Yashas Mahajan's Blog, page 35
February 27, 2018
Word of the Week #100:
There was a time when I was quite serious about cricket. Playing professionally was not a far-fetched dream.
10 years have passed since then, and as one would expect, my life has changed a lot. Regardless, everything that I learned during that span is still fresh on my mind, and is still applicable to the challenges I face in my life.
One of the things I learned was the art of building your innings. I never got to apply it in cricket itself because, well, I’d hardly ever last long enough.
Regardless, let us take a quick look:
1 – 15: This is the toughest phase. Try to get through this without doing anything stupid.
16 – 40: This is where things get easier. You begin to understand yourself and the conditions around you.
41 – 60: This can be a bit of a transition period. The ball is no longer new, the pace of the game has changed. You either adjust, or you fall.
61 – 80: Everything seems to flow perfectly. This is when most of highlight shots come.
81 – 99: This is the treacherous part of the path. Fatigue and complacency are your biggest enemies, and you just want to trudge along out of sheer persistence.
100: Finally… This is the realm where only a chosen few can tread. Take off your helmet, look to the crowds. Take a moment for yourself.
101 and beyond: Just keep moving forward.
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February 20, 2018
Word of the Week #99:
So, if you were to take a quick look at the events that transpired throughout the past week, you might end up feeling quite dejected, or you might just stop feeling altogether.
Yeah, it has been that kind of a week, where we feel let down by the world around us.
I talk about the real world, of course. My world is still pretty cool, and that is what keeps me inoculated from everything real. And this is a part of art that we do not seem to discuss nearly as much as we ought to.
You see, in today’s world, art is too often evaluated by the impact it is supposed to have on the world around it.
Black Panther released last weekend, and its portrayal of minorities and women is the discussion that seems to dominate the media.
Last weekend was also the NBA All Star weekend, and an initial part of the proceedings was usurped by reactions to some Fox News anchor’s racially insensitive, extremely demeaning, and frankly quite stupid comments about the greatest basketball player of our generation.
It is gladdening, of course, to see artists and athletes using their platforms to try to change the world for the better. Their excellence grants them this prerogative.
However, that is not where we begin, right?
Art is not always a beacon that guides the entire world.
Sometimes, it is just a flickering candle that illuminates a single soul…
And sometimes, that is enough.
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February 13, 2018
Word of the Week #98:
So, I’ve lost quite some weight over the past few months.
Okay, I don’t know if ‘weight’ is what I lost, considering that I may have gained enough muscle to compensate for the lost fats.
But, anyway, I have gotten leaner. Appparently, playing basketball for ten hours a week will do that for you.
It sounds like a great thing, right? Well, it is not, and for a ridiculous but real reason: My clothes don’t fit anymore…
This may seem like an exaggeration, but I literally cannot walk down the stairs without having my jeans dangle around my knees. Now, some young men may prefer their jeans that way, but I am definitely not one of them.
Also, of course I do own a belt, but I keep it downstairs. Just saying…
Now, I could use this as an opportunity to overhaul my entire wardrobe, but that sounds like an expensive proposition, and there is always the risk that I’d pudge out sometime in the near future.
On the other hand, I cannot really go on like this, you know.
I think this decision could very well define the kind of man I will be.
I also think I can overthink things, at times…
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February 6, 2018
Word of the Week #97:
Do you like dogs?
Most people do, right?
Dogs are nice and cute and warm and loving.
Like, just look at this guy…
Look at him! Such a good boy!
How can someone not love him?
See, Miyu loves him…
So, looks like Little Luka has a date this Valentine’s, and I don’t.
Let us take a moment till that sinks in…
Anyway, what was the point I was going to make? Yeah.
Meeting someone new, and not sure what you think of them? Just talk to them about pets. If they make a face, you know they are not worth your time.
I guess I could give you an elaborate reason to support my hypothesis, but do you really need one? It is just the truth, you know.
Search your heart, you know it to be true.
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January 30, 2018
Word of the Week #96:
We are at a very interesting point in human history.
Why interesting?
Well, on this very day 70 years ago, a man who preached peace and brotherhood to a torn and troubled people was shot and killed for his troubles…
Of course, this was 70 years ago. You would assume things have changed since then, right? Well, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but that is not true.
The sort of ideology, or rather dogma, which led to that assassination, as well as countless others thereafter, has not been exterminated from our society. Instead, it has thrived. Every passing year, its voice only seems to grow louder and bolder, as the common man continues to sit idly by.
One cannot do much but wonder why the world works this way, right?
The answer is simple.
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January 23, 2018
Word of the Week #95:
How long has it been since I started writing? Well, very close to four years, now.
A lot has changed in that span.
For one, I no longer have my weapon of choice, my magnificent MacBook Pro. Ah, the very thought rends my heart!
For another, my hair keep growing fewer and further apart, and are greying at an unprecedented rate… Which is obvious, yes, but upsetting none the less.
However, there are some things that have changed for the better, and I could not be more glad.
To begin with, I am now far better at what I do. Of course, this too is pretty obvious. You get better with experience and practice. Still, we do tend to forget how far we have come, and the way we cringe at a cursory glance towards our initial work is a reminder as clear as any.
More than anything else, I have now grown accustomed to my characters. I know exactly what they think and how they feel, regarding everything I throw at them. That makes it easy for me to enter their minds, and write about their adventures through their own eyes.
I am growing into a good writer, I suppose.
On the down side, that may be turning me into an exceptionally weird guy. But, I was a pretty weird guy to begin with.
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January 16, 2018
Word of the Week #94:
The events of the past week have shone a stark light on the workings of one of the four pillars of our democracy: Judiciary.
For all its powers, the judiciary rarely receives the public scrutiny it deserves. Sure, the people to groan in unison when a high-profile guy is acquitted in a high-profile case after the court observes that the key witness who died years ago is not wholly reliable and had not been cross-examined; but we go about our own lives the very next day.
Quick Tip: If you want to cross-examine witnesses while they are alive, maybe don’t take 5 years to begin the trial…
Equality before law is such a cute thought, is it not?
Interestingly enough, while judges spend their entire lives judging actions of us lesser mortals, they themselves are uniquely isolated from all accountability.
Consider this:
Whom does the judiciary serve? The people.
Who pays the judges’ salaries? The people.
Who selects the judges? Other judges
Who can remove errant or incompetent judges? Other judges.
Now, you have to admit that something does not add up.
In November, during a debate over a plea seeking an SIT probe into alleged judicial corruption in a case, the bench of the Supreme Court stated the following:
“—this controversy has been set at rest that even when there is an allegation against Hon’ble CJI, it is he, who has to assign the case to a Bench, as considered appropriate by him.”
Well, it sounds fishy. The Chief Justice can choose which judges judge him. Do I get the same choice? Well, not really…
But as long as this enormous power is wielded responsibly, there is no reason to complain, right?
Well, apparently, at least four Supreme Court judges do believe there is reason to complain.
#TheRebelAlliance
The problem does not lie in one individual, but in the system at large.
Of course, the judiciary needs to remain independent of the other branches of the government.
After all, we wouldn’t want our judges to be strong-armed into clearing political leaders of murder, rioting, criminal intimidation, witness tampering, destruction of evidence, corruption, and other colourful charges with a fair trial, would we? Well, never mind…
The point remains that an institution as powerful as our judiciary, running with little to no accountability, is symptomatic of an oligarchy, not democracy.
Now, are we living in an oligarchy? That is a question for another day.
January 9, 2018
Word of the Week #93:
As a kid, I used to get hurt a lot. Like, every alternate day, I’d come home battered and bleeding.
I was a rather clumsy boy. I still am, for the most part. Perhaps it is not something you can just outgrow. Nor was I ever the greatest of athletes. But neither of those ever stopped me from doing all the crazy things that seemed fun in moment, irrespective of the consequences.
That is the thing about childhood, though. You can do whatever the hell you want, break or tear anything, and soon enough, it will be as good as new. Perhaps even better.
Unfortunately, as with adult salamanders, our capacity to heal plummets with age.
After 18, you have to be especially wary about hurting your bones or your joints, else they may never recover completely.
In the mid twenties, you start keeping a closer track of your aches and niggles. This is a list I made just last night, of all the things that hurt…
Ankles
Shins
Calves
Knees
Hip
Left shoulder
Left wrist
And, since then, I have also bit my tongue, so…
I cannot stop getting hurt. It is just how life goes, right? If you jump, you must be prepared to accept the fall.
No, what I must learn is a simple, yet alien concept that would supposedly help me live to fight another day: REST.
January 2, 2018
Word of the Week #92:
Another year has passed us by.
So, how was 2017? As always, kind of a mixed bag, right?
For me, it was quite eventful, if nothing else. I am not exaggerating when I say that my life seemed to change once every month.
Of course, ‘seemed’ is the operative word, here. In the end, we always revert back to our stable equilibrium.
For 2018, I want more of the same.
“Adventures are all very well in their place, but there’s a lot to be said for regular meals and freedom from pain.”
― Neil Gaiman, Stardust
After all, why fix something that isn’t broken, right?
So, this year, I look forward to working in my own room, sleeping in my own bed and, well, what else do I even do?
Life is simple, fruitful, and fun… This year too, let us keep it that way.
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December 26, 2017
Word of the Week #91:
As I mentioned last week, I hate losing.
Well, as it would turn out, I lost… And by quite a margin, if I may add… It was not even a podium finish…
“Anyone can deal with victory. Only the mighty can bear defeat.”
― Adolf Hitler
Of course, we all know how Hitler dealt with losing the war, so… Words to live by, right?
Anyway, it has been a while since I received the news, and after having spent a few hours sulking, followed by few more hours of brooding, I now feel relatively calm.
I can now see the bright side of things. I know it is a cliched thing to say, but I do believe I have come out stronger.
When you thinking about it, marketing and publicity was never my strong suit. Having been able to put up a worthy fight, I am actually quite proud.
All things considered, being voted as the 4th Best Author of the Year for your debut effort is a victory in itself.
No, I am not celebrating, but I am glad nonetheless.
And, as I often say, Book One was just the beginning.
Beware, 2018. Arrkaya: Immortals, coming soon…
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