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Thursday, January 24, 2013
Growing and Developing Without Forgetting the Roots, This is Gujarat !
Wednesday, January 23, 2013
Life is what you make it!
Life is what you make it. Yes, definitely it’ll be always and only you who will make your life whatever and however you want. Because sometimes we do complain or regret that those were the circumstances or the people around you who has made your life beautiful or miserable. But literally I never felt so. Yes, I agree that so many factors do affect and change your life but what you’re today is only because of you. Let me tell you why.
Think about a situation where you are just stepping into a new school or college or company or any other organization to build up your career. You are definitely not aware how things going to start, how will be the people, how will be the atmosphere there, are you going to survive in that new wind, are you going to fulfill the dreams you’ve seen before joining this institution or organization. How you gonna know what will be the result once you’re already in. Because it’s just a new beginning. You meet new people, learn new things, make your ambitions strong, create a new group of friends, etc etc and then gradually you’re all set. You rise & fall, you again stand up, you take the challenges and give it an another shot. This is how you will be the owner of your life and thoughts. You have to live it.
It is well said that nobody can make you happy or sad without your permission.Do stick to this sentence.
It’s always you who should judge your life and nobody else. A person is always aware about what is wrong and what is right. Even a thief knows what he is doing when he steals something. Never let the circumstances master over you. Be your own master. You’re doing something because you want to do it. No turning back when it’s time to face it. Let the things go as it is supposed to be. Make your life as simple as possible. Do not complicate your relations and feelings. Trust yourself. Live your own experiences. Do not hide yourself being hurt or sad, they’re also part of life. If being happy is a part of life then being sad is also a part of life, why to be a frog of well.
Taking risks and being a failure is much worthier than not taking it and being a coward. Even Albert Einstein says “The one who has not seen failure has never tried a new thing in life.”
I tell you, you’ll be happy even when you fail, atleast you tried. Life is given only once, who knows about next birth
, so live it, enjoy it, share it, make it worth for somebody. Because in the end “Life is what YOU make it”.Author : Ujjvala Collins
Friday, January 18, 2013
Unsung Devotee of Cricket : Saurashtra Cricketer Shitanshu Kotak
Well after his contemporaries have hung up their boots, a Saurashtra old-timer soldier is on !
|
Twenty years ago Shitanshu Kotak and VVS Laxman
were among the players at an Under-19 camp in Bangalore. "We played two
practice matches and in the first I got a hundred," Kotak remembers.
"He said, 'Kotak, I know most things about batting, but can you tell me
how to make runs?'"
Two decades on, Kotak doubts Laxman remembers that conversation. Turns
out he does. Laxman laughs his warm laugh when asked about it. "It was
one of the best camps I attended in that age group. There were a lot of a
talented cricketers, and I remember Shitanshu being very passionate
about cricket," he says. "He took a lot of pride in the way he played
his game - not only in his batting but also in his preparation. The
discipline was evident in his lifestyle."
As youngsters, both men aspired to play for the country. Laxman went on
to do so and called it quits last year. Kotak, a veteran of 21 domestic
seasons, and now 40 years old, has never played for India, but continues
to toil on. Like Kevin Costner's character in Bull Durham, he is wise, wizened even, but still passionate.
Only four players have played more than his 117 matches in Ranji Trophy history, and of them only Amol Muzumdar,
is still active. Since his debut in 1992-93, Kotak has never missed a
season. Last week, when asked during the quarter-final against Karnataka
if it might be his farewell match if Saurashtra lost, he said,
"Rubbish."
Over his dead body
In December 2011 I was in Rajkot covering a Saurashtra-Mumbai Ranji league match. Kotak had spent two full days on the field and admitted he was bored. But he showed no exhaustion, speaking enthusiastically about why he still continued to play, as we drove to his house.
In December 2011 I was in Rajkot covering a Saurashtra-Mumbai Ranji league match. Kotak had spent two full days on the field and admitted he was bored. But he showed no exhaustion, speaking enthusiastically about why he still continued to play, as we drove to his house.
He sat on his sofa, with his whites still on, streaks of red all over
his shirt and trousers (he is the official polisher of the ball for
Saurashtra). "We are worried how he will stay at home without cricket,"
his wife, Payal, said with a smile. His son, Hetwik, 11 years old, was
curled up at the other end of the sofa, listening intently to his
father's every word.
In an age where many Indian first-class cricketers, once they get past
35, decide to migrate to lesser-known teams and play senior statesman
there, Kotak is an exception. Youngsters like Cheteshwar Pujara and
Ravindra Jadeja may have emerged as the team's best batsmen over the
last few years, but if Saurashtra are contenders today, they owe plenty
to Kotak, the team's workhorse. At least twice (in 2003-04 and then
2005-06) when Saurashtra were on the brink of being relegated to the
Plate group, Kotak played winning hands to rescue them.
Two of his best batting performances came against Mumbai, the toughest team on the domestic circuit.
In 2007-08,
Mumbai were in a corner. The only way they could make the semi-finals
was by beating Saurashtra. Kotak, Muzumdar says, "killed" Mumbai. For
796 minutes he resisted, grinding Mumbai down, finishing on 168 not out -
his highest first-class score, the fourth-longest Ranji innings in
terms of time spent at the crease (and the ninth-longest in all first-class cricket).
Muzumdar remembers electing to field on a fresh Wankhede pitch. "He just
denied us any hope. Forget winning, we stopped thinking about it. Not
only the amount of balls he played, but the time he consumed, he just
put paid to our aspirations."
The following year, in the semi-final
Mumbai ran into Kotak again, in Chennai. This time, though, Wasim
Jaffer's triple-hundred, and a century by Sachin Tendulkar, had ensured
Kotak would have to produce something majestic if he was to deny Mumbai
their ticket to the final. Kotak nearly lived up to the challenge with
an 89 lasting over five hours. "Tendulkar said: 'Kotak, sab log bolte hain, Kotak out nahin hota hai. Abhi maine bhi dekh liya, tu out nahin hota hai. Maar aur out ho ja, bas tu
[Kotak, everyone says you don't get out, and now I've seen it for
myself. Now hit and get out],'" Kotak recollects with an embarrassed
smile.
The essence of Kotak's batting has always been about stonewalling,
grinding the bowlers into submission. From the time he made his debut,
the left-hander drew heads with his unorthodox stance. The seeming limp
in his stride added to it. "With Kotak he is telling you: 'Bhai, main aisa hi hoon. Aap ko out karna hain to kar lo [This is how I am. You want to get me out, get me out],'" Muzumdar says.
Kotak admits he is limited in his strokeplay, which he puts down to his
diffidence about consulting his betters in his youth, along with the
lack of quality coaching back then. But what he may lack in technique,
he has made up for with grit and hunger.
"He is very determined," Pujara says. "The nature of the pitch never
mattered, what score he was batting on did not matter. To get him out
was one of the most difficult tasks for a bowler. He did not make
mistakes. He would never give you a chance. That is what I will
remember. And that is what we youngsters can learn from."
For Muzumdar, Kotak is one of a kind. "He is unbelievably mentally
strong. He knows his talent is a little limited, but if there is an
example of limited talent and maximum ability, Kotak will top that
group. He never gives up easily: keep playing, keep battling, grind the
opposition down."
The missed bus
According to Kotak in the first few years of his career, he would walk in at No. 6 and, following instructions from senior players, play aggressively. He ended up making fifties in each of his first eight matches. "I would just hit without bothering about what it could do to my career," he says.
According to Kotak in the first few years of his career, he would walk in at No. 6 and, following instructions from senior players, play aggressively. He ended up making fifties in each of his first eight matches. "I would just hit without bothering about what it could do to my career," he says.
In his first four years, despite being picked in the squad, Kotak did
not play a single Duleep Trophy match. The late Ashok Mankad, then the
West Zone coach, played him in the 1998 Duleep season and gave him a
long rope. Kotak showed promise, and he impressed in the Deodhar Trophy
too. He was duly picked for the Irani Cup
(the only time he has been, to date) the following season, against
Karnataka. Kotak scored a spirited century on a fast pitch in Bangalore
in that game, against opposition that included Anil Kumble and Javagal
Srinath.
| "My only motivation after 2005 was to play, perform and trouble the opponent. And if the [opposition] had senior or international players, I wanted to make them understand: even if he has never played for India, he is a player of our standard" | |||
Srinath was full of praise for Kotak, and on his next visit to Rajkot
said to Niranjan Shah, the Saurashtra Cricket Association president: "We
got all the India players out but we could not get this guy out even on
a greentop. Who gets him out on the race-course pitch?".
Kotak, though, was never called up by the national selections. To add
insult to injury, Chandu Borde, then the national chairman of selectors,
while picking an India A team for a tour of the West Indies said the
reason Kotak was not included was because he was in his 30s. Kotak was
27 at the time.
"I believed I would play if it is in my destiny"
Did Kotak really belong in the top league? Despite his passion for crease occupation, he has never scored a double-century to date, and only has 15 first-class centuries from over 200 innings. Against Mumbai last year, he recorded his 50th first-class half-century. "It is a setback, actually," he acknowledges, "the inability to score more hundreds. I failed to convert my fifties."
Did Kotak really belong in the top league? Despite his passion for crease occupation, he has never scored a double-century to date, and only has 15 first-class centuries from over 200 innings. Against Mumbai last year, he recorded his 50th first-class half-century. "It is a setback, actually," he acknowledges, "the inability to score more hundreds. I failed to convert my fifties."
"Thoda style, thoda grace, thoda pull bhi chahiye,"
Kotak says. "I did not understand this when I was young. You need
somebody's sympathy or a good impression to help you progress. Somebody
needs to put in words, saying how much you have been performing. Today
there are so many players playing for India and all of them catch
somebody or the other at one time to get in. I never could do it. I just
believed I would play if it is in my destiny.
"I knew even at the age of 31 or 33 that I was still good enough to
play. But I realised that the [West Zone] selectors were trying to avoid
me playing. Because if I performed in Ranji Trophy and they did not
pick me for Duleep, saying I was too old, then I could not go any
further. So it was not me who decided." It was, he says, the most
difficult phase of his career.
Around 2003 he realised his dream of playing for India was dying. Two
years later, he was resigned to his fate. "My only motivation after 2005
was to play, perform and trouble the opponent. And if the [opposition]
had senior or international players, I wanted to make them understand:
even if he has never played for India, he is a player of our standard."
Perhaps the right sort of coaching might have allowed him to add a
string to his bow. "Maybe I could have started playing a bit more
aggressive cricket. But for that I needed the knowledge. I am a Level 2
coach now, and I know more about bat speed, bat swing. Today a batsman
is more aware about various things which could prove beneficial."
Kotak believes youngsters today are mentally stronger, more stable, and
smarter than those of his generation. "The one big thing I see about
these guys is, they do not want to be nice to people. They are sure that
only if they perform can they capture anything. It can be seen as a bit
of arrogance, but it helps you in your game. It is not a bad attitude
to have.
"I wanted to be nice to everyone. Even today I do not upset people. I
always thought I should not say or do anything that can damage my
relationship or hurt my chances. People can take you for granted if you
are too nice."
Be that as it may, Kotak has made sure he has never been consumed by
cynicism. "I never felt too upset, because that would only harm me," he
says. "So I decided, I must play, show people that, come what may, this
guy always performs."
The long player
This is has been Kotak's leanest season with Saurashtra (344 runs in nine matches at an average of 26.46 up until the quarter-finals). Otherwise he has consistently been among the side's top three batsmen.
This is has been Kotak's leanest season with Saurashtra (344 runs in nine matches at an average of 26.46 up until the quarter-finals). Otherwise he has consistently been among the side's top three batsmen.
This year, halfway through the league stage, after the regular openers,
Chirag Pathak and Bhushan Chauhan, failed regularly, Kotak raised his
hand and said he would open. Through his long career Kotak had opened on
the odd occasion but never at a stretch. Not that that is an excuse for
his poor figures this season, he says.
This is only the third time Saurashtra have reached the semi-finals in
Ranji Trophy, and if they get the better of Punjab, Kotak will have made
it to his first Ranji final. He has more first-class runs than any
other Saurashtra batsman, but he has not thought about retirement. "I
would definitely like to at least score a double-century before I stop.
Help Saurashtra win the Ranji Trophy," he says.
"What really inspires me about players like Kotak," Laxman says, "is
that at some stage of his career he must have accepted that he would not
play for the country. Continuing to play in a professional manner,
continuing to deliver for so many years, is admirable."
Kotak's story is an anachronism in modern Indian cricket. It is the
story of a man who has remained loyal to his duties, to his ambition,
and above all else, to cricket.
Author Nagraj Gollapudi is an assistant editor at ESPNcricinfo
© ESPN EMEA Ltd.
Tuesday, January 1, 2013
The 16 Smartest People on Earth
IQ is a problematic measure of intelligence. Many have never been tested, while others have taken the test many times to improve their scores. Still, psychologists consider it the best measurement of intelligence out there.
So who has the highest score?
The World Genius Directory, created by Dr. Jason Betts, is a fluid list of the world's top mind compiled from certified IQ tests sent in by listees. Betts says his site is the definitive ranking.
"Other [IQ] websites had existed, and some still do, but they are based and limited by local constraints, for example, written in Spanish, for Europeans only, only accept their friends' tests, and so on," Betts told us in an email. The directory "has no preferences nor bias, except test quality."
The average score on an IQ test is 100. Most people fall within the 85 to 114 range. Any score over 140 is considered a high IQ. A score over 160 is considered a genius IQ.
If you're wondering, Betts includes himself on the directory. His IQ is 168.
16. Ivan Ivec has an IQ of 169
Nationality: Croatian
Ivec specializes in high end IQ tests, competitions and statistics. He's a member of Croatia's MENSA and teaches advanced mathematics.
Ivec has puzzle competitions and other tests of academic strength on his website.
15. Gaetano Morelli has an IQ of 169
Nationality: Italian
Gaetano, called "Tany" for short, is an engineer at an Italian firm and the author of a book about Albert Einstein's Theory of Relativity.
He's a member of at least 20 high IQ societies and founded his own, the STHIQ.
His hobbies include bridge, chess and fishing.
14. Jorge del Fresno Viejo has an IQ of 170
Nationality: Spain
Jorge is a member of several IQ societies including Morelli's STHIQ society, the Universal Genius Society and Epida.
(Photo not available.)
13. Mick Dempsey has an IQ of 171
Nationality: British
Dempsey has a degree in forensic psychology from London Metropolitan University. He is a youth support worker at Hertfordshire County Council, according to his LinkedIn profile.
Dempsey also enjoys jazz, Faulkner, the Everton soccer club and films including Pulp Fiction, according to his Facebook page.
12. Marc Nydegger has an IQ 171
Nationality: Swiss
The 20-year-old prodigy from Fribourg, Switzerland is a scientist and video game designer, according to his profile at Hall of the Ancients.
The profile says his favorite food is "knowledge" and his favorite drink is "intelligence."
11. Santanu Sengupta has an IQ of 174
Nationality: Indian
Sengupta holds an an MBA and bachelor's in Aerospace engineering.
When he's not working the equity property desk for a financial services firm, the 34-year-old enjoys traveling, stimulating discussions, solving puzzles and good food. Sengupta's favorite drink, by the way, is vodka.
10. Vedran Glisic has an IQ of 175
Nationality: Bosnian
Gilsic, who hails from Bosnia and Herzegovinia, enjoys experimental music, mathematics and chess compositions.
You can check out some his own mixes on ReverbNation.
9. Peter Rodgers has an IQ of 175
Nationality: Australian
The 58-year-old author, physicist and poet has written more than 3,000 poems and published books on emotion, schizophrenia and Albert Einstein.
Rodgers, who earned his bachelor's in Mathematics at the University of Queensland, suffers from dyslexia and epilepsy, but still managed to do well in school.
The poetic genius also hosts his own YouTube channel where he posts creative videos of his poems, music and information on his books.
8. Tadayuki Konno has an IQ of 176
Nationality: Japanese
Konno, 39, currently lives in Sakata-shi, Yamagata, Japan. The self-described visionary lists his hobbies on his Facebook page as "making kaibun (Japanese Palindrome), listening to music, watching movies, reading manga comics and novels."
He is a member of the Mysterium Society and the HELLIQ Society.
7. Lee HanKyung has an IQ of 177
Nationality: South Korean
Lee Hankyung, from Daejon, South Korea, is currently a medical student. The 27-year-old is a member of at least five high IQ societies, including Mensa Korea and OLYMPIQ High IQ Society.
6. Tim Roberts has an IQ of 178
Nationality: Australian
Roberts is a professor and the head of the computer science department at Central Queensland University in Australia. His favorite subjects to teach include operating systems, artificial intelligence, and programming.
Before turning to teaching, Roberts worked as a software consultant.
5. Patrick Zimmerschied has an IQ of 178
Nationality: German
The 30-year-old currently studies philosophy and political science at the Darmstadt University of Technology, after dropping out of school at age 18.
He has written books and enjoys writing poetry in his spare time.
4. Kenneth Ferrell has an IQ of 190
Nationality: American
Ferrell
is a practicing physician in Charlotte, N.C. He is a member of various
elite IQ societies, including the Epimethius Society and the Order of
Imhotep.
The 52-year-old told us that "IQ tests" have become a
fun hobby for him over the last five years and he even created verbal
and numerical IQ tests of his own: QUINTIQ and 12354.
3. Mislav Predavec has an IQ of 192
Nationality: Croatian
Currently a math professor in Croatia's capital of Zagreb, the 45-year-old is also an owner and director of a small trade company.
Predavec is the founder and president of the elite GenerIQ society, which lists Ivec and Ferrell as members.
His Facebook page mentions that he liked Pink Floyd, Mafia Wars, Leonardo Di Vinci and Gloria magazine.
2. Rick Rosner has an IQ of 192
Nationality: American
The
world's second smartest man is one of the more colorful characters on
the list. He has written for various TV shows, was a contestant on "Who
Want To Be A Millionaire," and spent many years as a bar bouncer,
stripper and nude model.
The 54-year-old, who currently lives in
Los Angeles, recently told The Daily that he sometimes stays up 20 hours
a day to finish IQ tests in a bid to knock his Greek competitor out of
the top spot.
1. Dr. Evangelos Katsioulis has an IQ of 198
Nationality: Greek
The smartest man in the world is a Greek psychiatrist who also holds degrees in philosophy, medical research technology and psychopharmacology.
Katsioulis, 36, also enjoys painting, swimming and traveling.
Source of Information : Yahoo!
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