PARTING SHOT

A child was on cloud nine when the parents took him to a theme park as per his wish.He thoroughly enjoyed the visit,had his thrills and spills and finally had to move out when the exit neared...

Good times do come to an end.We need to bid farewell to those things that we cherish and enjoy at some point of time.However tough it may be,we need to accept the fact that a shift in our fortunes occur,that twilight zone exists for everyone and learn to make a smooth transition under the fading light.

Many in sporting arena, have found this fact hard to digest.They have not been able to time their exit right or rather be able to time it at all what with retirements and their subsequent reversals becoming commonplace.When the hearts still continue to yearn for those things that were for long very close to it but the body which is ageing refuses to live up to the ideals called for.

It is a struggle, a mortal combat between the soul and the physique, one which has become a matter of wide prevalence these days.How does one bid adieu,when to do it and in what way can the demise be made graceful, that remains as the million dollar question?

Sporting heroes who are otherwise immortal have found it hard when it comes to the point of frankly confessing and openly avowing "I'am done and ready to hang my boots" .Either they prolong the lifetime of the weary body by constantly hibernating and resurfacing from a state of anabiosis usually accredited to injuries which acclaim fame only next to their names ,pushing them through the brink of breakdown and want to limp on for as much as they can or condescend from their thrones with the music still in them.The former seems to be more commonplace.

Some stalwarts of the game such as Sourav Ganguly,Glenn McGrath,greats in their own right would not have imagined that they would become trapped in a time warp where past performance seem to be forgotten with utter impudence, in the milieu where new kids show up on the block every day and old warhorses have been compelled to sweat it out against these swift legs.

Guile,tact,skill and experience seems to account for nothing when it comes to performance on the given day.Although this is a hearty transition ,to play the policy of 'Horses for courses',yet it appears to be too harsh to give the veterans,the legends,a cold shrug when it comes to letting them choose their final flight.

A slump towards the end (the notion of which is albeit unclear) has quite predominantly lead to speculations and seeds of doubt are sown in the ageing minds whose valour and courage in the past have been made to look silly in the face of existing circumstances.They are made to bite the dust and expected to come off unscathed with the same acumen and poise they would have been praised for in thier hey day.

It appears that equanimity of thought does not apply in this case and only the toughest of the minds can withstand the barrage of odds stacked against them from various quarters to signal the end, out of their own free will and punctuate their last lap in a fitting manner in their truly own style and have a remarkable swansong.It remains to be seen whether the pegion will soar again and the tiger will roar again.The child though clearly knows the exit ,will such greats be able to make the grade?