When God speaks

When God speaks, you don’t hear anything! You only see – magic!

And when God of Cricket speaks, well, you still see magic :)

It was pure magic to hear Sachin speak with Arnab, frankly! Every word an “inspiration”; every sentence a “quote”! It was incredibly enchanting to watch two of my favourites chat with each other, and, frankly :)

Watching Sachin answer to Arnab’s probing – sometimes provoking – questions, yet reverential and friendly, took me more than two decades back. I was in Bombay – yes, it was called Bombay then; not that i call it by any other name now; Sachin Tendulkar had become a big name by then; and it was in the grapevine that he had met his love of life, his future wife Anjali Mehta.

It was a Sunday afternoon and we were at the Dadar Club, enjoying snacks while enjoying a club level tennis match between Ashok Mankad’s son Harsh and his opponent (I don’t remember his name).Befitting a cricket crazy country, our talks veered towards cricket and soon it got concentrated on Sachin. Imagine: we were watching a tennis match and talking about cricket! A friend of ours, a born-&-brought up Mumbaikar, who happened to personally know various sportsmen including Sachin, seeing the group’s enthusiasm extended his “generosity” and promised to take us to meet him at his home; he only needed a couple of hours to fix up our meeting for the coming weekend.

Wow! We spent the seemingly never-ending week counting days! And came the day when we were to go and meet Sachin Tendulkar. Yes, the same Sachin Tendulkar, who today is referred to as the God of Cricket!

We gathered at the Dadar Club, got into our friend’s car and started towards Sachin’s home. Excitement was at its peak! Unbelievable! And indescribable! And then the disaster struck! A dear friend of ours who had suffered from heartbreak recently went into sudden depression and refused to go anywhere. In sympathy, we friends dropped the “idea” till next weekend, which, of course, never came.

I too did not try to cheer up my friend or insist upon rest of us going ahead to meet Sachin as I too had recently suffered a personal loss – assassination of my most beloved personality, Rajiv Gandhi uncle, and I too was in not so cheerful mood. Then there was the hope that there would always be a ‘next time’ – next week – with our Mumbaikar friend being around. Today, I cannot believe it myself! Not even my family, who rightly think that I have been the biggest fool to have ever walked the planet Earth!    

Soon our days in Bombay came to an end and it was time to go back to our campus – without meeting Sachin, of course. And as the fate would have it, within months we got the tragic news of the death of our Mumbaikar friend and the link to Sachin Tendulkar was lost, forever. May his soul rest in peace. We miss you, Kamlesh :(

Since then I haven’t been able to understand God’s design in not letting that meeting happen with Sachin. I have regretted the lost opportunity every time I see Sachin; and will continue to mourn it even post my death. Once up there I am going to ask the God that why He not let us meet the then future God of Cricket! Was the God himself feeling threatened about this “imminent” competition?!

The regret regressed little bit when I got the God sent opportunity to watch Sachin play live.

The day was 7^th February and the year was 1999. The venue was Feroz Shah Kotla ground in Delhi. The occasion was the second test between India and Pakistan. It was the 5^th day of the test match. Pakistan was batting in their 2^nd innings. The advantage was that India was fielding and thus all players were visible on the field! And, yes, it was then that I first saw Sachin Tendulkar live! In flesh and blood, from so near that I could touch him! Yes, the God of Cricket was in front of me, playing, and I simply could not believe my luck! That day too I rushed back to Bombay of 1991. The memories of that day are so vivid that I can narrate in all details even after 13 years!

It was indeed a special day in my life! Not only for the fact that it was my first meeting with Sachin Tendulkar in person but also for the fact that Anil Kumble single-handedly demolished Pakistan with his historical 10 wickets haul in an inning! What a match it was! And what a meeting it was with the God of Cricket! And, that day too, I regretted deeply for having missed out, yet again, on seeing Sachin for four more days during the first four days of the test match; believe it or not, i did not go for the first four days of the test match as i was so-called busy with routine office work whereas actually I was wasting my cricket passes and the God’ sent lifetime opportunity!

I wonder if Sachin would remember this fan of his in red pullover and blue jeans :)

Many years have passed since then. Cricket has evolved further in India. We are the world Champions for the second time! T20 is the most popular format today. IPL is a big brand globally. India has become the super power nation as far as this sport is concerned. We may not have remained the No.1 in various formats of the game for long but India surely dominates – and dictates - the world of cricket!

In today’s times of too much cricket, I do not watch matches always. Not even when my country and my favourite players – Sachin Tendulkar and MS Dhoni – are playing. Watching cricket matches live has also reduced drastically for me. But watching Sachin speak about his “imminent” retirement and his doubts about his availability for the next world cup gave me goose bumps! Indian cricket without Sachin? NO! The thought itself is frightening! Watching Frankly Speaking I prayed to the God for letting the God of Cricket be a part of cricket as long as possible – always, actually. I am sure even the “cricket atheists” will join me in my prayers …

And, thanks Arnab, for your wonderful chat with Sachin! You could bring out so far unseen dimensions of his personality with your superb interviewing. I especially liked your introductory comments and your concluding remarks. I am sure even Sachin is going to remember this interview for ever, when he spoke Frankly :)     

  

SCAMS NOW

Lest I get sued by Times Now over the use of this “phonetically similar” – rhymes well! - title for my blog, I apologize at the beginning itself but use it nevertheless as nothing could describe 2010 better than “Scams Now”!

We are at the cusp: of an ending – of 2010 – and of a beginning – of 2011. The year nearing its end got defined by corruption and crusades: Corruption by politicians and Crusades by Media. If Indian politicians and bureaucrats hogged the limelight for indulging into corruption of unprecedented proportions then the Indian Media maintained its courageous posture of activism and exposes throughout, again, not seen before.

It all started with Times Now exposing the gory face behind that mocking smile of the molester DGP Rathore. India saw the power of relentless media activism and the criminal being booked thereafter, finally. Through movement against corruption mediated by the Media “investigative journalism” acquired a new dimension altogether. Arnab Goswami was dead direct in his questions - battling “jingoistic” tag all along from his detractors - which the unholy nexus of politicians-bureaucrats-police could not evade; judiciary had to act. (Though monster Rathore is yet to be given adequate punishment but with unrelenting media pressure the judges will find it extremely difficult to not punish him and will have to deliver justice to Ruchika.)

Before the dust could settle on Ruchika molestation case, there came the self-destructive tweet of Lalit Modi! IPLgate couldn’t have been opened for public if the Indian Media had not taken it up squarely. The dazzling world of IPL came crashing down and what emerged was deep rooted corruption in its formation and functioning. The government was forced to sack Shashi Tharoor who got embroiled because of his “close friend’s” – now wife - sweat equity in the newly formed Kochi franchise. But IPL’s major architect – Lalit Modi – also had to relinquish his power and position because of Media’s constant vigil and the BCCI thus getting serious about cleansing its systems. (The saga is yet to come to a conclusion, thanks to the former IPL czar’s absence from the investigative scene due to a dubious death threat excuse.)

In between, India also saw Media – though much belatedly – taking up the case of long forgotten Bhopal Gas Tragedy post courts verdict. Once again because of Media’s pressure – giving full support to the Opposition’s campaign - the Indian government was forced to revisit its “non-binding” clause in the civil nuclear energy treaty with the US. (The gas victims are still awaiting sufficient compensation.)

Hardly any time had lapsed after IPLgate controversy that India got yet another shocker by exposes of dubious dealings being indulged into by the Commonwealth Boss Suresh Kalmadi and his coteries, again thanks to Times Now. And with each passing day the scam got murkier. The extent of corruption was so extreme that the CWG became a Shame-Game for India. Lalit Bhanot’s ‘hygiene standards’ comment was the final blow to India’s prestige on the world stage. Somehow the Games could be hosted properly but what is appalling is that in spite of intense media interest, the Indian establishment has been very reluctant to act against Suresh Kalmadi. (The recent CBI raids are just eyewash. And I doubt if India will get back its billions of dollars gobbled up by the CWG Chief & Co.)

Soon the scene of corruption shifted to Bombay where the Adarsh Society scam - “Kargil-for-profit” scam – erupted and shook the entire nation with blatant abuse of political power to illegally allocate flats to ‘near-and-dear’ ones of the privileged & powerful which were otherwise meant for Kargil war widows. Army’s top echelons’ embarrassing involvement in the scam succeeded in tarnishing the so-far not-so-ugly image of the Indian Defense Services. If Maharashtra chief minister Ashok Chavan had to quit, it was only due to Media’s enduring follow-up of the scam. (India is yet to see any real action being taken against the tainted army generals.)

India was yet to get over the previous big scandals that Media broke the story of the biggest scam ever of 2G spectrum allocation by bringing the CAG report in public domain. The sheer scale of scam involving Rs. 1.76 lakh crore sum was staggering by any standards! Corporate-politicians cozy equation kept oiled by unethical lobbying (the government’s logic on ‘legitimate/illegitimate lobbying’ is akin to ‘good/bad Taliban’!) - which unfortunately also brought into light the involvement of a couple of respected journalists causing a major setback to Media’s credibility and legitimacy of Media activism - could remain the “lead story” again due to Media’s persistence with the emerging story. (Again, CBI raids and A. Raja’s questionings are only a deflective strategy by the GOI to weather the current storm.)

Of all the cases of corruption uncovered in 2010, not a single case can be called as “closed” – as yet. But India wants timely verdicts and timely actions. Going by the past records the possibility of any such happening is remote. Because what is visible to public is only the ‘tip’; corruption tentacles run deep and wide, reaching the ‘top’ almost always. Nevertheless, I am sure that Indian Media will continue its campaigns against corruption till culprits are nailed.

Therefore, what India witnessed in 2010 was that before a case could be uncovered fully and taken to its logical conclusion there came another bigger and deeper scam. And knowing India’s ways of working, 2011 will again be a year of scams and scamsters. And knowing Indian Media, now, 2011 will again be a year of courageous coverage. Because, as is said: News never stops.

Year end thought: To tackle a ‘competitive’ scenario of scams related “breaking news”, my “free” advice to the Indian Media – with right-of-first-refusal to Times Now – is that they could “break” all such scam stories on a show titled “Scams Now”! … India, how do you like my idea? I hear you say: What an Idea, Anju-ji! … Thanks, India J

Another point to ponder: With the GOI so much obsessed with “Scam Management” as a survival strategy, how about instituting a special ministry dedicated to this noble purpose? And, the IIMs being asked to incorporate the subject in the curriculum?

In 2010, the one name which came into the forefront of forceful & impactful – and courageous - journalism was of Arnab Goswami of Times Now who emerged as a genuine Crusader and almost single handedly brought the “revolutionary” environment into news reporting in India. (Most Impactful Person of the Year 2010 should have fairly gone to him; GQ Men award was more to acknowledge the “glamour” factor associated with high adrenaline television news industry. Though he truly deserves a “Padma” award for his work in 2010 especially but honestly I wonder, now, if the GOI will really “recognize” his work after what it had to face repeatedly due to relentless reportage of his!) … Carry on your fantastic work, Arnab! You changed the News in 2010; now, change India in 2011. … India is with you and so is God.

…

Happy 2011 J

IPLlogy: the study of IPL puzzle

My apology to Arnab Goswami for bringing his name yet again in my attempt in IPLlogy; though, I also confess that I did not have any option left. Tell me, what do I do if the story on which I am going to post my views cannot be complete without mentioning the excellent efforts of him and his team at the Times Now? Hope Arnab will understand.

Well, whenever something “new” gets reported as “Breaking News” on the IPLgate, I get reminded of the recently active Icelandic volcano.

Don’t get the connection?

Try pronouncing “Eyjafjallajokull” and try solving the IPL riddle and the chances are 100% you will encounter same problems! Both are so similar in nature: both were an “opening” - crater - to something very deep and dirty lying dormant for long; both have much more “magma” (misdemeanors) underneath than the amount spewed out (so far); both (have) left a thick cover of “ash cloud” (allure) above making maneuvering almost impossible; both emitted poisonous “gases” (greed) enough to choke the surroundings; both expelled hot “lava” (lust) leaving the landscape burning all around! …

I am sure you get the analogy! Makes sense?

Ok, now take a shot at piecing together the IPLgate scrabble: try putting “P” in IPL in perspective. Premier, Proxy, Political, Politics, Politicians, Paisa, Profit, Pricey, im-Propriety, Power (Pawar?), Party, Players, Pretty (Preity!), Pathetic, Polluted, Painful, Pedestrian, Pandering, Propaganda, Potholed, Puking, … actually, any and every word starting with a “P” and with a negative tint would fit and define what is IPL!

By the way, have you noticed that demographically speaking, in today's era of IPL, the Indian population has got divided into three distinct classes:

1. BPL

2. APL

3. IPL --- by the sheer number of people already exposed to be involved in it, put together they would form a sizeable chunk!

If today you are more perplexed than earlier at the still unfolding IPL saga which is getting murkier and messier and mysterious with every passing day, then can I suggest something interesting? Let’s indulge into a bit of “investigative” journalism and unearth all those layers of intrigue still hidden away from our “piercing” eyes - in true spy style!

Sherlock Holmes, you around, sir?!

Hope solving of the IPLlogy puzzle doesn’t continue till perpetuity ...

By the way, did I tell you that Sherlock Holmes indeed had a connection with volcano? Just go and watch his Hawaiian adventure in 1890: “Sherlock Holmes and The Volcano Horror” :)

Kyunki, ye IPL picture to abhi baki hai, mere bhaiyon aur behnon!

The "I" in BCCI stands for???

Certainly not for “India”. By BCCI’s conduct, the “I” could stand for “Individuals” or "INR" (Indian currency) or simply for “I” (can Ego be written as "Igo"?) but certainly not for “India”.

Incredible! (Or, “I” for “Incredible”?!)

Aahh … hey, that’s not me who is tired but this painful expression is from all our “privileged” cricketers & their controllers (the first “C” in BCCI is for “Control”!). After all, they all have just been through playing hard for days and nights (post match parties!) at the recently concluded IPL extravaganza.

Then there are scores of prior commitments to honour than to simply waste their time trying to safeguard India’s honour at the forthcoming Asian Games. So what if the “I” in BCCI stands for “India”, officially? Well, “I” could also strongly stand for “Illusion”.

Moreover. don’t many of us crib – including the cricketers themselves – that India has started suffering from an overdose of cricket? And don’t we know that when cricketers are around, the other games and players get alienated and isolated? To add to the insult, the Indian Media too focuses exclusively on our god-like creatures called cricketers and completely ignores the lesser of the sports mortals.

Also, why do we place our medals burden on cricket alone? Our nation will survive this time too with one less. After all, what is the guarantee that our esteemed cricket team will bring one? Because, while playing they follow the Gita’s philosophy: "simply play; do not worry about results!" This they displayed gallantly at the T20 WC and are continuing with their belief at the ongoing tri-series at Zimbabwe as well.

In addition, so what if the Indian cricket claims to be at the vanguard of the spread of this sport across the country’s boundaries but is somehow not comfortable keeping its date at the Asian Games? There will be other venues and occasions like IPL events to propagate the game to the world.

Now, do you understand the BCCI’s stance? It is actually in solidarity with all other sports and sportsmen & women that the BCCI has taken this grand stand to not send a team to participate at the forthcoming Asian Games.

Wow! We all must salute the stalwarts governing – controlling! – the Cricket in India! And, all their men who today personify “mummies”! (A “mum” cricketer can be called a “mummy”, no?)

Here, I have a sincere appeal to make to our Media: please do not start a “Campaign” (Times Now Campaign: “Money over Medal?”) yet again against BCCI’s incredible gesture. Instead, initiate a “Crusade” (Arnab Goswami, you listening?) to nominate the big-wigs at the BCCI for Padma awards (If Sant Chatwal can get one, the BCCI’s saints too can do with one!).

Because, deep down in my heart, I truly believe that by attempting to bring them to the Asian Games stadia we would be apparently tempting our cricketing Money Monks (sounds similar to TOI’s “God in Gucci”?!) to the worldly pleasures of materialistic possession: an alluring “metallic” medal. It is one sin we all must avoid indulging into :)

Hey, but you still haven't answered me: “I” in BCCI stands for??? ...

MSD: from Captain Cool to Captain Lost?

“Where’s the party tonight?” kept resonating in everybody's mind while watching IPL-3 matches – viewers’ included! After all, the IPL-3 initially got more publicity - notoriety - for its “famed” post matches parties, gaining equal prominence at par with matches! The tamasha would have carried on but for its own creator’s "mid-match" crisis! Lalit Modi’s midnight tweets revealing Shashi Tharoor’s ‘personal’ interest in the formation of the IPL Kochi team put a "strategic break" in between! And all hell broke loose thereafter!

Here, we need not discuss the aftermath again. Already a lot of time and space – in media and mind – have been devoted to debating the unfolding of the IPL sordid saga.

Today, we discuss the aftermath of India’s debacle in the T20 World Cup. The guns are out for the players, and rightly so. As expected, BCCI is hell bent on deflecting the entire blame on the captain. Mahender Singh Dhoni is receiving the maximum flak for India’s disappointing play.

Well, MSD has proven himself to be the most successful of the cricket captains that India has had so far. His cool demeanour coupled with his supreme control over his team and himself has endeared him to the Indian cricket lovers across all age groups and sections of the society. He is hugely regarded as the Captain Cool by one and all!

Then what went wrong with MSD at the T20 WC? Why did he behave in the manner he did? Why was he seen as being uninterested and casual in his actions and responses? Why was he deemed to have an arrogant body language - very unlike him? Well, why did he give all those silly excuses and attributed his team’s dismal performance to the post match IPL parties? …

The questions are many. And we need to dissect them threadbare. After all, a lot get invested in cricket in India: not only enormous amount of money and time but also deep emotions. It is believed that for an Indian cricket fan, cricket is almost a religion – though I find this clichéd explanation a bit boring.

So, without digressing, let us debate if MSD should be made the fall guy? Should he be seriously reprimanded for his poor captaincy or be removed from the post? Should he be also sacked – rested, as BCCI would like to put it – like a few of the out-of-form senior players?

I say: reprimand him; give him an ultimatum; but do not remove him from the captain’s post. Because, this is not how cricket should be administered in India. And, then how can BCCI shirk all its responsibilities and hold one man – the captain – responsible for the entire fiasco in the Caribbean? Aren’t the officials of the cricket controlling body equally to be blamed for the team’s cheerless show? Isn’t it the BCCI who had planned team India’s itinerary and had scheduled IPL competition so near to the T20 WC? Parties or no parties, the fact remains that players are bound to get fatigued after such a hectic tournament, that too just prior to the T20 WC!

Let us not be unfair to Mahender Singh Dhoni. Though he for sure was out-of-form as far as his manners and actions are concerned in the West Indies, but he remains the best player to lead the team India in future as well. No one else is even closely as capable as MSD to handle the challenges of captaincy. Give him time.

MSD, hope you are listening. Please get back to your original self soon. We cannot afford to have you as the ‘Captain Lost’ for long.

MSD, I am sure you will bounce back as our Captain Cool :)

Mr. Tharoor, your fans are with you, as always!

I started crying the moment I saw the “breaking news” flash on Times Now* and Arnab Goswami* announce: “PM Accepts Resignation”. I simply couldn’t hold back my tears anymore. My last straw was lost.

Watching Shashi Tharoor make those humiliating rounds of PM’s and Sonia Gandhi’s residence trying to explain himself was too much for me to take. A person of his eminence did not deserve this kind of an abrupt and absurd exit. At the same time, frankly, I was very angry with him for foolishly landing himself into such a sordid soup.

How could he completely forget the “lessons” learnt on diplomacy in those exemplary three decades rich career as an established international civil servant? How he could act so naïve about matters of functioning of the Indian political system when, being far away, he could so beautifully understand and write about India? Where did the incredibly intelligent author in him hide during those crucial times of critical decisions making in his just started political career? In fact, I felt he needed “mentoring” more than the Kochi IPL team!

I have not been able to sleep since then. Those horrifying television images are playing in my mind all the time. I am depressed and constantly crying internally. Shashi Tharoor is in my thoughts throughout. That, if I – his fan – could be so disturbed then how enormously devastated he must be feeling now?

Well, you would understand my sentiments if you have been a fan yourself of any person on this earth. I became his fan much before he became minister; my admiration for him - Shashi Tharoor, the author - started many years ago when I started reading his books. Well, those were his UN days as well.

I wasn’t sure if I wanted to share my views on my blog but upon insistence of my Shanghai-based sister, I decided to put them down. Actually, she was equally angry with the unfortunate turn of events against him and asked me to ask the world if it really thought that “Shashi Tharoor was “that” bad a guy? Or, did he become the “fall guy” of his self-created circumstances?”

Therefore, I ask you these questions and urge you to answer them honestly, to yourself: "Is Shashi Tharoor “that” bad a person/politician or did he become a victim of his own silly follies?"

Firstly, let us list down Shashi Tharoor’s “Sins”:

1. He tweeted “cattle class” remark --- a matter of perception-reality conundrum for a public figure; not a crime.

2. He tweeted, again, against his boss’ visa-policy --- avoidable but not a crime.

3. He endorsed Bhikhu Parikh’s views on Jawaharlal Nehru --- well, anybody who has read his “Nehru – Invention of India” would have understood his position that he is in fact a fan of Nehru! Not at all a crime.

4. He called for Saudi Arabia to become an “interlocutor” in Indo-Pak peace talks --- again a case of misinterpretation of the English word. No crime.

5. He got involved into Kochi IPL team formation as a “mentor” and ended up being accused of favouring his close friend - whom he was being talked about marrying soon - with “sweat equity” worth several crores till perpetuity without putting a single rupee into investment --- well, a serious case of political impropriety but certainly not a case of corruption in the real sense of the term.

… But his OSD’s involvement in the team formation amounted to unethical use of his office for furthering personal gains. --- Though not a crime but merited serious considerations for enquiry and actions thereafter, if deemed dubious.

Now, let us put down – in brief – the “Sins” of an average Indian politician, which we have in hordes in the Parliament!

1. Billions stashed in Swiss banks! --- a serious crime – punishable.

2. Involvement in scams worth crores and crores of rupees --- a serious crime – punishable.

3. Accused of murders --- an even more serious crime – punishable.

4. Rapes charges against them --- a serious crime – punishable.

5. Cases of kidnappings filed against them --- a serious crime – punishable.

6. Inciting riots through divisive politics --- a serious crime – punishable.

7. Illegal misuse of public money for personal advancements like self-statue building, bribery, etc. etc. --- a serious crime – punishable.

8. Etc. etc. etc. --- all serious crimes – punishable under Constitution of India.

Well, now that we have done a comparative chart of “Sins” of Shashi Tharoor versus that of an average Indian Politician, therefore, under IPC – Indian Political Code – if Shashi Tharoor should “go”, then the latter should go to gallows!

Also, please tell me if I am wrong in wasting my tears over a “tainted” ex-minister?

No, not at all. I am proud to be Shashi Tharoor’s fan - the person and especially Shashi Tharoor, the author - and promise to be by his side in his good as well as not so good times because I believe in him.

I also have this strong belief that he will bounce back soon after having learnt from his silly mistakes and will shine on the otherwise murky political landscape of Indian politics. Perhaps he was - is - passing through a bad phase in his life when - like it happens with everyone - nothing seems to be going right.

We need to give him time and space – for introspection and gathering himself together. His family and friends and fans are with him. May God be with him in form of wisdom and strength and peace.

All will be well, Mr. Tharoor :)

..........................................................

* : Media was simply doing its job sincerely. And I hugely respect it for its work.