Life is short. I'm always reminded of that whenever the tune of Kal Ho Naa Ho is ringing in my head. For life is as unpredictable as the weather and you never know what tomorrow may hold, so you have to seize the day and make the best of what you have. I can't help dwelling on this point again and again during the last few weeks of the World Cup. Just think about it, even if you are a football star of worldwide fame, how many times in your life can you enjoy the World Cup action? Three times maybe? And then you have to head for retirement. You may well be the top scorer 8 years ago but this time it may already be your last appearance; you may have arrived on the scene with a bang back then but this time you may well be leaving the stadium quietly with only a shadow of that former glory. That's why I will always tell anyone, if you really believe in something, just go for it, whether you want to be a scientist or an artist, a dancer or an adventurer. Not everyone will go all the way to the top in life, but at least you give it a shot. If you keep thinking you must earn enough first to buy a decent house and a decent car and so on, you can't afford to choose a job according to your interests, or you can't even afford free time to pursue your hobbies, before you know it you will be too old for anything, for the body tends to decay and the brain tends to go slow.

Vivekananda once said: "You will be nearer to Heaven through football than through a study of the Gita." He liked to preach the importance of strength over religious theories, for it is weakness that leads to sin, fear that leads to selfishness. "Stand up, be bold, be strong," he said. "Take the whole responsibility on your own shoulders, and know that you are the creator of your own destiny." The problem with our world today is just like the problem with the World Cup now - the players have too much fear for losing. That's why they resort to tactics like diving and they relish seeing their opponents get the red card, instead of concentrating on playing a beautiful game. Why don't people try to rise like heroes instead of cowering as cowards? Life is short, you don't get much extra time. When it's the time to work, work; when it's the time to disco, disco! What is there to be afraid of?