelcome comments doesn’t help.  Also, reacting to every criticism that comes your way is also foolish. You will waste precious energy that could have been spent on some creative pursuit. 

Patience I feel is very important for dealing with criticism. One needs to wait and watch. Stay calm. Listen peacefully and analyze. Is the person criticizing you virtuous enough to use such words for you? Ask yourself whether the words being used have any merit in it. This is the only way to get a better handle of the situation and not break down. Spending some quiet moment with self each day is also important. This will ensure that you look at things from the right perspective.

Unconditional smile

My last blog post was in the month of March. It is August now. A gap of 4 months is too long. However, the reason for this huge gap is my bundle of joy, my darling daughter, Shaarika. Normally when I have such a huge gap, I would deeply regret it and feel disappointed that I could not find time to write a good enough blog post. This time though I am not that upset with myself. Being a first time dad it is not easy to find time for blogging. It is even more painful being a first time mom. I am sure my wife will agree with me on this. The number of sleepless nights she spends taking care of our baby is commendable. I know being a mother is tough. The thing that keeps her motivated is the unconditional smile on our sweet little baby’s face. It is precious.

When I come back home after a hectic day at work, all it takes is one smile from my baby. All my worries and tensions fade away and I just cannot resist smiling back at her. She would be desperately waiting to get into my arms and hug me, the very moment I enter our home. Though she cannot talk (just 7 months old), she would make all the gestures and sounds to indicate that she wants me to take her in my arms. I wonder at times as to what I have done for her that she makes me feel so special. Since our daughter came into our lives, everything else has taken a back seat. Her health, her needs and her care taking has taken precedence over everything else in the world. What we do, when we do and how we do it, is all decided after considering the impact it would have on Shaarika.

Friends, no matter how much money you spend on materialistic needs, there are some things that are priceless. One such thing is the unconditional smile that I have been talking about all through this blog. Even while sleeping, at times, Shaarika has a lovely smile on her face. It is so nice to watch her smile. It is said that angels visit infants when they are sleeping. I don’t know whether it is true or not. The thing that I am sure of is that my daughter herself is an angel who has been sent into this world by Almighty God to bless us.

Being a parent is not easy and I am sure with each passing day the responsibilities would only increase. Still, that unconditional smile which has touched our heart is something that will definitely keep us going for years to come.

Sachin Tendulkar - The Super Human

Yesterday I happened to watch a press conference wherein Sachin Tendulkar was answering questions posed to him by press reporters. It was very interesting. I was surprised to see how humble he was despite hitting 100 international centuries. Not sure how he continues to remain down to earth. I was one of his critics when he was struggling to reach the milestone of 100 centuries. I have observed die-hard Sachin fans support him on facebook and equating him to God. However, the very fact that the pressure of getting that one last hundred got the better of him is proof enough that he is human. He has achieved a milestone that no person is likely to achieve ever. Sachin himself feels that records are meant to be broken and the only thing he hopes is that an Indian breaks it.

His interview was very insightful. He told how he did not lose hope despite the fact that critics were asking him to retire. I was one of those critics who felt that it was high time that he should retire. However, Sachin maintained that he still has the passion for the game and will retire when he feels that it is the right time. I liked the confident yet humble manner in which he made this comment. There was not even an iota of arrogance in that statement.

A young boy asked Sachin as to what would he advice to a budding cricketer like him. Sachin replied stating that one should chase his dreams and not give up hope. There would be bad times wherein you would struggle but one should not lose hope. He said that it took 22 long years to realize his dream of winning the World Cup.

The one thing that I admire about Sachin is the poise that he maintains despite being one of the greatest ever to have played the game. The fans and media set such high expectations on him and yet he doesn't seem to get overtly perturbed. I won't say that the pressure did not get to him at all but I feel that he manages to handle it better than anyone else. I do feel that his hundredth century could have come earlier and I also feel that it was the pressure created by both the media and the fans that got the better of Sachin. Ultimately he is a human and not God like many cricket fans feel. I would say he is a super human. He may be an Arjun but not Krishna.

My angel arrived

My baby arrived on 27^th of December, 2011 and put an end to a long wait. Everyone was waiting with eagerness for the baby to arrive.  The day was special for sure. A rose had blossomed that morning as if indicating the arrival of our baby later in the day. My wife says that it is a rose indicator. The rose plant itself was special. This rose plant was almost dead. Considering it dead we had initially tried to uproot it. However, the strong roots it had developed made us to think otherwise. That decision did not go in vain as the first flower it borne happened to be an indication of a very special day for me and everyone in my family. That night the moon too had a special smiling face and there was a star shining brightly near the moon. She truly is an angel.

How the day unfolded?

Rose indicator

On 27th December (Tuesday) the day started as usual for me. I reached office around 3 pm. I had just settled down and started to do some work when my sister-in-law called in to inform that my wife has been hospitalized. With a mixed feeling I left for home. I said mixed feeling because my wife had to undergo lot of hardships during 3^rd month of pregnancy. She was even hospitalized. So, I was hoping that everything turns out well.  Along with my mom I headed for the hospital. My wife was taken to the labor room at around 8:30 pm. By 8:55 pm we heard our baby’s voice crying out loudly as if announcing her arrival. We were all so elated but at the same time worried as we were not provided any formal update on the status of my wife. Something was wrong. An hour or two later the doctor informed me that my wife is having excessive bleeding post delivery of the baby and to arrest the bleeding he suggested that she be put on general anesthesia so that he could do the needful to stop the bleeding. I gave my approval for the same. The doctor also asked us to get 2 pouches of blood as lot of blood has been lost and the blood pressure was also dropping. Late in the night we reached the blood bank and got the blood which was administered to my wife. Her blood pressure was being monitored continuously and it was slowly and surely getting to normal. The baby was handed over to us much before my wife was moved to the room. However, the tension had kind of suppressed our joy for a while. Once we realized that my wife is out of danger, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. 

The baby weighing 2.75 kg was healthy and in good shape. With lot of hair on her head right from day one, my mom made reference to my birth. She said that I was also having lot of hair right from day one. Then everyone who visited was trying to figure out as to who the baby resembles with. Some would say that she looks like my wife. While few others would say that she looks like me. It was amusing. On the very first day, I was a bit nervous to hold her. She seemed so delicate and I felt I might hurt her. However, on second day, my nervousness gave way to my inner desire to hold her in my hands. It was a special feeling. Being instrumental in bringing someone to life is the closest I think one can get to Godliness.  We have found a name for our bundle of joy. However, I will be announcing it only after the naming ceremony. You guys must be wondering why it took so long to write this blog. Being a first time dad does take focus away from other priorities of your life, isn't it?

Shaarika