And round of applause……… for MONSTERS

Post graduate transition always seems to be that odd bag of candies with some sour and some sweet. The sour/hard part is parting with community of friends and well wishers that have been integral part of your graduate life. The refreshing part is the sea of change and opportunities that are on the horizon. This has been the summary so far of my recent transition from Manhattan to Atlanta.

It is sad to ‘part’ with small town community of Manhattan, KS. I was part of some close knit groups with activities ranging from TV shows to Festivals. Many of whom, helped me shape my personality, which was otherwise cluttered with academic and research work. The culmination of the beautiful phase was a PhD degree from the only school in US that awards a doctoral degree in grain science. Yay!!!

The other side of the transition was an exciting new beginning with Lenka in Atlanta. However, being unemployed and a recent graduate in a new place is an adventure by itself. Thanks to Lenka, that financial stresses have not bore a burnt on me. However, financial restrictions, limited my activities to ones that I enjoy the most with least financial commitment. At this juncture , RP (Ratna Prasad) introduced me to a local tennis cricket league (Atlanta Cricket League) and in particular to TEAM MONSTERS. I was playing for their overflow team of Challengers. However, the rapport between the main team (Kings) and the Challengers was very good.

RP introduced me as a batsman who could bowl and with reasonable out fielding. I was given an opportunity to prove. My role was simple, during batting –open batting, farm the strike during initial phase and hit out at later phase; during fielding – do my best in the outfield. Given the plethora of play makers in the team, my role was that of a “team player”. The nice thing about the team was their attitude to the sport. They played it as a unit, shared a laugh in victories and sarcastically wrote off losses (happened only once in regular season). Sanjay underplayed his role as a captain, but diligently did necessary ground work to keep the team winning.

The team had lot of social gatherings away from cricket, that I believe to be the foundation for a successful fraternity of Monsters. There were at least a dozen emails each day, which surely made me feel part of the active community. Mostly the emails would start with Vikas sending some serious/informative article, Sanjay commenting on it within few minutes, Naushad picking subtle clues, Bali giving his two cents, then rest of the dedicated onliners would duly pick on one of team members. The rest of the email (which would give way to another topic within an hour or so) would largely be PUN intended opinions. Along the way , the original message is dramatically diluted. But it does serve the outmost service of keeping the community active.

My transition would have been a little different and perhaps a little more retrospective if not for MONSTERS. The sense of belonging and the freedom to play cricket with care free attitude has certainly instilled more confidence in me. For some time I wished that we ended the season on a winning note. But after thoughtful pondering, I realized that my association with the team was more important to me individually and socially than worrying about losing in the second round.

Kudos to all the team members of Monsters and all the memorable moments, whether it be sharing a light moment with Krishna, watching Pankaj Muscle outside off stump ball into the leg side stands, Naushad pulling age and gravity defying catches behind the wickets, Vikas safely pouching the skiers at long on, Sameer and Rajesh falling short of expectations, Suresh trying various lengths trying to outfox the batsman (and in certain cases the captain), Moorthy bowling in Aktheresque fashion or be it Sanjay trying to put up that cool captain face in face of miserable second round exit. Thank you everyone for adding thier personal color and dimension to OUR team.

That being said, I'm very looking forward to off-season socials as I evolve as MONSTER.