Prana – the vital, life-sustaining force of living beings, present in all natural processes of the universe. Prana was first expounded in the Upanishads, where it is part of the worldly, physical realm, sustaining the body and the mind. Blavatsky also tended to use the word “astral” indiscriminately for these supposed subtle physical phenomena. The esoteric concepts of Adi, the Buddhic plane, the causal plane, and the monadic plane are also related to that of the etheric plane (acknowledgement to Dad, Google and Wikipedia)

Ambrose – The middle name of the author of this blog and currently exploring his capabilities of writing meaningful tomes to attract sufficient audience to his website to garner business in the times of a pandemic. Also known as the “the cruel tutelage of desperation”. It now exists in all planes, trains, automobiles, and the world

I have narrated my journey to become a graphic designer and during this journey there has been a unique life sustaining force which has carried me to this stage. It was inert in my eco-system for an exceptionally long time. It manifested in many ways during my young age but never latched on until I was in the 8^th standard in school.

I am talking about the beautiful game of basketball

I am extremely passionate about this game and has always been a source of energy, a morale booster, a pick me up, an exquisite movement, an unexplained happiness! I am a constant learner and try to adapt all that this game has to offer. The game does take from you but returns so much more. From a physical standpoint it offers balance, flexibility, strength, agility, and stamina then from an emotional standpoint it offers calmness, fierceness, laughter, confidence, and extreme joy. But the biggest returns I have received from this game for an introvert like me is friendship! One of the key reasons for my ability to connect.

This game for some reason is linked to friendship. The game would have been hard fought and many words mis-spoken but once the game ends there is a bonding which is unlike anything I have seen. Whatever happens on the court falls on the side and bridges are instantly rebuilt. I have approached the game with an intent to play to my hearts content and leave everything on the court. I was never the best player, but I always wanted to be the best teammate. I take joy in making the pass that converts to a basket than make the basket myself. I cherish the role of being an enabler and a defender and try to make my team better than personal accolades. It may sound like a passive approach, but basketball is about the team.

How does one understand the Prana of Ambrose? Simple we will start at the beginning…… flashback…

As mentioned earlier I started playing the game when I was in 8^th Standard. Prior to that we used to play football and an extremely violent game of chucking a tennis ball on the back of slow reflexed classmates, but when the basketball court came up, I was taken up by the same. I learned the game and was part of the team. I had asked my father for a basketball shoe as we were using canvas shoes which had a poor track record on cement courts! My father got me these shoes during my 10^th Standard (1987) from only god knows here!

This was an era where I have not heard about Michael Jordan and these shoes, so the value of these were lost on me. An original piece was recently auctioned for $672,00 after the “The Last Dance” documentary. I wore them like normal basketball shoes! For me It wasn’t the shoes!!

After my 10^th Standard my parents decided to shift me to Santhome High School to improve my scores for the 12^th Standard. I resisted the move, but it was not up to me and destiny had other plans. As I entered this new environment there was a familiar life force present in terms of a basketball team which gave me impetus to connect.

This is where I met Ramesh Sengottian.

An unbreakable bond was established between us which has never diminished till date. He was the captain of the basketball team and what a phenomenal player he was! I was simply awestruck by the sheer amount of talent he possessed. He was a play maker, a scorer, a defender, and all-round wrecking crew of opposition confidence. He truly made the others around him better. We became great friends and teammates. We were the number one school team in Chennai for 2 years. Ramesh represented India Juniors when he was in school. All the team members were so proud of his achievements.

But one fact about me truly irritated Ramesh – I was in the starting five of the team and my father vehemently opposed my participation is games fearing injury, so my head master constantly wrote letters to my dad asking his to permission in order for me to play. He was irritated that I garnered more attention with the school authorities than him (it was more in jest … I think). We played in school and college together! He truly improved my basketball skills and understanding of the game.