Striving towards Excellence

-Karthik Gurumurthy

-Karthik Gurumurthy

From Ranchi's heart, a legend did arise,

With gloves and willow, fire in his eyes.

M.S. Dhoni, Captain Cool they'd say,

Calm in the storm, leading the way.

Flick of the wrist, a six soared high,

Hope rekindled, beneath the summer sky.

Helicopter shot, a defiant roar,

Pressure defused, asking for more.

Behind the stumps, a keen mind at play,

Reading the game, each ball the prey.

Lightning throws, a blur in the air,

Wickets claimed, with a nonchalant flair.

Captaining India, with a quiet grace,

World Cups won, etching his place.

Under his helm, heroes were made,

A team transformed, their doubts all laid.

From humble beginnings, a giant he grew,

Inspiring millions, dreams coming true.

More than just runs, or wickets taken,

A leader, a mentor, a spirit unshaken.

Through cheers and boos, he held his ground,

Never a showman, never a sound.

His presence, a talisman, strong and true,

The heartbeat of cricket, in blue and white hue.

So raise a glass, to the man in yellow,

For MS Dhoni, a story to tell.

His legend etched in every score,

Forever remembered, forevermore.

-Karthik Gurumurthy

During the lockdown, one of my favorite things to check out is Ashwin's channel.  I love the way he shines the light on other people and asks very interesting questions. Today is Ashwin's Birthday.  Wishing Ravichandran Ashwin a phenomenal Birthday. May all his dreams and goals come true. This is a poem to our pride of India/Tamilnadu/Chennai.

The fingers twist, the wrist it flicks,
A web he weaves, on pitches slick.
Ashwin, the artist, spins his tale,
With guile and magic, wickets fall.

The carrom ball, a devil's flight,
Dip and turn, defying sight.
The doosra darts, a serpent's hiss,
Bamboozling batsmen, caught in this.

He weaves his spells, both slow and tight,
Catches dance in fading light.
Appeals ring out, a finger raised,
Umpire's nod, the batsman dazed.

From Chennai streets, his rise began,
A prodigy, with cunning plan.
Test arenas his battleground,
Where giants fall, his name resounds.

Not just with spin, his bat speaks too,
Crucial runs, when skies turn blue.
A leader wise, his voice is heard,
Tactics shared, each victory stirred.

Some may scoff, some sing his praise,
But none deny, his skill amazes.
So raise a glass, to Ashwin's art,
The maestro's magic, steals the heart.

-Copyright reserved 2020

-Karthik Gurumurthy

With fingers that weave magic in the air,
On cricket pitches, beyond compare.
From Chennai's streets to Test match fame,
Ashwin spins records to his name.

Engineer by study, artist with the ball,
Making batsmen dance, watching them fall.
Carrom ball, arm ball, and classical spin,
His variations make the opposition give in.

Through records and milestones he quietly climbs,
Master of his craft in modern times.
Not just with ball, but handy with bat,
An all-rounder's heart, who's more than that.

With wisdom of chess in cricket's game,
Strategic mind that brought him fame.
From Chepauk to grounds around the world,
His passion for cricket remains unfurled.

Professor of spin, student of the game,
Analytics and instinct - both the same.
In whites or blues, he stands tall and proud,
Making India cheer, making Chennai loud.

As wickets fall and records break,
Ashwin's legacy continues to make,
A story of dedication, skill and more,
In cricket's halls, forever to soar.

-Karthik Gurumurthy

Today's the best day of a special person (Shobana). I wanted to do something special on this day. However, we were invited by a good friend of ours- Vinod and Vijaya  Malik for dinner. Shobana and I had a wonderful time with them and VIjaya made amazing sumptious food which we thoroughly enjoyed.

Thankful for the wonderful friendship.

-Karthik Gurumurthy

In Manchester's heart, where shadows grow long,
A cricketing giant, where legend belongs.
Viv Richards, the master, with bat in his hand,
Unleashed his fury, across the land.

The Windies in peril, 39 for 4 they fell,
But Richards stood firm, dispelling the spell.
Hooks and cuts, square drives bold and true,
Each boundary a roar, the ball painted anew.

The bowlers wilted, their deliveries tamed,
As Viv Richards feasted, his hunger untamed.
He danced down the track, with footwork so light,
The ball disappearing, taking to flight.

Runs flowed like water, a tropical stream,
A hundred reached, a mere passing dream.
Onwards he marched, past 150 with ease,
The crowd in a frenzy, swaying in the breeze.

189, the landmark, finally did appear,
An innings for the ages, etching away fear.
Manchester witnessed, a maestro's delight,
Vivian Richards, the king, shining ever so bright.

So raise a glass, to the master's display,
Where cricket became art, on that glorious day.
The highest score, a memory to hold,
The legend of Viv, in stories untold.

-Karthik Gurumurthy

From Haryana's fields, a legend did rise,
With fiery spirit and glint in his eyes.
Kapil Dev, the name that rings true,
India's hero, with deeds bold and new.

His bat, a wand, conjuring runs untold,
Hooks and pulls, stories bravely unfold.
At Tunbridge wells  he stood, defiant and tall,
175 runs, a champion's call.

The World Cup gleamed, a distant desire,
Underdogs they were, fueled by inner fire.
With ball in hand, he unleashed his might,
Swing and seam, taking wickets in flight.

Zimbabwe's despair, a final stand made,
But Kapil soared, victory displayed.
The cup held high, a nation took flight,
Cricket's new dawn, bathed in golden light.

More than runs and wickets, a spirit he gave,
Never say die, a belief brave.
His captaincy, fierce and fair,
A team united, a challenge to dare.

From Ranji grounds to international fame,
Kapil Dev's legend, forever the same.
An inspiration, a story to tell,
The Haryana Hurricane, etching his spell.

Happy Birthday, the Greatest allrounder India has ever produced!

-Karthik Gurumurthy

Thank you God for all your blessings, starting with wonderful parents, teachers, brother , wife, friends and family.

God, who art the maker of the stars,
And of the earth, and all that's in between,
We praise thy name for all thy works,
And for thy love that never ends.

Thou art the one who gives us life,
And who sustains us day by day.
We thank thee for thy many blessings,
And for thy grace that sets us free.

We pray that thou wouldst guide our steps,
And that thou wouldst help us to do thy will.
We ask that thou wouldst bless our loved ones,
And that thou wouldst protect us from harm.

We know that thou art always with us,
And that thou wilt never leave us.
We trust in thee, and we love thee,
And we praise thy name forevermore

-Karthik Gurumurthy

Today is Birthday of legendary tennis player Martina Navratilova.  Martina Navratilova was once asked, “How do you maintain your focus, physique and sharp game even at the age of 43?" She gave a humble reply, “The ball doesn’t know how old I am”.

You need to stop yourself from stopping yourself. Every game in life is actually played on a 6 inch ground – the space between your two ears. We don't live in mansions, townhouses or apartments. We live in our mind which is an unlimited area. Life is great when things are sorted and uncluttered there. Keeping the mind messy with hatred growing on the table, regrets piling up in corner, expectations boiling in kitchen, secrets stuffed under the carpet and worries littered everywhere ruins this real home. The key factor to performing well in life and in every arena, is the ability to control the quality and quantity of your “internal dialogue”. Performance is potential minus internal interference.

-Karthik Gurumurthy

Today is my best friends birthday.  Wishing her long, healthy life, abundance of Happiness, and wishing her tremendous success in all her endeavors. She is my favorite speaker and every time she gets to speak on stage, the audience is pumped up. What is special about Shobana?

Shobana has lot of great traits but today I am going to share about her speaking skillset and what I have learned from our speeches.

Mark Twain was once asked the reason for his success. He replied back, " I was born excited". One of the chief reasons for success in life is the ability to maintain a daily interest in one's work, to have a chronic enthusiasm. When Shobana speaks, she has contagious enthusiasm. You can be really enthusiastic only when you are convinced about the topic you are talking about. Sincerity, earnestness, enthusiasm and determination to give yourself to the audience for a few minutes into a feeling of agreeement with you, a friendliness for you, a willingness to be interested. 

What I have learned from Shobana is, to give a speech that catches the attention of the audience, the speaker needs to be convinced first. That is what I have observed with Shobana. I have seen this trait with a lot of good speakers. They get a number of yes- responses. With more yeses,  you are setting the psychological process of listeners in the affirmative direction. The more the Yeses we get at the outset,  the more likely we are to succeed in capturing the attention for what we are sharing. Shobana always finds a common ground of agreement  to connect with the audience.

She also stirs emotions by being intensely earnest, her spirit shining through her eyes, radiating through her voice and proclaiming itself through her manners.  Doing this  communicates the conviction to the audience. She reveals to the audience how deeply she believes in what she says and gets audience to instantly like her through her funny and friendly ways getting rid of audience's skepticism and defensive mindsets. She personalizes her talk based on the audience which is the best way to get the buy-in from the audience. To summarize, following are my takeaways from observing her for the last couple of years.

The Do's

• It is better to talk about something you earn the right to talk about through your own experience.
• One should talk about something they are excited about.
• It should be something you are eager to tell your audience about.
• Good to have brief notes of interesting things you want to mention.
• Talk should have some illustrations and examples.
• Practice/ rehearse your talk by conversing with your supportive friends.

The Don'ts

• Don't write out your talks
• Don't memorize the talk word for word (verbatim)
• Don't imitate anyone, be yourself.
• Speak to express , not impress.