sports and people.

Sports is probably man's best known passion. Olympics stand proof of that. To play a game/sport is by itself an exhilarating activity. Watching a sport is great fun and de-stressing (provided it is done with sporting spirit!). Someone was not wrong when they said it is primarily a mind-driven activity,especially at world-class level. Yesterday watched several vidoes of World swimming championships on youtube(thanks to DBT's one blog!).Phelps was truly amazing and so was Liesel Jones and everyone out there. The power of discipline,hard-work,stamina and grit clearly marks a world-class player from the rest.I was so happy to see those people swim so well.Especially now,when I'm struggling with a simple breathing technique,I'm able to completly appreciate this so much better. FIFA last year was another reminder of the marvel of human spirit.
Having watched Navaratilova, Chris Evert,Lendl,Edberg,Sampras,Sabatini,Seles ,Agassi,Becker and THE STEFFI GRAF in those formative years went a long way in inculcating "LOVE for SPORTS" and for me,I look upto these greats. They are my biggest inspiration. Not to forget our Gavaskar,Kapil and all those cricketers who were and are still my heroes. These very people helped me build my own dreams.Watching them, I learnt the importance of stamina,mental strength ,concentration ,handling pressure and discipline. Thanks to these sports channels, we have access to almost every sport in the world - tennis,chess,badminton,billiards and ofcourse cricket, and many more too. I feel everyone of us need to associate ourselves to some sport atleast. There is so much one can learn from these superstars who have made it big with their dedication and perseverance. It is easy to think they had better opportunities than us,but in the end what matters is they went that extra mile in creating those opportunities for themselves while the rest of us simply waited for miracles to happen to us. They created their miracles and their destinies while we put it all on DESTINY.

If I were to live my life all over again, I choose to devote atleast 2 hours of my day to playing some game or sport and a lot more travelling to sporting destinations, across the globe. Pramod,prepare yourself to receive me soon :) I'm envious of you re...

I list down my favourite stars from my growing years. These are the ones I have known and am sure there is a bigger lot out there. It is to all of them, I dedicate this one.

1. Krish Srikkanth - the first cricketer I watched when I was in class 3 or 4.
2. Sir Viv Richards - The unforgettable LION of world cricket.
3. Ravi Shastri - the only star I have fallen madly in love with. He was the MAN :) yes, am talking of that first hero-worship crush of mine,the only-one perhaps..
4. Martina Navratilova - until I saw her, I thought only men played sports :)
5. Andre Agassi - the hippie with an attitude ,his energy was awesome.
6. Gabriela Sabatini - The glamorous girl on tennis courts who could stun THE STEFFI too..
7. Florence Griffith Joyner - 1988 Olympics(?) women's 100M in 9 something seconds (if my memory is right ).She was my idol those days. I would bow to her pic I had stuck up on my wall before going to my sports day event at school. (I was a track and field athlete at school for those who dont know !)
8. Sergie Bubka, Garry Kasparov,the Russian gymnasts - defined skill over power, aesthetics over athletic and more..
9. Matt Biondi - a swimmer I knew then.I wish I had got inspired then :(
10. Deigo Maradona - never watched football till I was in college but I remember reading about this guy as a kid..
11. The one and only STEFFI GRAF - It is difficult to discuss an icon, a legend, the personification of grace and skill,the silent killer among them all.She is my best till date..

This is not a best list,this is just my-list. I would love it if some sports buff adds his fave out here...