Gala day at M A Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai

No other team has been so successful in Indian Premier League in the last four seasons. It’s none other than our Chennai Super Kings (CSK), two times Champions, one time finalist, and one time semi-finalist. Adding to the flavor, they are Champions League winners in the year 2010 as well. We had a great chance to witness the finals of the IPL 2011 in M A Chidambaram Stadium in Chepauk, Chennai along with my brother-in-laws. The atmosphere was electrying with a capacity of more than 50,000 people in the stadium. The stadium was full of yellow T-Shirts and yellow flags reminding me of a Holland football match with Orange dominating the stadium.

Chennai has always known for its craziness for Cricket, its knowledgeable crowd; record prone historic Chepauk and good decent Cricketers emerging from the state. Honestly expected the final to be a cliff hanger because of Gayli strom but the match got over after the great opening stand between local boy Vijay and Mr. Cricket Hussey. Adding salt to the wounds for Royal Challengers Bangalore is the removal of Gayle for a duck by yet another local boy Ashwin who has been denied chances humpty number of times in the playing X1 in the world cup team has proved yet again that he can deliver in the pressure situations.

It was a great atmosphere to watch this final in the stadium with crowd having utmost fun when home team lifted the coveted trophy. The awesome fireworks after CSK finished the formalities and crushing the RCB was a treat to watch. Many people argue about the twenty formats and its nature of killing one day international and test Cricket, but honestly 20-20, IPL and Champions League has added new dimensions to Cricket especially in non-cricketing nations because of its short format. I always believe IPL is the showcase of rising India. There were times when western Cricketers refused to tour India because of the lack of facilities and hot and humid nature of the country. Now any tom, dick and Harry from western world want to play in IPL and savor the moments and also increase their financial stability.

From economical point of view and to be precise from macro economics point of view, IPL has contributed a lot to Indian economy. The vendors, the sponsors, the local players, the T-Shirts etc etc has added value to numerous people in this society. Well English guys, you introduced 20-20 game to savor your beer after work, you would have never thought India would become power house of world Cricket once you introduced this format. Every nation has its day, let’s savor what India is now in world Cricket and also in the economy.

Thanks a lot Sridhar to get the tickets. You made it happen and one of the most memorable moments to cherish.

Cheers,
Sathish Kumar S

Amsterdam, Tulip Gardens, The Netherlands

Traveling alone is a great experience, but traveling with your sweet heart is another wonderful experience which one shouldn’t miss at anytime. Amsterdam looked quite different when I visited as a bachelor and as a family man ;) Thanks to Gayathri and Ratheesh who invited us to spend Easter holidays in Amsterdam and Tulip Gardens, Netherlands. Had a wonderful six to seven hours drive from Hamburg to Amsterdam.

Amsterdam with its architectural buildings, beautiful canals nearby, bicycles parked across the lovely banks is a pleasant sight to watch. It was a hard search to find a hotel during easter holidays and ultimately landed up in a hotel which was great play to stay for the price paid. Travelled to Keukenkof on the next day to one of the beautiful spring park in the world, the tulip gardens. Certainly one of the most picturesque parks which I have witnessed in Europe with color tulip flowers spread across the park.

Thanks a lot Gayathri and Ratheesh for all your efforts to accommodate us. It was more fun with your son Raghav and Aunt. It was a perfect familienausflug on a sunny long weekend.

Cheers,
Sathish Kumar S

First Anniversary @Heide Park, Solltau

Time flies away like anything. It has already been one year since I got married. As experienced people said, first few years of marriage are always honeymoon period and it turned out be cherishing period as well for me and Anita. Both of us took a day off from our regular work schedule and went to a famous theme park in Northern Germany- Heide Park in Solltau with our good friends Aishwarya and Prabu. It was a perfect day to celebrate our first anniversary on a sunny day with lovely wonderful and exotic rides. It was a good period of time where we had a great chance to know and understand each other to the maximum. Thanks for all the wonderful moments Ani.

I love you Ani!

Sathish Kumar S

The night the World Cup came home - World Champions 2011 India :)

It’s been a long time since I posted an article in my blog. Time has come now to express my happiest moment in my life when I witnessed my Indian team lifting the ICC world cup 2011 trophy with great passion, aggression and enthusiasm. Right from the time ever since I started watching Cricket from 92 world cup to this date, it’s been a long wait to see the men in blue lifting the prestigious, coveted world cup trophy. Thank god it happened in a time before my idol Sachin Tendulkar could retire from international Cricket. All the prayers of one billion people got fulfilled that he should be part of world cup winning team and as he mentioned “it’s never too late”.

Every nation has its own sport where it unites people from all quarters as it’s football for European nations, Rugby for Australians, New Zealanders, South Africans, its definitely Cricket for India. As one witnessed, poojas in Temples, prayers in Mosques, holy rituals in Gurudwaras, extra special prayers in Churches before the first ball is bowled in the world cup finals in Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. We could definitely boast as true world champions as it was not an easy ride in winning this trophy. An exhaustive quarter finals against the former world champions Australia, then the epic semi final match against the arch rivals Pakistan where even Prime Ministers of both the countries couldn’t shy away from this historic match in Mohali and the most much awaited final against the Lankans in Mumbai.


Million dollar thanks to all the members in the team who handled the pressure right from the word go when the tournament started and anything less than winning the final couldn’t satiate the 1 billion fans across the country and not to forget the coach Gary Kirsten who played a pivotal role to this success after the Greg Chappell drama in 2007 world cup in Caribbean. A word of praise for Mahendra Singh Dhoni who silenced all the critics for his strange tactics and did the talking with his bat with a knock out punch of 91 and lead the team from the front in all quarters. He could cherish this victory through out his life after what has happened to him and his house after the 2007 debacle.

One could always argue it’s a game of Cricket at the end of the day. Winning and Losing is a part of game but this cup is something special for the game of Cricket in India. Power house of world cricket, financial hub of Cricket, iconic players in the team, one of the most powerful leagues in the world, modern India definitely needs this crown at her helm. Thanks to Sourav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid, Anil Kumble who played a big role in building this team and nurturing all the youngsters in the present team to cherish this most memorable victory.

Definitely sports offer motivation to various individuals in different aspects of life. Winning the world cup is a symbol of modern India and I am sure one billion people right from Jammu and Kashmir till Kanyakumari, Rann of Kutch till Arunachal Pradesh should have inspired and savored this memorable moment in one of the greatest sporting victory in the history of the game of Cricket.

Thanks men in Blue!
Sathish Kumar S

Snow....Snow...Snow.... Nochmal Sächsiches Erfahrungen!!

Snow fall on the alpine trees, temperatures hovering around -15°C, 400 km of adventurous ride in the autobahn completely covered with snow, yet another experience of Sachsen, East Germany with lovely Nötzold family and of course more importantly this time along with my honey :)

We were so lucky that it snowed a lot before some days when we arrived there. Snow on the alpine trees, sun shine on the snow...it’s definitely a treat to watch. It has been a tremendous experience for Anita with snow. Just recollected my memory how was the feeling when I saw snow for the first time in Germany. It is indeed definitely an awesome feeling for people coming from tropical climate. We did Snow walking for about 15 kms. Initially planned for a short walk but ended up in an adventurous venture with out knowing the way and later using Google maps in the mobile phones to find the way since everywhere it was completely covered with snow and completely white.

It has become a regular practice for me now to visit Mr. Nötzold’s family twice a year. One during peak summer when sun shines in the Erzgebirge and the other during Christmas time with snow capped alpine trees and Christmas celebrations in Sachsen and Erzgebirge region. Torsten expressed as a sense of humor that his parents normally visit only once in a year that you are visiting now twice a year ;) I am so privileged that I had a chance to rub shoulders with him both professionally and socially.

Various personalities came in my life and I portray certain characters as my role model and Torsten is in fact my role model who handles both his family and professional life in a cool and successful manner. Thanks Torsten, Angela and Lara for the wonderful time you gave us every time when we were in Chemnitz. I felt very homely, happy and emotional with every moment I spent with you guys. Torsten, Angela and Lara, you really taught us language, culture differences are never a barrier when love flies in the air :)

Cheers,
Sathish & Anita.

My first German wedding in a span of five years :)

One event which seldom happens in German society and the same event which happens quite often in Indian society. By now it must be quite obvious what I am referring to. “Germans getting married”. The society is so open and relaxed that teenager can even live with their partners separately away from parents with out getting married. Let’s argue the pros and cons later but now let’s get back to my experience of attending first German marriage.

Having lived here for five years, it was always my dream to attend one German marriage. Thanks to Kai and Isabel who gave a lovely opportunity to witness one of the cultural fest which I could experience in this part of the world. Kai and Isabel know each other and were in a relationship for almost eight years and then they came to a conclusion they were made for each other.:) The most important event in German marriage is “Polterabend” where all the family members, friends come for the function. They bring old Porcelain plates and cups and break them. The bride and the bridegroom clean up the place which will bring lot of luck for both of them. Nearly 100 people came for this function in the evening. Next day, bride, bridegroom, all the family members met in the Standesamt where the marriage was officially registered. The phrase “Letzte chance zum Rückzug” – Last chance to go back was painted in the Standesamt. Certainly a phrase which every partners would cherish before signing the official document of marriage in Germany. :D

After the Standesamt function, we all met in Kai’s house for a breakfast with lovely gifts and wishes being exchanged. Then we went for a religious Catholic wedding in the church. I really liked the ambience in the Church and of course the dress code of the guests. Then came the big party where only around 25 people attended the dinner. We are so privileged that Kai and Isabel invited us for the dinner where only family members were present. It was so perfectly organized in such a way that the seating arrangements were made well in advance and name plates were displayed for each of the guests where to sit down. This is something I could never even imagine in an Indian set up.

The function went on very smooth and soft where there is no chance of Chaos and mishap. I even realize why not Indian marriages have very little numbers and not very luxurious. The money being spent for one or two days can be used for the betterment of good life. Of course it doesn’t make sense to shake hands and give an artificial smile to the person in the marriage function whom I have never seen before. Having tasted both the cultures to the core, I can say it’s all the priority which people set to themselves. Driving a BMW or Mercedes can give pride to a German whereas inviting 1000s of people to a marriage function can give pride to an Indian.

All in all, it was a day to remember for me in Germany. It would have been an insatiate dream for me in Germany had I not attended Kai’s wedding. Best wishes to Kai and Isabel for a wonderful life together.

Thanks,
Sathish & Anita.

Mediterranean wonder, Mallorca, Spain

Germany consists of 16 federal states, that’s what I learned in Goethe Institute but my fellow Germans always informed me that Germany has 17th state (bundesland) near to Spain in the Mediterranean sea and that’s Mallorca. It was always my dream to visit this Mediterranean Island which actually belonged to Spain and I couldn’t find better time to celebrate my 28th birthday in Mallorca with my honey.

Logistically, Mallorca is strongly connected to different parts of Europe. As always, Ryan Air offered cheap prices from Lübeck, Germany and planned this trip well in advance. We rented a car for two days since Anita had International Driving license. After our trip, we realized with out car its impossible to explore the great landscapes of Mallorca. I have seen mountains, I have seen the coastline but combination of both was the biggest highlight in this Island. The high peaks of the mountains which gives a panoramic view of the Mediterranean sea with blue skies and blue colored water is something feast to the eyes.

After the trip, I realized why Mallorca is a paradise for Germans. Blue skies, good sun shine, scenic coastline, bikinis around, couldn’t ask for more in holidays. This Island has interesting landscapes. The North Western drive near Andratx, Estellencs, Valldemossa is a must in Mallorca. The southern drive to Cala Pi, Santanyi is a treat to watch as well. The capital city Palma has got some beautiful castles, nice restaurants and long coastline.

All in all, it’s a trip which will stay in my memory forever. Celebrated my 28th birthday with all peace, satisfaction and happiness with my honey and she gave me a wonderful treat of driving along the great landscapes of this Mediterranean Island. Mallorca, don’t miss this marvel if you are in Europe!

Cheers,
Sathish Kumar S

Lüneburger Heide, Germany

Having worked and lived in Lüneburg for a couple of years, I didn’t find the right time to explore the landscapes of Lüneburger Heide. The most striking feature of this place is the violet colored flowers spreading over acres of land. These flowers blossom only in the month of August and September and more importantly can be found only in this part of the world because of its unique soil composition.

Thanks to Matthias my colleague and his girl friend Bea who invited us to explore the landscapes of Lüneburger Heide. This trip was also accompanied by Bea’s mother who was the tour guide and Bea’s niece as well. The weather stayed perfect through out the day and it was ideal to do the walking in the heide. We walked for around 16 Kms to explore this violet based landscape and me and Anita were totally exhausted once we finished the walking. But Bea’s mother was the fit and fastest of all. She is very active at the age of 75 which is something I can not believe and think about it.

Once we finished walking, we went to Children’s fest in Bispingen and it happened to be International Children’s Day. All in all it was a great and lovely experience to explore Lüneburger Heide. A day to remember!

Cheers,

Sathish Kumar S

Vattenfall Hamburger Cyclassics 2010

When I was a student in Technical University Hamburg, many of my fellow students prepared themselves and took part in Vattenfall Hamburger Cyclassics. I always thought to take part in such an event, one needs costly sports cycle and more importantly proper fitness to complete 55 Kms. Thanks to my company Werum Software & Systems who sponsored for the employees to take part in this event. I decided to take part in this event with my normal cycle and I did a trial run of 50 kms with my boss across the Elbe river and gained some confidence.

I always considered Hamburg as my second home town. It’s the city which gave me so many new experiences in life and more importantly nice friends and great social life. People talk about New York marathon, Tour De France and so many sportive events which are related to a particular city. Hamburger Cyclassics is one of the biggest Cyclassics event in Europe and I couldn’t find a better event than this to be nostalgic about Hamburg in the future. So I decided to go for it. The local residents near the suburbs of Hamburg through which we made our Bike tour motivated and cheered all the participants by chanting “Ihr Seid Helden” which is something which will stay in my memory forever.

Finally I finished 55 Kms in 2hours and 20 minutes at a rate 24Km/H. My goal was to finish the race. On the way I saw many accidents, some cycles got repaired, some people got tired and exhausted, I am glad that I completed 55 Km for the first time. This is something which I never imagined for in my life when I was young :) There are other ranges of about 100 Km and 150 Km which seems to be impossible now but you never know what’s in store in life :)

Cheers,
Sathish Kumar S

Zugspitze, Top of Germany

Having tasted some great peaks in Swiss, Austria and its time now to reach the highest peak in Germany – Zugspitze. This time I explored this scenic place in Alps with my honey and my school friend Naresh and his wife Srija. First we reached Garmisch-PartenKirschen by ICE, met Naresh and Srija there and climbed up to the top Zugspitze by ZahnRadBahn (Mountain train). It was a pleasant sight to watch from the top and one could get a panoramic view of other peaks nearby and Eibsee, the lake beneath the Zugspitze. Eating Indian Tomato rice on the top of Zugspitze is the highlight of the whole trip :D Travelling by mountain train to reach the Alps peaks is definitely a great experience even though they are unimaginably expensive ;)

Returned from the top of Zugspitze to Eibsee by cable car which was quite different from traveling by train to the top. Spent some time in the lake Eibsee which was very colorful from the top. Then we moved to Neuschwanstein Castle, which was in the voting for Eighth wonder of the world. The drive to Neuschwanstein Castle from Garmisch is a life-time experience with snow capped mountains nearby, lakes spreading across, lush green pastures. Exploring these places by car is an awesome experience since one has a chance to stop at the picturesque locations. The nostalgic days of my University trip to Neuschwanstein during my Master studies was lingering in my mind when I trespassed these beautiful locations.

Relaxingly, we traveled to Bregenz in Austria, the city which lies on the banks of lake Bodensee. Took yet another mountain cable car called (PfänderBahn) to reach the top of Bregenz. One could get a panoramic view of the city of Bregenz from the top. Then we were back to Friedrichshafen and did a boating trip in Bodensee. It was a sudden plan from me and Naresh to dive in to Bodensee. It was awesome experience to swim in the middle of lake and weather was pleasant to swim in the lake and both our wives were just mute spectators ;)

South Germany especially Bavarian Alps, Bodensee is definitely a great experience if you are residing in North Germany. Totally different landscapes and natural beauty when compared to the North which is mostly flat land and bordered by seas. Me and Naresh have traveled a long way together in our life right from our childhood. It was lovely experience to cherish some moments with our wives together. Recollected our school and childhood days and felt nostalgic in Bavarian Alps.

Life is beautiful!
Sathish Kumar S

Sächsich Erfahrung mit Herr. Notzöld familien

It has become a habit now that I experience Sachsen two times a year. One during the peak summer and another one during the Christmas time. Thanks to Nötzold family who provide this great opportunity for me to experience eastern part of Germany. This time it was with my honey to experience Sächsich. The weather turned out to be ultimate with sun shine through out the weekend.

Initially, we went to Erzgebirge to experience the making of perfumed Candles (Räucherkerzchen) which is used by Raucher Mann in Erzgebirge. Then we went to Greifensteine where one could get a panoramic view of Chemnitz from the top of the rocks. Then followed by historic match between Germany and England where Germany hammered England by 4-1. It’s the worst result for England in the history of world cup. Its really great time to be in Germany when Germans were playing awesome football.

Then went to Open Air Concert in the town hall of Chemnitz. It was totally a serene atmosphere with people bringing their own chairs to witness the Concert and finally with lovely fireworks to mark the end of the Concert for the summer. Next day tried to perform a sport for the first time – “Kletterwald” – Climbing up trees through ropes and chain. It was real fun to try this sport which Anita loved to the core. It was perfect weather to try this adventure and going back to our ancestral way of life of climbing up trees ;)

All in all it was a perfect weekend for us. Anita can’t ask anything more to experience German culture than spending time with Notzöld family. It was very pity that Torsten and his wife Angela couldn’t make up to our wedding because of Volcanic ash exactly during my wedding. The time which I spent with Torsten both technically and socially is something I need to script of my good old days in Germany.

Hats off to Notzöld family!
Sathish & Anita

Honeymoon with my honey in Andaman & Nicobar Islands, India

Short synopses before I start narrating my honey moon experiences. When I was preparing for my 10th standard board examinations, I read in my history book that India’s freedom fighters were exiled to Andaman and Nicobar Islands in Cellular jail and Britishers used these islands as their holiday package ;) Well that’s history. Lets come to the conclusion at the end of this article. It was always my dream to include these islands in my traveling voyage and I couldn’t find better way to club it with my honeymoon with my Honey :)

Andaman is logistically favorable if you are from Chennai and Calcutta. Got some good offers from Kingfisher airlines. Should really thank Kingfisher who plays a great role in the Indian airline sector and they have really set some amazing benchmarks and standards in connecting different cities of India. Arrived at Port Blair, the capital of Andaman Islands in Veer Savarkar International airport named after India’s great freedom fighter Vinayak Savarkar. First we went to Carbyn’s cove beach with coconut trees nearby, young guys playing Cricket along the coastline, small mountains nearby, group of small islands in the foresight was a treat to watch.

Then we went to Wandoor beach, one of the highly serene beaches which we came across. The small boats in stagnant water with blue skies was simply breathtaking. The beaches in Andaman were very shallow, hardly any tides and more importantly one could see clearly the coral reefs beneath the water. People talk about Maldives, Hawaii, Caribbean, definitely Andaman Islands are on par with these tropical beaches. Tourism has developed only in the last few decades and it was always a prime importance for Indian navy. There are numerous islands where civilization has not yet reached and there are quite of lot of tribal people who are still separated from the rest of the world. Most of the islands got vanished because of Tsunami.

The most thrilling experience was a trip to Havelock Islands by a ship. Had a chance to go to Elephant Islands by Catamaran reserved only for us. The ride to Elephant Islands with my honey is something which I cherished to the core. We both wore binoculars and went inside the water to explore the coral reefs and the shells. That’s something which is worth doing especially in Andaman Islands. I was really surprised with the friendliness of the locals in those islands. Most of them were Tamil and Bengali settlers from the Indian mainland. I never ever felt unsecured or being cheated by the locals which is very unusual in many tourist locations. Visited Radha Nagar beach which is rated as the Asia’s beautiful beach by Times Magazine. Really a long stretch with good view of the coastline. Requested our tour manager to explore unmanned location in Andaman which turned out to be the best spots in our trip.

The highlight of this whole trip is a visit to Cellular Jail. Had a chance to see the light show which depicts the history of the jail and the hardships faced by various freedom fighters. They made a story in a way that the tree which was there for many decades explains all the barbaric acts committed by the British Army Generals. Really made us very touching and emotional. World has gone long way and times have changed and I am so happy that belonged to young generation of Indians where I could afford to make my honeymoon with my wife taking in to considerations of all the hardships which my ancestors suffered and to a state where our life style is on par with the western world. Traveling offers great satisfaction and joy to me and certainly this honeymoon trip with my Anita is something which will reside in my memory forever. Just a phrase from Netaji Subash Chandra Bose museum which inspired me a lot

“Forget not that the greatest curse for a man is to remain a slave. Forget not that the grossest crime is to compromise with injustice and wrong”. Grossest – German word…interesting to see in Netaji’s phrase.

Cheers,
Sathish Kumar S

Atlast I am Married... :)

Certain moments of life, I cherished to the core. Definitely April 18th 2010 will always stay in my mind forever simply it happens to be my marriage day with my honey and also my wedding reception. I just gave a small talk before the reception began to welcome all the guests and thank all my well wishers. Here it goes....

Good evening Ladies and Gentlemen, Welcome one and all for my auspicious Wedding Reception function. I take this opportunity to thank each and every person who have come here to share your time with us and make the evening memorable and everlasting. I just want to take few minutes of your time. Its not a political speech, its not a philosophical speech, its not religious speech, its just few words to express my happiness and feelings.

There goes a saying, always thank a person who have offered something in your life. There couldn’t be any other better person in my life who has offered everything and anything. That’s definitely my mom and dad. I am so gifted in my life to have such a mom and dad. The two personalities who stood in all my difficult times, gave all the support to have a smile on my face. They never insisted or pressurized me to do anything special. The sort of independence they offered me in Indian Society is something dream come true for any son .They never asked me to earn lot of money, they never asked me to become great Engineer or Doctor or Scientist, they never asked me to be a great Business magnet, but they always asked me to be happy in whatever I do and the end result is I am happy with whatever life has offered me.

After thoroughly enjoying single life, after traveling to 18 countries in Europe, after completing MS and MBA, after getting job satisfaction, I always asked what was missing… definitely my sweet heart with whom I can cherish, laugh, cry, fight to the core…I always wanted two important things from my partner.… one who loves me to the core and accept what I am…one who enjoys the company with my parents…I should say… I have got one in my life….ANITA. Are we really made for each other? Time should answer. I don't want to overlook now whats gonna happen after some decades when my heart says and throbs I love a person and that's Anita. I will be the most happiest person on this planet if I celebrate my 60th birthday with my Honey with funky Chicken on my hand. But Life doesn’t go as one expects. I am happy what life has offered to me till now.

Man is a social animal. Life can not be lead only with mom and dad. I wouldn’t have savored my life with out the company of my beloved friends. I also thank each and every personalities – friends, teachers who have made my days colorful and memorable. I take this opportunity to thank all my German friends who have come all the way from Germany to witness cultural feast on the other side of the planet. Germany gave me more than what I expected. In a society where I look so different, I don’t speak the native language properly, I don’t drink that much beer (hopefully) but I was accepted totally with warm regards. Vielen Dank Deutschland!

Having tasted both the cultures to the core, I always asked myself to which side I belong to and my heart says I am a mixture of Salad. Every culture has its own plus and minus. It was always my dream to see India as a developed nation. Having seen both western and Indian society, I always felt Indian society needs a drastic change in the mentality of the people. The traditional myths, superstitions, religious beliefs are the main hindrance for the betterment of this society. I hope and strongly believe that our future young generation will play a big role for this change to happen in the coming years.

Coming to the events. We will have a short game show. Please feel free to participate and win some prizes. Don’t feel shy. Followed by this event show, we will be happy to accept your blessings and wishes and more importantly your presents ;) In order to avoid confusion and rush in the stage, please feel free to finish your dinner first also and come to the stage. There is no hard and fast rule. As I said, it’s a evening to cherish and not a evening to make controversies :)

After all these, we will be happy if you could shake your body to the South Indian, Bollywood and English songs. Again please don’t feel shy. It’s a evening to cherish. I don’t want to take much of your time. I thank once again each and every person who have come here to shower your wishes and blessings. Have a great evening. Just want to finish in few sentences

Work Hard Party Hard
Life is short Live to the Maximum
World is Small
Friends forever

Cheers,
Sathish Kumar S

P.S. I also have the tamil version of this talk. If you are interested, please contact me.