It All Ends One Day

Yesterday, when I and my hitting partner Jason were exiting the courts after a strenuous practice we saw that car moving past us.  Our smiles evaded instantly.  

“It’s him. He was here” said Jason. Our eyes followed the car till it disappeared taking a turn at the Ashworth Road. Then there was silence. Pretty long one though. Then I turned to Jason and asked the same question even though I knew the answer, “Any luck?”

As usual Jason shook his head.  We then slowly walked to our cars. I sat in my car. The beads of sweat moved down my neck from my forehead. I didn’t switch on the AC. I was staring at my windshield and then I closed my eyes. As always that flashback scene played like a YouTube video before my watery eyes. 

“Ed, what’s wrong with you?  Please pull the glasses down. Are you listening to me? I called you a million times.   Are you angry or something? Please”. He hadn’t lowered the glasses of his car. He just looked on without blinking an eye or uttering a word.

It was in April 2012 that I first saw Ed talking to Jason on Crossroads Tennis Park. He was 50+ but looked more like 40, fit as a rock. He looked Hispanic and must have been 5’ 8’’ long. He was speaking enthusiastically to Jason while they approached me. 

 “You use your wrist in your backhand. You should not use wrist” he told me in a Spanish accent

‘Who the fuck are you?’ I thought of telling him immediately surprised to see his guts to tell me on my face that my backhand sucks.

“This is Ed. I met him few days back” Jason introduced him to me. I and Jason played for the same club and were good friends.

I just shook his hand and left the courts. That night I couldn’t stop myself from browsing YouTube videos on one handed backhand techniques. Holy Christ! Ed was right. One shouldn’t use wrist or elbow for backhand drive. It’s only the shoulder. Then I realized why I wasn’t hitting through the ball and was finding it difficult to hit backhand winners.

  

 The next day I went and shook Ed's hand and thanked him for his tip.

“I am preparing for Michelob Light Open, an USTA tournament”, he said practicing his serve

“For the first time I am playing in open division you know. I am practicing since 3 months” He sounded lot more confident and enthusiastic.  After his practice we sat on a bench. I inquired him about his past.

Ed was born and brought up in Houston.  When he was in high school he was so bad in Tennis that he was being shooed away from the fellow players. Then he decided to learn the game on his own. He subscribed the Tennis magazine and learnt the game by hitting the ball to the wall for years.  Then he won his first USTA tournament.  He then went on to win many more tournaments and became a lethal player. He worked in the night and all day he would be in the courts.

“I have been playing since the past 30 years. Only thing that stayed with me is Tennis”  He said. That confirmed the fact that he had no family and was living alone.

One day I and Jason asked him if he could coach us. He neither said a ‘Yes’ or a ‘No’. We took it as a Yes.

“There are two kinds of players. One, recreational players who don’t care whether they improve or not. They go on playing till they die. Second, those players who want to improve every single day. The moment they realize they are playing worse than before, they just stop playing”  He said.

I and Jason nodded after all Ed was a Tennis guru. 

Our coaching started. Ed used to ask us to hit balls. Then he would suddenly jump on court in the middle of play and yell, “how many times haven’t I told you? Lock your elbow while tossing the ball. And look at your toss, you are tossing to the moon; like Sharapova. Zero gravity! You have to hit the serve when the ball is at zero gravity” 

We used to incorporate his coaching religiously. He taught us many things. The game strategy, How to read opponent’s mind, how to serve depending on the match situation, high percentage tennis, volleying, rackets, strings, tension and so on.  He used to watch our club matches and later tell us what mistakes we did. Once Jason leading in a match tanked it because he was intimidated by the size of the opponent and his tantrums. Then Ed took us few sessions on Mental Conditioning.

That night he told us how he won his first USTA title.

“I was just out of high school. All my opponents were bigger than me. The key was to never look into their eyes”  He finished that day saying how much he was looking forward to the Michelob Lights tournament, his biggest of them all. 

Then I lost couple of matches back to back.  “Ed, please don’t watch my matches. I don’t feel comfortable” I requested. He nodded.

My next match was with Mark Schmitd at Wavalands. I was playing well as Ed wasn’t watching my game. I had won the first set and serving at 4-4 in the second. Then suddenly Ed appeared. I did a double fault. Then realizing I was tensed he quickly left the stands.  Then I recovered and won the match.

Next day Ed told me, “When the opponent is at the net, and when you are slicing with the backhand, never give any air to the ball. He will easily put it away. Your slice should always be just an inch above the net so that he has to dig down to fetch the ball”

He was pointing at my mistake in the previous day’s match.  Before I could ask him anything he said,

“I was hiding and watching you play”

In the second week of July 2012, Ed’s tournament was to be held in ASPEN indoor courts. I and Jason wished him luck. He smiled and said “Thank you”

And little did we know then that it would be the last time Ed would ever say a word to us or look at us with a smile. 

The following Sunday I got a call from Jason. He asked, “hey did you call Ed?”. I said no.

Then he said he called Ed several times but he wasn’t picking his phone.  I told Jason, “Since he lost his tournament he must be upset. Let’s talk to him in the courts”

For the next couple of days we didn’t see Ed at the courts. We had called him a thousand times already. No response. No reply to emails too. We panicked.  Next day Jason again called me and said he saw Ed at the Walmart but he didn’t stop the car even after seeing Jason. That was weird.

Something must have happened in the tournament.  I and Jason decided to find out the truth. The same day we went to the ASPEN center and requested them the info about the guy to whom Ed had lost in the tournament. It was Alan Reed.

“I am at the Walker Johnson park. Why don’t you come over?” said Mr. Reed on the phone

We went there and asked him breathlessly if anything uncommon happened to Ed at the match.

“Oh that guy? You don’t know what happened?” asked Mr Reed

“No” we said in unison

“He was cruising along well in the first set at 4-1. But suddenly his knees broke”

“What?”

“His knees froze in the middle of the match. He couldn’t move. He collapsed on the court itself.  He had been abusing his knees since decades. Every knee has a breaking point. I doubt if he will be able to play tournaments again”

Then suddenly Ed’s words echoed in my ears. ‘The moment they realize they are playing worse than before, they just stop playing’

I and Jason both looked at each other in disbelief.  We couldn’t contemplate the fact that Ed could have hanged his boots if whatever Reed told was true.

“I think Reed is right. Ed must be suffering from the shock that he wouldn’t be able to play competitive tennis anymore. So he must be avoiding everyone. May be he doesn’t want anyone to sympathize with him which would only hurt him.” Jason explained to me

That night was the longest night of my life. I didn’t get sleep. I kept on thinking. 

Than that scene which I explained at the beginning happened after couple of weeks. Even after my persistent pleading he refused to lower the glasses of his car and speak to me. 

It’s been 15 months since it all happened.  Everyday Ed drives his car to the courts, parks in the parking lot and watches people play for hours. He does that every single day without blinking an eye or uttering a word.  I just wish I don’t become another Ed Vargas. It all ends one day

Work is Worship

Recently I completed my 10 years of professional working career.  Phew!! Felt like eternity.  Office has been routine, more routine and some more routine. After having tasted all the possible roles(except a receptionist and a CEO), I had no excitement left to work. The same old projects, deliveries, code, defects, deadlines, documents, contracts, proposals, certifications, interviews, trainings, meetings. And not to mention the painful time-sheets  Sigh! I started dreaming at work, contemplating my retirement; if I was a son of a billionaire, I would be playing golf and visiting beaches every day.

Back home, we decided to renovate our house last month. Everyone at home was excited. Mom called me and said there were three carpenters; a head and two of his subordinates. She said one of them, from a North Indian village, is really a good worker and a nice guy.

“We like this boy”, she said

“Who?  That Northy?”, I was apprehensive

I further snapped, “Mom, That’s the problem with you human beings. You trust each other in no time”

“Aren't you human?”

“No, I am alien. Now listen to me. You guys got to be careful at home. Don’t trust that guy that much. I say, don’t trust him at all”, I said aloud

Well, I have no prejudice against the North Indians but the recent stats show that crimes aren't a big deal there. That doesn't mean everything in the South is all hunky dory. When it comes to corruption, they are equally guilty; may be even more.

It was when my brother, whom I consider a pragmatic individual, told me that the North Indian guy was indeed a nice person, I thought Mom was right. He was a small guy in his early 30s (like me (just the age part)). He wanted to earn some money and then return to his native, get married and get settled.

I spoke to Mom again after a few days. She said she never knew that there do exist people who enjoy work too. I asked her what she meant by that. She said all her life she had only seen people hating to go for work.

“Look at your brother. Every morning when he is about to go to office, he looks as if he is going for a space mission” She lamented. Then she told me that story which she has already told 20 times before. She had a job opportunity when she was young but her father didn't allow her to work and instead had gotten her married. She again said how much she regret not working without realizing that being a housewife is the toughest job in the world per se, may be next only to being a test pilot.

“Mom, did you mean that that little carpenter enjoys his work?” I asked curiously

She was quick to respond, “Yes. Absolutely. I wish you were here to see him work. Every morning he comes home with a big smile. Then he takes the plywood, blows off the dust, then wipes it with his own shirt, and then he moves his hand over it smoothly feeling every part of it. He keeps a pencil over his ear. He takes it and then carefully draws lines before he takes the saw. He keeps humming some strange songs when he is working. Every day he forgets about the lunch break. We have to wake him up from his reverie every single day. When someone enters the work area, he never lifts his head to see who has arrived. He is deeply lost in his work; All the time. Most times he doesn't respond if someone calls out his name. We either have to pat his back or prod his shoulder to talk to him. When he is done with say, a cupboard, he keeps staring at it for long as if it’s a painting. Every day he looks as if it’s his first day at job. Only thing he requests your brother is, to play his favorite songs from the internet (youtube) at the end of the day. We have to kick him out at 8 or 9 PM as we sleep early for the Ramzan fast. Then one day, I asked him, “Tum itni lagan se kaise kaam kar lete ho?”(How do you work with so much passion?).  He replied, “manne bas aaj ka kaam kal se behtar karna hai jee”(I just want to work better than what I did yesterday). That’s about him. So, do you enjoy your work beta?” Asked Mom

Do I enjoy my work? That question, no one had ever asked me before. I didn’t answer and hung up the phone. I didn’t get sleep that night. I kept thinking and picturing about that little carpenter. Then a thought struck me; what if I didn't have a job? What if I was unemployed?

Next day, I had an interview with a client manager, Aaron Gindt for a new project.

“Impressive resume. Hope you will be a good asset to my team” He told

“Aaron” I said, looking into his eyes, “I can promise you one thing for sure. From today, I will work better than what I did yesterday”

Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani - Movie Review

Since a Hindi movie had released after a healthy 8 month gap in my location, I went to see the much hyped Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani, even though its sleazy title begged me not to go. To say the least, this film had a happy ending. That is, I was happy that it finally ended.  The second half of this never ending piece of cinema (?) gave me a migraine attack for the first time in my life.

This is a story of four friends. Wait, did I say story? Well, there is no story in it whatsoever. You point any random scene from the film, I will tell from which film the scene is lifted. The first hour is a template copy of DDLJ. There is an action sequence in Manali, thanks to Burfi. Then there is a look alike letter scene from 3 Idiots. Post interval Kalki’s skype wedding invitation, Deepika’s speech on her Sangeet, courtesy Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara. And was that 8 or 9 year gap in Kuch Kuch Hota Hai? The list goes on.

Only in two places I found something original in the script. One, when a prostitute answers in her interview, ‘I has two childrens’ and the second, when Ranbir tells Deepika during the trekking race at Manali that love is not good for his health(the scene was shot in Kashmir, not Manali).  There is a pillow fighting scene between Ranbir and his friend Aditya Roy Kapoor, the guy with two surnames(reminds me of Aishwara Rai Bachchan). That scene left me totally confused as it is neither serious nor funny. This kid with two surnames is actually a good actor with really good expressions but looks like he has carried forward his alcohol abuser character from where he had left in Aashiqui 2.

We all know that Deepika Padukone is not a great actor but is she supposed to look that unattractive?, but thanks to that Lara babe who amply serves the oomph factor.  I think I have seen Deepika’s bespectacled look and her name ‘Naina’ in some other film. Is that Kal Ho Naa something?

Now coming to the quintessential future of Bollywood, RK(Ranbir Kapoor). I never expected such an average performance from such a talented actor. The whole film I kept wondering where’s the RK of the classics Rajneeti, Rockstar and Burfi. The scene where he confesses his love to Deepika, his eyes look as dull as two tiny buttons. It’s the same Ranbir whose eyes emoted such magically in the song Naadan parindey.

Well the only saving grace of the film is Kalki who is a revelation as a hilarious and wild friend (Going by looks, her name in the film should have been ‘Bunny’). The cameos from Farooq Sheikh , Tanvi Azmi and Dolly Ahluwalia are commendable. Even the NRI lady who offers the job to Ranbir is noteworthy. And what was OLD Madhuri Dixit doing in an item number?

The story of the film commences only after you have borne two hours of this film. And the climax with the New Year celebration! Wow. The concept of chasing your dream is appealing but not novel. Whatever, its narrative fails big time.

The songs(except Badtameez Dil) from Pritam are below average. One of the very few positives is its Cinematography, especially the snowy hills of Manali (read as Kashmir).  The background score, well I don’t think there is any. What else can I say?

Ayan Mukherji, Wake Up Kid!

These directors who were the so called assistants of KJ(Karan Johar) have IMO(in my opinion) no real talent. They are hell bent on giving tribute to KJ school of cinema. In fact KJ looks Steven Spielberg in front of them.  They think they have done break through by making rom-coms like, I hate love stories, Break K baad, Anjaana Anjaani, Ek main aur ek tu and now, Yeh Movie hai Deewani (I must confess that Agneepath(a remake!) was a good attempt though).  How long will this continue?  And KJ shamelessly produces these films I don’t know why.  Looks like these films are giving a parallel competition to Salman Khan’s (mindless) movies as to who would fool the audience more. I am sure Yeh Movie Hai Diwaani would go on to join the elite 100 cr club because people are fed up and just want to see a movie, any movie, thanks to the IPL(and the BCCI head who is acting like a headless chicken).

2012 was by far the best year in Bollywood but 2013 is competing with 2002 for the worst year of Bollywood(2002 had only couple of hits). Barring Jolly LLB no film has actually made any sense to me. I admit that Chashme Baddoor, Nautanki Saala and Go Goa Gone were good attempts. Anyway, back to my business in the world of tennis. Rooting for Wawrinka at the French Open.

One more thing, Kunal Roy Kapoor, one more guy with two surnames is not that bad at all in the movie Ye Kahaani Hai Deewani. And Lara ! Wow, she’s full paisa wasool ! Did you notice that Madhuri’s name in the movie is Mohini(from Tezaab?). Shit. Back to French Open. Allezzzz !!