The Florida State University: The Impossible Dream #GraduationSpecial

Posted: Saturday, August 3, 2013 by Kratik in Labels: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
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“Never tell a young person that anything cannot be done. God may have been waiting centuries for someone ignorant enough of the impossible to do that very thing.” - G. M. Trevelyan



I still remember getting onto the plane in Paris, boarding a flight to Cincinnati to get to the United States, having a heart filled with enthusiasm, an adrenalin gushing through the veins and a smile sparkling with chime written all over my face. As I left home, I described it as a voyage, and one that was to be my greatest adventure and the toughest challenge that I ever would see. I had two choices right in front of me. Either I could have done things that most do - concentrate on my ‘primary’ objective, or I could have done stuff that people had written me off for. Being me: Naïve but natural, dreamer but determined, silly but happy, perpetually confused but peculiarly peaceful, and hardly religious but deeply spiritual, I couldn’t have gone for the former.

Moreover, having been blessed by Sri Sri Ravishankarji (Guruji), and having been told by Dinesh (Ghodke) Bhaiya, “When you have done everything possibly possible, He makes the Impossible possible,” I was too determined to hold back, only looking for a chance to prove people wrong. I wanted to be an example to every Indian kid growing up, who had ever dared to dream, and was sick and tired of the 'engineering' monotony. So, I built my ship and got ready mentally to set sail in order to eventually stop at Manchester United.


As I landed in Cincinnati, it was exactly how I had imagined it to be, maybe even better. I had to pinch myself for a second and tell the little boy inside of me, “Heck yeah, I am in America!” I had left India on a positive note: as a good – and not a gossip – soccer journalist, as a decent soccer marketer and a pretty-good soccer analyst. I remember my last couple of days in India well and especially that one incident when I went up to Khalid Jamil, one of the finest Indian soccer coaches, to tell him that I would be moving to US to pursue a two year Masters’ course in Sports Management. Listening to which he replied, “Toh fir idhar aa ke kaam karna”, which translates to ‘come back to India to work’. Moreover, he had patted me on the back to say, “Mehnat karna, tu accha karega.” Translating to, ‘work hard, you will do well’.

Getting such comments from a man whom I had an enormous respect for was like a blessing, making me swim (and not drown) in my own tears of sheer gratitude. In fact, I still get shivers as I think about that meeting and his words. Some things are absolutely incredible and unforgettable. Taking his words like his blessing, I had become stronger deep inside. In school and in college, I had failed only to get up, prove my worth and win, and although I knew it was going to be tough, I wasn’t worried.

 “There is only one thing that makes a dream impossible to achieve: the fear of failure.” - Paulo Coelho

My primary aim as I started with my Masters’ program at the Florida State University was to find a place to work on campus and after hearing that I could deal in soccer technology, FSU Seminole soccer did not hesitate even once before presenting me with an opportunity to work for the team and analyze their soccer games. I thank the coaches for that. They were brilliant to me.

As soccer rolled, Finnegan's followed and watching English Premier League on the weekends with soccer fans became an attraction. Soon, occasional parties followed and FSU life had started to set in. I still remember my first party at Stetson's at the end of which I promised myself to never party again. I was hit by a massive thunderstorm named 'culture shock'. I had seen it all in movies but seeing it first hand was different. I was so moved back then, but now, I can look at the entire incident and laugh my heart out. It was classic international student moment! How I sat in a corner and said, "No, no, no! This is wrong!" Hahahahaha!

But what was the ‘impossible dream’? It wasn’t working for FSU Soccer, was it? No, it wasn’t. The impossible dream was to live like how I was living like in India, but even better. It was to inspire people, gain love and most importantly, make the most of my ability, learn more than I could and become the best of me. In short, in Guruji’s words, I wanted to “walk with feet light but leave my footprints behind.” In spiritual terms, I didn’t know how to do it but I had an ‘intention’, and it worked out superbly well.

“Every noble work is at first impossible.” - Thomas Carlyle

I got a teaching assistantship wherein I inspired people. To be true, I taught an introductory Art of Living course and they loved it. Now, obviously, I couldn’t teach an Art of Living course. Smiling relentlessly and talking about the small problems in life, and teaching students how to smile through them was my objective. I believe, I did a decent job at it. Well, at least, some of the testimonials and course evaluations suggest the same.

Personally, teaching as a part of my TA was not enough and I wanted to contribute more, so, I decided on teaching stress-relief programs to some very special people who needed it the most: the homeless. What an experience that was. I remember leading them through their first meditation (yog nidra) and after seeing them come out of the practice, they were smiling like I had never seen them smile. It was out of this world. I cannot describe it. It was extraordinary. It’s moments like those that I feel so proud and grateful to God for having me learn, understand and experience spirituality. Really, what’s better than teaching people to relieve their stress on freewill, believe in themselves, feel lighter and stationing a smile on their face? Nothing, ask me.

“It’s kind of fun to do the impossible.” - Walt Disney

I went on to work in performance analysis and sponsorship for IMG Academy (click to read how it was a dream come true) with some of the biggest names in American sport. Later, I became one of the only handful fewpeople in the world to get featured on the Catapult Sports, a technology that I learned at IMG, website. I also got a chance to speak through Skype in my very own class. Now, I am back in Tallahassee and I am working with FSU Seminoles Football in performance analysis on Catapult at the Florida State University. With only a month left for the season to start, watch us becoming national champions this year. Watch us play at Doak and see how we tear past oppositions to lift the championship.

On the way, I met some wonderful people and who loved me more than I could ever imagine. They called me a friend, a brother and a mate. I have the best friends ever!



Right from partying every weekend until two in the morning, to singing in Art of Living satsangs and in Hare Krishna (Iskon) kirtans, to learning about Jesus/Bible and Krishna/Bhagvad Gita, to falling in love and rising out of it, to spreading love, to working my socks off professionally, I have done everything that I could have asked for and wouldn’t like to change a thing when I look back.

All I wanted was a shot at the sports industry abroad and at times, even I have to shake myself to see where I am. It’s not NY Yankess, but had you offered it a year ago, I would have taken it without thinking and had you told me I would be here five years ago, I would have called you one out of your sense. However, on the other hand, it’s only a fraction of where I want to be. My dream is Manchester United and is still a distance away, but – in Dinesh Bhaiya’s words – I am doing everything possible to make the impossible dream possible. Every morning that I wake up, I smile, I feel grateful and I say to myself, “Let’s win it!” before going to work. It’s a divine feeling, believe me.

Friends, opportunity, confidence, love, knowledge, exposure, skills and an experience of a lifetime, a miraculous journey, the Florida State University has given me more than what I could have asked for.

Today is my graduation. I am a student today, I will be an Alumni tomorrow, but a Nole for the rest of my life.


I thank God for everything as it’s him for who I am and where I have reached. It’s Him due to whom that a little Indian boy, who came with massive aspirations, to America can now write a blogpost describing how he is living his dream under the sun and is on the path to get to his dream destination, Manchester United. Getting to Manchester United may seem like a miracle, but I rely on miracles, don't I? Yes, I do.

 

 I'm glad that I met ya'll. You guys absolutely rock! I thought I left home to come to America, but I just realized that I formed a home in this country. At times, I do miss home but it's love of each one of you that makes me feel like I have a family here. Forever in your debt.
                                                                                                           - Kratik Malhotra

Say No To Racism - Didier Drogba

Posted: Tuesday, May 28, 2013 by Kratik in Labels: , , , , , , , , , , ,
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(This has to go down as my most casually written, unedited article)

I remember writing this article 'The Support For Fabrice Muamba Shows Why Football Is Still The Beautiful Game (click to read)’ for Goal.com and coming across this image (below) – of Jermaine Defoe being consoled by Gareth Bale after seeing Fabrice Muamba being stretched off the field – on Getty - Goal.com source for getting pictures for their article. After seeing this picture, there was no way that I could possibly not bring up racism in the article, especially after taking one of my favorite classes, the Sport and Media class, in which I learned so much about racism in America, at the Florida State University during my first semester here.


Recently, I came across an interview from one of my most loved players from one of United’s rival teams (and trust me, there aren’t many) and I absolutely melted reading it.

I won’t edit it one-bit, this if for you to read:

Drogba: "It happened in the time I played for Chelsea. One day we had a public training and many fans were there to watch us. A young boy waved, so I just went over to him, I thought he wants an autograph.
“When I stood in front of him I asked him 'Hey young mister, do you want an autograph?' He called me a Nigger. His father got angry and told his son that he mustn't say this word. I told him i'll do this. I went on my knees and looked the young boy in his eyes and said 'Look, i'm black and you're white, now i'll show you something...' I took his hand and led her to my breast. 'Can you feel it?”

“I have a heartbeat - like you.
I have two hands - like you.
And I have two feets too - like you!
When I get hurt I say 'ouch' - like you do!
Do you realize something?
We're both humans, no matter if i'm black or white”

“The boy started to cry and ran into his father's arms.
He had tears in his eyes too. I gave the young boy my jersey as a sign of my respect!"

…Didier the man!
What a champ!
I remember when Chelsea won the 2012 Champions League final, it really didn’t bother me as I saw Didier Drogba win. I hated it, but I didn’t shut the door and try to sleep. I had a smile on my face in utter disbelief. Like Martin Tyler said after Drogba scored the penalty, “It was written in the stars.”





Whenever I have looked at Drogba, I have always got a positive vibe, quite opposite to that of the other man in the picture. Jose Mourinho has described his impact on the world as a ‘person: as an ‘African, as an emperor of the Ivory Coast, as a father, and as a son and as a friend’. And Jose has got it spot on: he has impacted the world as a person - as a human being. What a man Drogba is!

There are some things money can’t buy and one of them is respect.
#RespectDidierDrogba

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From The Nib Of A Dreamer’s Pen #IMGAcademy

Posted: Saturday, May 18, 2013 by Kratik in Labels: , , , , , , , , , , , ,
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(What an experience I have had at IMG! Passed faster than light and learned more than the Solskjaer of technology)


“I tell you, nothing is going to happen here. I wish we were working for IMG.” ---  My friend’s words while sitting in the parking lot of an Indian soccer stadium, during our marketing stint at an Indian soccer club, having failed to fill the seats with people.

Many of you might remember my blog-post, written about two and a half years ago, ‘A Touch Closer’. It was about how after being rejected by this software company, Tieto, God presented me with an opportunity to work and get paid, for what was a lot of money for me back then, by the largest soccer data and analytics company in Asia, Real Time Sportscast (RTS), as a soccer commentator and analyst.

After RTS, I went on to write for the largest soccer website in the world, market the biggest and the best professionally managed club in India, and in the past five months, I have interned with the largest sport management company in the world. I have come a long way but it's only 1% of where I want to be. Reflecting back, that job with RTS did end up getting me a touch closer.

At RTS, I was taught about stats, how they are needed, their importance, value and most importantly, their use. I started from scratch, did online soccer commentary of games, helped collect statistics and worked as a statistician, helped report the statistics and most importantly, working with technology and data, and analyzed them to aid the teams playing in the Indian Soccer League (I-League). It was a great experience.

When I moved to the United States, I was put on board of the FSU Women’s Soccer Team as a soccer analyst. It was a great year-long experience and it helped me in mastering my dream technology/software, Prozone. Now, I am called a ‘Prozone Expert’ by a few people in the industry and having learned Dartfish, I look to take my analysis to the next levels.

Late September 2012, I had applied for an internship in Sponsorship with the academy of the world’s largest sport management company, International Management Group (IMG), and they came back to me asking me to focus on another area, along with Sponsorship, Performance Technology (PT). I had offers for a marketing internship with NASCAR in Daytona, a marketing (branding) internship with Florida Panthers and a communications internship with the Philadelphia Union, but when IMG came calling with PT, my choice was clear, even though one of the other internships offered to pay me an hourly wage and another would have covered my housing and food.



When I started with IMG, that thing of ‘working for IMG’ had sunk in, completely. With my first week here, I was still caught in the ’IMG awe’. Seeing the work-culture, the professionalism among staff, the facility and infrastructure, the star athletes on campus, my job and responsibilities, the level of technology used, the knowledge to gain…everything…it was just marvelous, and I couldn’t believe that I was there. And to my loss, I, sort of, had started feeling that the organization was too big for me, and I had started undervaluing myself. I wish I had respected myself as much as I had done at any of the places where I worked in the past, but it was a priceless lesson from a learning standpoint. I won’t lie, I had a shaky start, but I improved in my work and partly, it was due to the IMG staff, who me feel like I was a part of the team. From the bottom of my heart, I thank them for that. It underlines their professionalism and management skill.

Alright, back to joining IMG. When I was told that I am cleared to join IMG, I remembered my friend’s quote (mentioned at the start of the post). It was all like a dream. I say, “I rely on miracles,” and that is what it was, it was a miracle. From a good old electronics engineer, who only ever sat for one job interview because he was clear that he wanted to get to Manchester United and Sky Sports, to a boy who interviewed players from several top clubs including Real Madrid and Tottenham Hotspur, and is followed by Sky Sports journalists on Twitter, to one who was asked to be the face of the private television of an Indian soccer club that had their best season this year, to a boy who worked every day with the number one collegiate women’s soccer team in America on the number one soccer analysis software in the world used by the likes of Manchester United, Real Madrid and Arsenal, and to a boy who was stepping into something that he considered absolutely massive, it was unbelievable how far I had come.

My internship was dual-departmental, and for the sponsorship department, I worked on sponsorship activation, sponsorship representation, inventory management, sponsor events, sponsor-related social media interaction and sponsor-apparel allotment, amongst several things. Working and interacting with some of the top sponsorship professionals at IMG, along with the personnel from sponsors that visited the IMG Academy campus onsite, was a magnificent experience.

For the performance department, I dealt with some of the state-of-the-art technologies that were there to learn. My job in performance revolved around working on Catapult, but later, I also started working on Dartfish and worked on match analysis with IMG’s under-14 soccer team. It was a major challenge but it was terrific. Working with Catapult was a little tough because I did not have the necessary exercise science knowledge needed but I was there to implement the technology, and I was very clear in that aspect.

The Catapult Guy! (Real Time Analysis)
I believe, I did the best job that I possibly could have done and in the process, learned a lot. Dartfish was awesome. Knowing how to use the tagging feature in Dartfish has taught me how to integrate various technologies together maximizing its use. I thought Match Analysis (MA) would be a piece of cake for me, having worked on the best technology that was there to work on, in Prozone. But Match Analysis was different as it required a lot more manual work, but was no big deal for me to adapt. However, with enough on the table to work with, finding time to work with MA was tough, especially because I was not bound to work on when I started. Working with MA and IMG soccer was something that I took up due to my love for soccer and my two-year analysis experience in the sport.

In all, IMG offered me an invaluable experience. In fact, I would have paid to work on some of the things that I worked on and gain the knowledge that I gained. It was very-very special indeed. Every single morning I would wake up, smile and say, “I am living my dream,” and then, leave my apartment for work. I have loved every moment of my time in Bradenton, Florida. I still remember when some of my colleagues brought in a desk and set it up for me; what a moment that was! I was so touched. Five minutes after that happened, I went into the restroom, locked myself in one of the toilets and cried. To me, it showed that I was valued and loved. It was such a touching thing. Even on my final day, gifts and comments like these made me melt. By the way, in the picture is a shakeweight gifted to me by one of the 'crew' members. I will miss the crew; everyone, absolutely everyone.


There are so many memories that I am taking back home with me and holding which in the highest regard, I would cherish these for a lifetime.

My office for the summer - Doak Campbell Stadium
Hey reader, if you are looking for an internship or a job, apply for a position at IMG Academy, it may not only fulfill your expectation, but it may even supersede it.


As for me, it’s time to move on and further enhance my learning. Next stop: Florida State Football. Yes, I am heading back to Tallahassee. As my Tally lads may say, “Back In the hood.” In the hood, yes, but who knows, I may head back to IMG in the future again :)

Yesterday, it was IMG; tomorrow it will be Manchester United. My dreams and aspirations make me a dreamer. Thanks for reading this post from the nib of my pen.

Follow your heart. Have faith. Live your dream.

Love,
Kratik

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The Warrior Prince

Posted: Monday, April 15, 2013 by Kratik in Labels: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
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(Have you ever transformed anyone's life? Do it for the better! This world needs you! )


Warrior Prince. No, this post is not about Sourav Ganguly nor is it about Paul Scholes. Well, Scholescy is the ginger prince. Whatever.

This post is, in fact, about a boy who believed in God and let it all pass. Stop thinking so much...I am not talking about Ayrton Senna either. He is just a boy; a boy who experienced dreamland and lived his fantasies every single day.

What's his name? Well, they call him the Warrior Prince.

He had never been away from his kingdom but he dreamed of claiming the Kohinoor Diamond, buried at nadir under Joker's dungeon. He had heard stories, but he didn’t know the way. He had faith, but it could have been his last fight into the fray.

As he was about to leave for Azkaban, the greatest masters blessed him. They blessed him to fly through Pandora and sprint past Mufasa. He promised to not disappoint; donning his fedora, he set his sail.

First, he met Scrooge McDuck on the way, who was too busy counting his money. He went to the richest duck in the world said, “So, what are you going to do with your money?” Uncle Scrooge replied, “Invest it to make more.” He remarked, “Really? And what are you going to do with that?” With a gingerly look, McDuck said, “Make more. Simple,” as he started counting how much money he had made, again. Prince remarked, “Interesting.”

Prince kept his hand on Scrooge McDuck’s shoulder, smiled and said, “That who fears can never live and that who lives will never fear. Think about it.”

Leaving Mr. McDuck puzzled, high and dry, he sailed on.



As he sailed further, he noticed that he had reached ‘Duckland’ as he saw a number of ducks. One of them was shouting from the top of his voice. Prince didn’t understand the reason for his discomfort, and so, approached the duck wearing a blue sailor hat.

Let’s have a sneak-peak into the actual conversation:
Prince (hand on the duck’s shoulder): What happened young man? Oops…sorry, duck.

Duck (furiously): Duck?! My name is Donald!

Warrior Prince: I am sorry Donald. I didn’t mean to hurt you. You seem livid, what happened?

 Donald Duck (depressed): I have been trying to win the ‘Disney Star of the Year’ award but I always get beaten by a mouse.

Warrior Prince: But you came second, that’s good, isn’t it?

Donald Duck: Not as good as first!

Warrior Prince: I’ll give you a weapon with which you can beat your best; maybe even that mouse, who knows?!

Donald Duck: "What's the big idea!?"


…and Prince made Donald to close his eyes and conjured his magic. When Donald opened his eyes, his anger had evaporated and there was a strong shift that he felt. His smile was wide and he promised himself to spread the love to latitudes even wider.

The Warrior Prince sailed past the mountain and saw a mouse cracking jokes and making people laugh. He paused and exclaimed, “A 2 ft. mouse wearing a crown talking to humans, interesting?” Prince then, paused, heard one of mouse’s jokes, laughed for a bit and started sailing again.
He soon bumped into a clumsy dog, who seemed to have a little intelligence, Goofy. Seeing Prince, Goofy shouted, “Aren’t you going to Mickey’s winning celebration?”

Sneak-Peak:
Prince: Who is Mickey and celebration for what?

Goofy: He was crowned the ‘Disney Character of Year’ for the 85th year running!

Prince: Have you invited Donald? He was sad and was fuming that he didn’t win.

Goofy: Yes, Mickey invites everyone. Donald was invited as well.

(Goofy looked down and put his hand over his own fedora) You know, Donald is a good friend of mine. He fights sharks and storms, but gets beaten by Mickey every year. Sad, but I guess that’s how it goes.

Prince (Smiled): He will win the next year; I have given him a magical weapon.

Goofy (laughed in his own unique way): Gawrsh! What’s that?

Prince (smileed even more and starts sailing): Call Donald; he is waiting!

…and Prince sailed on.


He soon saw a pilot almost crashing his airplane into the sea before ascending the aircraft in a steep spiral over water. Having come from the age of empires, he had never seen this kind of airplane drama. In his sight, that was extraordinary.

Seeing a man looking in awe from the deck of his ship, the pilot’s assistant asked the pilot to see if the man needs help. The driver dismissed his request at first, but then, obligeed. After a smooth landing on the bed of the sea, the driver and his assistant swam over and entered the ship.

Pilot said, “Hey, I’m Baloo. Do you need any help?”

Overwhelmed Prince replied “That was mind-blowing and yes, if you can fly me to Azkaban, that would be great.”

Baloo pulled his assistant, Kit, to the side and had a little discussion and ultimately, told Prince that two had come to a decision and would not be going to Azkaban.

Prince (looked down and frowned): Thanks, but I really wanted to get there.

Seeing his face grow smaller, Kit pressurized Baloo, who said, “Let’s go!” After experiencing multiple tailspins, Prince reaches Azkaban safely. He noticed that Baloo had a habit of losing his temper very easily and asked him if he wants a gift.

Seemingly caught in conundrum, Baloo, in a jolly way, says, “So, I get paid?”

Prince: No, not money. Better than that.

Baloo: Better than money? Free food at Louis’ restaurant?

Prince: No. Close your eyes.


As the bear closed his eyes, Prince ran his charm on Baloo’s mind and started walking towards the Dungeon underneath the castle, leaving the pilot at peace.


Seeing him walking on the island, towards the castle, castle’s guards caught him and presented him to the Joker, who, thought that Prince wass just another person who has lost his way, and so, ordered his guards to put him into the dungeon.

In the dungeon, Prince met five individuals, who called themselves ‘The Planeteers’, and who were tasked with defending the Earth from the greatest of disasters and making efforts to educate mankind to keep others from happening. With all of them depleted in energy and with the boy from North America, Wheeler, going through relationship problems with Linka (from Soviet Union), Prince iterated his desire to restore all their powers with his magic.

Also, he saw a man, ferocious as a tiger, rambling, looking to beat the meat out of a person. As he tried to go close, the man shouted from the top of his throat, trying to scare Prince. Prince started smiling and started walking towards the man.

The man felt indifferent as for the first time, someone hadn’t got scared of him. As Prince got to the man, his smile grew and he put his hand around man’s shoulder, asking him to sit down. He asked the planeteers to sit down as well.


Prince taught those six prisoners breathing techniques and guided them through a meditation. He made them feel focused and relaxed at the same time, made them experience bliss and devotion at the same time, made them experience their presence and love once again, and most importantly, made them smile once again.

As the prisoners opened their eyes, they felt revitalized and the rush of adrenalin had them believing that they had been reborn.

After the meditation, unbelievably, the ferocious man stood up and said, “My name is Jaffer. I have committed sins; many sins. But I don’t blame myself for any of them. I blame you!”

He added, “Yes, you. I blame you! Because had you made me experience what I just experienced, I would have never committed any of these sins. It’s you who is responsible and not me.”
As the others looked in amazement, Prince smiled and said, “Your time is now!”

After breathing techniques and meditation, planeteers started to feel strong once again, and combined their powers to call on Captain Planet.
 

As Captain fought Joker, Prince taught Jaffer the ‘Art of Living’ well enough to teach the others. With time, Joker was beaten and Captain rescued the planeteers and Prince. When Prince asked Jaffer to follow him to his kingdom, Jaffer replied, “I have just started. I have plenty of work left here.”
He further added, “With power comes responsibility and this is the greatest power one can have – to transform lives. Having attained that, I will make a difference. I am better off here.”

Prince smiled, and then, God conjured magic. Jaffer took Prince to a river, down into the dungeon, and dived into the river and went to its deepest possible point. With the whole situation past Prince’s vocabulary, Jaffer came back with a bright shining substance. Prince, remembering his ultimate objective, smiled and said, “So, it was true. The Kohinoor Diamond really existed at nadir of the river.”

As a token of gift, Jaffer, who as it turned out was cursed to be the protector of the precious stone until someone treated him as a normal human being, presented the massive – 5 cm in radius diamond – to Prince.
Prince got reminded of something that was taught to him back home: When you do His work, he does yours.

As he reached his kingdom, he got to know that Scrooge McDuck was living his dream and enjoying his retirement than putting all his energy in earning money. He was also informed that Donald Duck had finally won the ‘Disney Star Of The Year’ award. It was brought to his notice that Baloo was keeping his anger at bay, and Wheeler and Linka had sorted out their respective stresses and are doing very well in their relationship.

How did this happen? What did Prince do? I have talked of Prince’s magic. His magic was in not differentiating between creatures, making people experience delightful meditation and teaching them the way life is supposed to be led.

***People, one request, let Prince rise in you so that what happened in Boston today never happens anywhere in the world tomorrow. Meditate, make people meditate and make this world a better place to live in. Spread knowledge. Spread Love.

Jai Gurudev J
Love,
Kratik

The Ultimate Battle: Live Or Die On This Day

Posted: Saturday, March 30, 2013 by Kratik in Labels: , , , , , , , ,
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In the woods, he learned to breathe,
Crushing the sheath under his gawky feet.
In search of Pride Lands with a gritty breeze,
Outsized by Sherekhan and his latent crease.

A heart too filled but wrapped in gripe,
Pounding for a dream, educing to fight.
Ignoring interdiction, it dances jive,
Hunting hurdles, it will eternally strive.

Time too stagnant in an abyss of silence,
All good fights had come to this.
In the middle of a gantlet cage, he began to reminisce,
Spirit revived, Aladdin smiled, hearing the cobra hiss.

Standing on a hill, past the river,
With ingenuity and diligence in heart so fervor,
Destination in sight, shrugging the quiver of fear,
Captain Planet he was, with his rise, he defined valor.

Into the battlefield, he dared to step on,
Matching the Joker’s grin, a smile he gracefully donned.
To live or die on that day, a skill he honed,
Seeing himself in Goblin’s eyes, he witnessed bourn.

…What happened next? Ask me in a month :)
Do you believe in miracles?
                I rely on them :)

Jai Gurudev :)
Love,
Kratik

The American Dream

Posted: Thursday, March 14, 2013 by Kratik in Labels: , , , , , , , , , , ,
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American Dream? Don't know what it is, but it feels like I'm living it.
Words, they often tell the story,
But they are entwined with feelings so brittle that they change so readily.

Pictures, they often let you relive the moments,
But they pull you into the past ever so easily.

Memory, it never forgets what it has to remember,
But in its own mesmerizing way, it keeps you attached, aimlessly.

Silence, it helps you experience that empty space,
But, it’s that space which makes you come to terms with reality, pleasantly.

How often it happens that you can look back, pat yourself and say, “Yes, I have lived the dream.” If you ask me, I don’t even know the definition of a ‘dream’, but I wouldn’t be shy in saying that I have lived it in this past year.

December 27, 2011 was when I landed in the United States with a heart full of dreams. Who was I? No, I was not Spiderman! I was a small time soccer journalist, who wrote for the largest soccer website in the world, who was told he had ‘fans’ (bullsquat, I say!), who marketed one of the biggest soccer clubs in India, who hosted games in front of a thousand of people in mammoth stadiums, who did a little bit of soccer analysis for Real Time Sportscast and who believed that making a person meditate and spiritual knowledge can transform a person’s life. Kratik, who? Even I didn’t know. In fact, I am still discovering. But irrespective of whoever I was, I wanted to be someone bigger. I had heard about the ‘American dream’ and I wanted to live the American dream.

When I began my journey at the Florida State University, the ‘Seminole feeling’ didn’t take as much time to settle in as within the first couple of weeks, I was on the board, working as a soccer analyst for the university’s soccer team. Having prior experience with soccer obviously helped as I got to work on my dream software, Prozone. Unlike my time with my undergrad degree in engineering, grades at FSU were never a problem. Yes, I worked my socks off but it was all God’s grace that grades panned out better than I had expected them to.

With time, I met some amazing lads. Soccer fans, F1 fans, guys who taught me American football and guys with whom I experienced the FSU life, you know what I mean ;) As time passed, I realized that I was actually doing well. But there was something still missing and my intuition told me that it was my will to make a difference, my will to make people meditate, my will to spread Sri Sri’s message, my will to transform lives. And it was all God’s grace that I managed to do all that. How? He has his own ways.

I got a teaching assistantship for two of my four semesters at FSU! I taught four one-credit hour courses in ‘Stretch and Relaxation’. I taught yoga, meditation, the secret to smile…In all, I basically taught a spirituality course. Lol. Why?

I once asked my spirituality teacher, “Why do you teach all this? Why don’t you feed poor people by the money (that you charge) instead of giving out all this knowledge?” And his reply was one that gave me a path to walk on. He said, “We can, but if I give them food for 2000 bucks, how many meals will I be able to serve? 25 meals for a person? Instead, I give them knowledge, it is priceless and lasts with them for a lifetime. What do you think is better?” I remember pausing and saying, “Wow!” Knowledge like this and people like him have truly helped me shape my life.

So, when I look back, and ask myself, “Did I do the right thing in teaching yoga, meditation and spirituality, and not just not normal stretching?” Absolutely! Spirituality is very different from religion, and I highlighted that. In my courses, I never spoke religion. In fact, I told Christians to believe in Jesus and know that he is taking care of them; I told Muslims to have faith and believe in Allah and know that he is there, and I told Hindus to believe in Ram and Krishna and know that he is ensuring that his/her life leads to perfection. Same implies to Jews and Buddhists as well. I just spoke one language and it was called spirituality, which revolved around the fact that our lives are taken care of and that we do not need to worry.

I also taught few stress relief sessions at the Big Bend Homeless Coalition. It was amazing! The expressions of people after coming out of meditation were priceless. I should have filmed a Mastercard commercial right there. Lol. Those homeless people were so special and under enormous stress, more than what a normal person can even imagine, and making them meditate was an exceptional experience.

Okay, back to FSU. It was the fall semester, the end of August, when I met some of the finest chaps in America. They weren’t the Michael Jordons and the Lionel Messis of this world, but who they were, were truly wonderful people with great hearts, who knew how to celebrate every moment, how to be supportive and how to live their life to perfection, and that’s what made them bigger and better than even Jordon, Ronaldo or Messi. They were about 25 in number, maybe more. They laughed, they enjoyed, they partied, they lived in the present moment, they…just lived every moment as it came and in the process, taught me how life was to be lived at FSU. In fact, when I look back now, I would say that they were the missing link in my time jigsaw (if there is anything like that lol) at FSU. It was them who were the reason that, when I think about all those times of the fall, it lets me believe that I lived my semester to perfection. I am still friends with them and it feels like an absolute blessing.

Meanwhile, I had applied to a number of places for my internship and I got in to my dream company, doing my dream internship: IMG Academy and an internship in Performance Technology and Sponsorship. I still remember sitting, with a friend of mine, as a marketer in the parking lot of our team’s stadium and saying, “How cool would it be to get to IMG?” And here I was, at IMG!

I still have over a month left of my internship at IMG and during my time here, I have not only worked with some of the top American football college athletes, but also, I have got a chance to meet Thierry Henry, Tim Cahill, Floyd Sam and Juninho. It’s been awesome and it’s all God’s grace.

Now, why did I write about all this? Well, I don’t know. Maybe because I just wanted to. Actually, no. There was something that has really been biting me. What is it? Not the most heart-warming thing, off course. The thing is, in ten days, I am going back to Tallahassee, and it could be the last time that I see so many people. Why? Because if I don’t get a job, I go back to India. Marketer for a year and a half, journalist for two years and a sports analyst for over two years, am I not worth a job? I don’t know. But as I had taught in my courses, my Guru’s message, my life is taken care of, so, I need not worry. At times, I give myself a lesson. Lol

But if this is the last time that I meet some of my friends, especially those 25 or so fun-loving mates of mine, what I can certainly publish is that I will miss them to extremity.

PPPPSSSSSHHHHHHHH…enough of getting emotional. Bigger picture. As I had said, “I came to America to live the American dream,” and thanks to God’s grace I lived the American dream. Frankly speaking, I don’t even know what the American dream is, but my experience couldn’t have been bettered.

For making my time a truly memorable one, a special ‘thank you’ to Miao, Shuai, Paul Sheffield, Eric Parks, Pamella, Erin, Laura, Ellen, Alicia, Brittany, Katharina, Smay, Justin Garner, Parker, Sarah H, Carlton, Andrew Young, Jim, Steve, Kristen,  Nindiya, Gary Galvez and Jennifer, Matt Cline, Caroline, Amanda G., Max, Christian, Mikey, Lauren B., Sara, Del Toro, Nicky Yang, Ashley, Stephanie, Lance and Tiffany, Joshua Peterson, Nick Downey, Ozi, Neslihan, Kosuke and Yue Ji, and my MBA buddies: Lancer, Claire, Tony, Albert, JR, Justin, Julian and Dan, and my mates who have graduated: Ryan Pekerek, Ryan Pham, Logan Liles, Justin Mason, Sid sir, Javier and Wang Suk, and all the Indians who have always stood by, and all the teachers…all of you are true rockstars and the reason why FSU students rock the world.

Love,
Kratik

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