And live like it's heaven on earth.

Penning a few thoughts on the recent Master's Basketball Tournament at Pune - a bit long, but I hope you enjoy reading this. Thanks again to all the organizers for the fantastic event!
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“You've gotta dance like there's nobody watching,
Love like you'll never be hurt,
Sing like there's nobody listening,
And live like it's heaven on earth.”

Last fortnight, I stepped on the basketball court at my alma mater, the Deccan Gymkhana club. An opportunity to participate in the 2nd edition of the Master's Basketball League. 81 men & women of age ranging from 35 to 65 were put in 9 different teams. Quite a few of them, including me, were stepping on the court after at least a decade.

When I first heard about the league, I was quite excited to play.
On second thoughts, I wondered if I would be any good.
Then, I asked myself - what would I regret more - not having played at all because I wouldnt be any good; or having played and maybe played not good at all.
And I decided to play.

Stepping on the court, dribbling the ball, taking the layups, shooting a few baskets, playing a couple of practice games - it all seemed surreal.
Before I stood on the court at the start of the first game. My wife observed that I appeared to be quite conscious while playing those 5 minutes in the first game.
Maybe I was nervous, maybe I felt a few butterflies in my stomach.
The second game was a little more relaxed. In the quarterfinals, I felt rattled since I caused a turnover that the opposition team converted into a basket. And in the semi-finals, I was determined to put in my best - defending as tough as I could.
In all, I played 20 minutes in 4 games, spread over 2 weekends.
Did I score any points? None. Did I attempt any shots? Just one. Did I get any rebounds - only a couple.
I would have been terribly unhappy with these statistics 15 or 20 years ago, when I represented school & college and played basketball almost everyday at the same Deccan Gymkhana club.

Today, I am so glad that I played. I had a chance to meet & greet old friends. Familiar faces looked a bit wrinkled; black hair has made way for the salt n pepper look or thinned out; and fit torsos now sport pot bellies.
What has not changed at all in these years is the love for the game.
And those ethereal moments of the game when you get to see the wizardry of some of the true "masters".
Like Shantanu Pawar controlling the ball and shooting a decisive 3-pointer to take the lead in a game.
Or Dheba Don giving a fake, or giving a perfect pass to Joel or Gopika under the ring; or himself shooting a really long 3-point shot that just caresses the net and doesn't event touch the ring - perfection at its best!
Or a Sandeep Nulkar who comes as 1st substitute and shoots 2 consecutive 3 pointers to give the winning lead to his team in the quarter-final, and another 2 consecutive 3 pointers in the semifinals to gain another lead.

There are many such "masters" who are wizards of this beautiful game, and it is unfair to name just a few.
In yester years, each of them were "angry young men" with their adrenaline pumping high.
Age has slowed a few; the bodies appear battered and bruised at the end of a game. Playing on 2 consecutive days for 20 minutes each is not everyone's cup of tea now.
And after every minute or so, players on court and off the court are asking the table for "time left".
But the spirit remains indomitable. Which is why during a timeout in the final game, the first thing that Joel asks before reaching out to the bottle of water is,
"Are we winning or losing?" And then steps back on the court to score a few baskets and win the final for his team.

Triumph and disaster are impostors to be treated just the same as Kipling once said. Everyone who participated in this tournament had smiles on their faces, despite the results, whether they won or lost.
Even after so many years, it remains a beautiful game.
To be played, and not just watched.
And to live like it's heaven on earth again.