WORLD NO. 1 AT 43

A Tribute to Rohan Bopanna 

To achieve this level of greatness,

In a field that is ruled by the young,

Is the stuff that dreams are made of - 

One wonders, is age but a number? 

Time takes its toll on all of us - 

It is good to gracefully accept,

The graying hair and the balding patch,

But not let go of what you dreamt! 

The prize is not in the laurels,

Or the money or even fame;

They may or may not come in due course,

What counts is to stay in the game! 

The dreams may change and the  goals may shift,

For nothing is static in this world;

But to have none and to retire,

Is the beginning of the end! 

At any stage in life I'm but half done,

The more exciting half yet to come; 

Let me not rest on my laurels,

But keep chasing dreams, and have them! 

Dinesh Gopalan,

31 January, 2024