Food for thought

I was watching Masterchef Australia last night,for those who don't know what the show is about, its a contest where amateur cooks are put through a 3 month boot camp of sorts, at the end of which 1 cook is declared(no prizes for guessing) Masterchef!!!

Now, what's amazing about this show is that,it's REAL!
No drama,no fake tears and no celebrities(yes,I am taking potshots at our desi version). It is about people who love food, people who have day jobs,families to tend to, who have left all of it behind to pursue their passion.

These "home cooks", are put through a gruelling series of tests, challenging them at every step of the show, the goal is to bring out the best in each of 'em. In just a span of 90 minutes, they are forced to innovate and invent a dish or on another day work with a team and whip up something gastronomical and on yet another day,they are put in a pressure test, where they fight for their spot in the competition.

Coming to the episode I was watching, one of the contestants got eliminated off the show, he was asked to sum up his experience at the show, he said and I quote "Being here has re-affirmed the faith I have in myself and that I should listen to my inner voice more often,for now I have realized, cooking is my calling".
And after a few hugs and good byes he was on his way home.
I went into a little deep thinking mode after watching this.

It wouldn't be absurd, I thought, for me to think that the show in a way, resembles our lives. We are expected of ourselves and others to be good at what we do,face a million obstacles and 'pressures' doing them and finding the need of a 'team', people we can count on,a support system.
And in the end we'd sail through this journey of life without any resentments if we'd truly love what we did, to be called no,Not Masterchef, But true masters of our lives and not its slaves. Some food for thought eh?

Olympic Woes

"A population of 1.2 billion and all we could bring back from the London Olympics were 6 medals? and not a single gold? . We trusted them so much (read:athletes), they have let the nation down."
The above comment in 1 way or another has been quoted by the rags, the media and any tom dick or harry , who until the commencement of the games didn't know who on earth  is Mary or Sushil.

6 medals is a huge deal. Looking back at India's run at the Olympics, this is the best yet.

All this hue and cry about how we, "The world's second most populated country in the world couldn't win more medals and countries with a quarter of ours won far many medals then us", will die down in the next few weeks and surface again when India goes to Rio for the 2016 games.
Let's face it guys, we don't really give a damn about them. I might as well be a little honest over here, because until the games started we didn't know or cared what these sportsmen and women did.

Whereas on the other hand we have a game that has hooked generations, churned out millions with its own premier league and which to date is played in nearly every gully of India. Yes, cricket, the religion that we solemnly have been following all these years. We worship them, pray for them, stay up nights, chant their names while we watch them play. We know everything there is to be known about them, right from their schedules to their WAG's and their pets and bikes.

In India, Cricket is THE only sport that counts, well atleast for 3 and a half years. Here is a sport that has the best; in terms of infrastructure, facilities, training, moolah, exposure. If  half of the attention we give to cricket is given to the rest of the games, India will be the sporting superpower, we dream of.

But who cares, the next India-England series is coming up and then it will be back to business. We don't care if Gopichand's academy is razed down by the government or that the national archery team doesn't have a premises to practice. No, all we care is that Sacin scores another ton. (not to undermine the great Tendulkar's contribution, he is the best)

We say that its the athletes that have let us down, but the fact is we have. We don"t believe in them, we don't acknowledge their hardwork and dedication. Playing a sport in India which is not cricket is a feat in itself and to represent it at the Olympics, is worthy of more than a few praises.
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Here's hoping that all these remarkable sportsmen achieve their Olympic dreams, that they have a better chance at winning the next time with better training and facilities. And that we, support them more often than once in 4 years. Gagan,Vijay,Saina,Mary,Yogeshwar and Sushil and the rest of the Indian contingent we are proud of you, it takes more then amazing talent and skill which you have, to do what you do. More power to you'll...