The "madness" called Cricket!

Well, seeing India play in the last few matches reminded me of the old days. There was a time when India could not play on fast tracks. It was the time when Indian bowlers would perform to some extent on such tracks but the Indian batsmen would go to the middle, struggle for some time and return to the pavilion. It was the time when the opposition would target just one Indian batsmen - Sachin Tendulkar. That was some time back!!! There was a brief time when the opposition was vary of the Indian "Team" not the one Indian batsmen. Today we have gone back to the old times. Its the same fast tracks and the same one man army! Its the same situation and nothing has changed in years.

India is a country where cricket is our only secular religion. But are we doing enough justice to it? There are a lot of other sports in which Indians prosper, but they dont ever come into limelight(Sania is the only exception, looks do matter I guess!!!) Right from the common man on the street to the MPs in the parliament all have an opinion on the Indian Team. All have an idea and a suggestion to improve. We ignore the other sports simply because its not cricket. And are things good at least in that. No... the cricket is not going anywhere as well.

Indian players are way too busy walking on the ramps. The cricket board is way too busy making multi million deals for the telecast rights. The Parliament is way too busy expressing their disappointment about the coach. The man on street is busy making his dream team for the world cup. Is there anybody out there who is busy with cricket? Is there anybody who is taking the responsibility and doing something about the game? The captain says that there is pressure and that the team got to perform well. The coach says that the players are out of form and they have to perform. The selection committee chairman says that we dont have enough talented players in the country. Well, who is actually doing something towards it?

I dont know why the sponsors are still paying heavy money to these people(Or may be I know!). Airtel dropped Sachin as their brand ambassador. Will others follow? Talking business they would not! Cricket still sells in this country. Still people like to see Dhoni's new hairstyle, Dravid's handsome looks... Airtel got to learn from the TV channels. The news channels host chat shows to discuss "Are we giving too much attention to cricket?". And that gets them maximum viewer ratings. What do I say now? ESPN Star telecasts the same match on both their channels and still have great viewer ratings. Cricket will continue to rule the TV till the madness for the game continues!!!

Why am I speaking all this out here? There was a time when I used to watch all the matches, now I have come to a stage where I just see the score and switch the tv off. I have stopped watching cricket and started to follow other sports. But I continue to be amazed how the whole country and countless brands still run on cricket!

Ignorance Is Bliss?

Whenever I have come across this saying, my mind crosses over to the other saying "Knowledge is Power". They are two totally contradictory sayings and yet wondered how both of them can be true. I remember my parents always telling me that Knowledge is everything in life. Most of us have grown with this paradigm. And ya, today we all know that knowledge is truly powerful. Indians are making a mark all over the world is a testimony to that. Today knowledge drives the economy and there is no doubts on that. But then, I have been thinking of ignorance. Is it bliss even today? Does the saying hold good today as we move increasingly move towards a knowledge economy?

In the last week, I happened to see an interview with the Railway Minister. Should I say it was funny? Well, Laloo has been the darling of the media. He simply spices it up! Be it his hairstyle or accent or simply his looks. There was a time when Laloo jokes were more popular than the Sardar jokes. But now things are pretty much different. He gives guest lectures at the most prestigous B - school in India. He has to his name the most stunning turnover of the biggest public sector organisation in the country. From the verge of bankruptcy to sit on a 100 billion is by no means a joke. The recent mid term polls suggest Laloo to be most popular ministers in the present government. And why not? No passenger fare hikes for some time now and the facilities are simply improving. And the employees of the Railways are getting incentives the private sector way - Laptops for senior officials!!! Long live Railways.

What catapults Laloo from the most corrupt leader to a guest lecturer at IIM-A? Is he a genius? Ya he is witty! But does he know how to run the Railways? No is the answer. He is a totally ignorant when it comes to the business of the Railways. But then how does it work? Its simply that he leaves the job to the people who know. He simply hasnt interefered in the running of the business. He knows that the people at the Railways and the bureacrats know their job. He is doing a great job by actually not doing anything at all - Not even poking his nose into it. He does not say - "Well I know it all!" He instead says - "I am ignorant of things out here. Its you who know, so run it and I will not interfere". Does it work? Of course it does!

Back to ignorance now. Is it still a bliss? I would say yes, but with a difference. Its not a bliss if you are just ignorant. You got to accept that you are ignorant and act accordingly. Ignorance with honest acceptance is truly bliss! Well, in the same interview, he said that he wanted to be the PM of the country. Now I dont know how to react to this? To think of how he did it to the Railways I would say ya, he can make a good PM. But are we matured enough to accept him as the PM? Are we (read knowledgable) ready to look at him as our leader? He is a joker agreed! But if Bush can be the President of the US of A, then why not Laloo!