The head and the heart, they work together to protect us in their own conniving ways. When you come across happy, exciting stuff these two scheming b******s fill you with a hope that such things are within your reach and you can touch them, even have them for yourself. When you watch a romantic movie they let you feel that the magical stuff you saw exists and that keeps you going till you actually find it in your life OR (for some) till you settle for something resembling it. A friend shares an awesome experience with you and you get hopeful of having similar experiences in life; and so on.

The reverse, however, is not true. You see or hear about something bad that happened to someone and suddenly a sticky protective layer covers your thoughts and you never think that that could happen to you. You come across newspaper articles or email forwards that warn you against unknown dangers - how to recognize them, avert them, deal with them - you read them thinking it isn't for you, better still you forward them to others so that they can benefit from it. And when that something bad does happen to you, you are left bewildered because it just wasn't supposed to happen to you. Even more bewildering when those you sent all the forwards to DID do everything to prevent the disaster!

I think about this and may be its right that they (the head-heart duo) should so operate. The something bad comes along and you find the strength to handle it and to carry those around you who may not always have the strength; what is the point in that case to live in fear of every disaster? What is the point in worrying and living those horrible events even before they happen? You will anyway have no escape when they do. Why not keep living with the warm sunny feeling of the good days and the dreams and hopes of those still to come; why not let the fears lie hidden in those remote corners? Who knows if this is what keeps us going, if this is what keeps us afloat.

Whoaaa!!

It matters.So much!! I see him getting onto the podium, receiving the Gold medal for men's 10 m air rifle event, our National Anthem playing in the background and the Tricolor hoisting slowly - in the top spot. India wins its first ever Olympic Gold for an individual, courtesy Abhinav Bindra.I got goosebumps.

Notwithstanding the news channels going in a tizzy over a news item they know they can play non-stop for a minimum of 48 hours OR the fact that some of them are playing 'yeh desh hai veer jawanon ka' as they gush over Bindra OR that now they will trip over each other to interview everyone from the man himself to his maali (gardener) and may be even his dog. It is a big moment. The dude has won himself and the country many golds in world championships already over the years but there's nothing like an Olympics gold. And one that makes us feel like less of a loser nation? May be even a winner? Priceless.

(Some more pictures of him over the years here.)