Hanuman's Curse

My childhood was replete with hundreds of stories from Hindu Mythology that  I read in the Amar Chitra Kata Comics, Bhagavatham, and the ones which the elders had narrated. Though I dont remember the exact versions of the stories that I'd heard over the years, a lot of these narrations are still very much remanent in the head.

When I was doing some soul searching today, I suddenly remembered the fascinating story of Hanuman. The story goes something like this.

Hanuman has always been considered as the strongest, most intelligent and one of the wisest demi-gods in Hindu Mythology. But sometime during his playful childhood days, Hanuman caused a lot of havoc among the sages who lived in the forests due to his mischief. 

One fine day, the sages grew tired of Hanuman and pronounced a curse - ”O Hanuman! you will forget all those powers and boons that have been bestowed upon you.  You will regain your vigour and vitality only when some one eulogises your greatness and glory.” 

The anathema made Hanuman staid and tranquil. Hence, Hanuman would never know how powerful and strong he was. Others would have to explain to him his strength.  Only then would he be realizing it.

Rama, Hanuman, Angad, Jambhavan(The Bear) and the Vanara Sena (Monkey Army) find out from Sampati (The Vulture) that Sita could be taken to Lanka. Looking at the roaring sea ahead of them, all of them turn pessimistic on how to cross over to Lanka to find out about Sita's wherabouts. Hanuman is among the most pessimistic of them all. 

Just when all seem lost, Jambhavan comes up to Hanuman and praises him - ”No other living creature has your strength, wisdom and radiance. -Why are you sitting quiet, not knowing yourself.? You can certainly jump over the ocean.” 

That's the moment, the Curse was lifted. Hanuman being reminded of his own powers, is overwhelmed with enthusiasm. As Jambhavan and the rest of the folks around him start reminding him about his powress, he starts growing in size. Finally, he takes a gigantic form and leaps across the ocean in search of Sita.

This story from the Ramayan is one of those anectodes that's usually told to kids as inspiration. While it may be inspirational to most, its metaphorical in many ways.

Each one of us have nearly unlimited potential, the events of the past, shape the minds in such a way that like Hanuman's curse, we forget what we actually are capable of. When all seem lost, during a moment of reckoning, all that's needed are some wise words of inspiration from a friend or a close aide to remind each one of us of the glorious past and how much we are capable of. 

These words could be a rebuke or kind words of wisdom. The goal is ultimately to remind you of who you actually are and what you are capable of!!!!

The Enigma of West Indies Cricket

Cricket fans usually have strong loyalties to their national teams. But there has always been one team which is loved by most cricket loving fans the world over.  Infact, its not even a team representing a country. Its a team that represents the whole of Caribbean islands, The West Indies Cricket team. 

The once mighty Windies team which boasted some of the greatest batsmen from Sobers to Richards to Lara  to Gayle and champion bowlers like Michael Holding to Malcolm Marshall to Courtney Walsh have been in shambles lately. The state of west indies cricket over the past few years have been an enigma to say the least.  They have been  ranked one step from the last in ODI and test rankings for almost 5 years I guess!!!

Being a fan of West Indies Cricket, it has been a harrowing experience. Its been sad to not to see any great talent emerge on the stage post Brian Lara and Walsh/Ambrose. There is Chris Gayle, but according to me, he lacks the stature of his predecessors. His tussle with the board doesn't help the team either. The lack of emerging talent have been compounded by the problems between the cricket board and the players to such an extent that Darren Sammy, who was not even a regular in the playing eleven was made the captain.

Looking back at the mess over the past few years, I'm not able to comprehend the reasons for the downfall of the West Indies. I can only say that the West Indies had hit rock bottom. I can't even remember a single Test or ODI series that they've won against a higher ranked team.

The only silver lining has been the performance of the West Indies in the test series against England in May-June 2012. England won the series hands down. However,  the inexperienced   batting lineup have accomplished what Top ranked Indian team and 'The Famed Indian Batting' could not achieve in 4 tests at England in 2011. They put up 300+ scores in all the test matches. 

The team under Darren Sammy and the new coaching staff are showing promise. They may not have won, but the team's showing a lot of heart. I'm sure return of Chris Gayle will bolster the team morale. The fact of the matter is I don't see the West Indies winning any time soon. But their performance of late gives hope.

Its been a slow and painful recovery for West Indies cricket, but the fact of the matter is that when you hit rock bottom, there is no easy way up. It may still be few years till one sees them winning consistently. Being the  loyal fan of West Indies that I've been for so many years, I just don't want  to give up  yet.