To the uninformed the title would sound mysterious. If you google it you will discover an Indian cricket player that had tenacity to stay the course while the other wickets fell around him and walk home at sunset with a small pool of runs on the field.
He was not known for his meteoric rise in the alums of batting or flamboyant performance against the bowlers. Far from it. He simply stayed put when out on the wicket and collected his ones and twos.
Many of us are in that boat. We are not trail blazers of any sort but simply do what we must to earn our living. There is no major glory of being glam or in with the couture, but the metronomic tedium of moving to the next sunrise.
That can be good. Its a matter of perspective. There is glamour in scarcity. Conversely ubiquity brings loss of the cool factor. That is how our society is programmed to operate.
Vengsarkar was ubiquitous when it came to staying on... throw any bowler at him and he would stick to the wicket like a leach on skin. Did not shake.
Its like a McDonald's. A known entity. Simple. Boring. Its everywhere and you know what you are going to get. That can be Good. People often get caught in wanting to chase - something - money, fame, glory, titles, power, EPS, growth et al..the next IT thing. That is not to discourage those born with an ability to stretch the proverbial blankets and seek out new frontiers or ideas or the unconventional.
But to acknowledge that for every bright idea from Silicon Valley or any other hub of innovation comes a repeatable and predictable formula and people that breathe it to support the economic success of that very original idea.
This is a blog to raise a toast to those unsung heroes - the middle of the bell curve - the majority - the commuters - whatever you label it - that make it work.
Even a brand like Apple can face worries of its own success...unless you innovate you are not a darling and therefore relegated to the Vengsarkar pile. But what of all the efforts you did put in earlier? Well we always want to look to the future. So if you are not part of the roadmap its adieu.
I am not sure if that construct is eventually what defines progress but it certainly is responsible for a lot of strife in today's society.
Cool cat the Japanese are Tokyo at dusk My second visit to this land of the rising sun after almost a decade. Back then clearly I was wet behind the ears product manager and likely didn’t pay attention to all (efficient) things Japanese. But today I did and of course continue to be impressed. It is as much the obvious stuff like on time travel that is both clean and comfortable and all that which makes it possible. The impressive landmark and landscapes that these humans have put together despite their cramped (or because of it) surroundings and precarious geological conditions could amaze a novice architect among us. But it’s also the little things that someone had to think about which have a phenomenal impact on day to day lives that make the Japanese stand apart. Below are few random examples- 1. Providing a very fine machined wooden toothpick in every packet of wooden chopsticks. The said chapsticks are simply set on the To Go counter of any food vendor/ convenience store wher...
Here's a toast to the Vengsarkars...good coinage, by the way.
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