WADA... let some good sense prevail!

Sachin Tendulkar is arguably the most popular cricketer in the world. He also is the most threatened. He enjoys ‘Z-class’ security, provided by the Indian government to leading politicians, a chosen few business leaders and a very few select others, who are considered extremely valuable for the nation and are also on the target list of terrorist groups. M.S. Dhoni is another cricketer accorded such a status. But that should not flatter Dhoni… the fact that this security cover was given since he was threatened by terrorists should not make him a happy man. It is evident that terrorist organizations would like to plan an attack on both Sachin & Dhoni (both national heroes and India’s pride), and deal a severe blow to India. Providing them Z-cover security is just one way of ensuring enough protection is available to the two to negate any nefarious plans that the terrorists may hatch. This also means that it is absolutely critical to ensure that their whereabouts are not easily known, and most definitely not much in advance, making them vulnerable to terrorists who can have the luxury of time & knowledge to plan & carry out an ambitious attack. And should such big national heroes with a fan-following that is unparalleled be subjected to such ‘audits’? Is this not atrocious?

I am referring to the new clause by WADA (World Anti-Doping Agency) that requires all sportsmen globally to declare their whereabouts at least 3 months in advance to the anti-doping authority. The ‘whereabouts’ clause makes it necessary for the players to give details about their availability for one hour every day between 6 am and 11 pm for random ‘out-of-competition’ testing by WADA officials. This is to check & ensure that sportspersons are not planning & doping during non-competition days to gain an edge during competitions, without the fear of detection.

What the clause proposes as penalties is that if the sportsmen are not found at the place on the first occasion and the test can’t be carried out, a warning is served. A second occasion means that they can be severely reprimanded. And, according to WADA rules, any sportsperson who misses 3 tests in 18 months faces a two-year sanction. Now, isn’t that harsh? How could anybody – you, me, anybody – know exactly where they will be over the next 90 days during a particular hour, each day of the 90 days? And then ensure that nothing, absolutely nothing, comes in the way of their being present at that location at that precise hour. Everyone has several family, social and work commitments that can create emergencies warranting the change. Don’t we all take vacations on a spur, without any planning and suddenly embark on a journey to a location which was not even in our remotest thoughts 24 hours ago? Cricketers are no different, and have various personal & commercials commitments off the field that can’t be finely planned or revealed 90 days in advance, and should be allowed their privacy. The clause is too invasive & restrictive, to say the least. Surely, our cricketers, our national heroes must be spared of the abuse through such draconian laws!

Now, I am not a supporter of drugs – in sports or otherwise – and I would definitely want that they be banned from international competitions, and those breaking the rules be severely punished. Three sportsmen who I really admired were Ben Johnson of Canada, the sprinter who broke Carl Lewis’ record & monopoly in the 100-200-400 meter events and created a new world record in 1988; Florence Griffith Joyner, the US sprinter and new world record holder for 100m & 200m in the 1988 Olympics; and Marion Jones, another American sprinter who won five medals (an astonishing feat which had never been achieved by a female athlete before) at the 2000 Sydney Olympics.

Before Ben Johnson, Carl Lewis was the king of track and his supremacy was unchallenged. Johnson arrived on the scene, and quickly started pipping Lewis at various track & field meets, finally beating him in the 1988 Olympics 100m dash, creating a new world record of 9.79 seconds. However, Ben’s sample tested positive for banned substances and he was stripped of his gold medal 2 days after creating history, his record was rescinded, he was banned from international competition, and Lewis proclaimed the winner. A shameful end to the career of a hero, who set many a pulse racing.

Florence Griffith Joyner was a triple gold medalist at the 1988 Seoul Olympics, where she set the 100 & 200 meter world records and also helped the US team win the 4x100m relay. Lovingly known the world over as Flo-Jo, she captivated the world with her phenomenal speed and flamboyant style. However, her near-masculine physique & vast improvement over a very short time fuelled rumours about performance-enhancing drugs. These became even more vociferous after the 1988 Games, and she announced her retirement immediately thereafter. Doubters said that she announced her retirement to beat the drug testers, specially after the Ben Johnson episode during the same Olympics. Again, a shockingly early end to what seemed a very promising career.

Marion Jones passed 160 doping tests before finally admitting in a U.S. court in 2007 that she had taken the banned substance Tetrahydrogestrinone (THG) before the 2000 Olympics. The admission, after years of denial, came as part of a plea bargain agreement with prosecutors, who charged her with lying about her steroid use. She was then stripped of her 5 Sydney Olympics medals, all her competitive results since September 2000 were annulled, and she was banned from the sport for two years. She retired from athletics immediately thereafter. On January 11, 2008, Jones was also sentenced to 6 months in jail. A huge disgrace for a person who was a national treasure till then.

Cricket has its own shameful stories, and Pakistan’s Shoaib Akhtar & Mohammed Asif have been accused of taking drugs and PCB awarded punishment to both and kept them out of the sport. A cricketer of the stature of Shane Warne, who was a world record holder, a global idol & a role-model for millions of budding cricketers, was dropped from the Australian cricket team and sent back from the 2003 ICC World Cup because of a banned drug being found in his sample, despite his unsurpassable importance to the Australian campaign in winning the champion’s crown.

Nobody can deny that doping is present at various levels in sports, and specially at the top it becomes a huge problem that needs to be tackled with a firm hand. Not just because it means that sportsmen playing by the book are robbed of their rightful status by cheats, but also because these cheats become heroes & role models for youngsters the world over, who follow & copy them. The fact that world record holders have tested positive and finally admitted to their guilt is something of great concern.

All these examples, where leading, reputed sportspersons were found guilty & punished severely, have proven to be huge deterrents for other sportsmen harbouring hopes of going scot free. Clearly, there is a need to regulate, check & punish the guilty ones, and create an example for others, so that nobody ever tries to cheat. So, this hue & cry that the Indian cricketers are raising about privacy concerns is so very narrow-minded that it is hard to digest.

World over, many champions, bigger names than the biggest cricketers, have gone ahead and agreed to co-operate. Rafael Nadal, Serena Williams and Andy Murray have marked their protest, yet signed on the clause. Champions like Roger Federer & Lance Armstrong have welcomed it, knowing that it is not a witch-hunt and it will help weed out such practices & make sports clean. Ricky Ponting & Andrew Flintoff are also signatories. Don’t they all have security concerns, or do they not lead a life that is not 100% regimented and 100% pre-determined? So, what is so special about our cricketers and BCCI? FIFA, which has more muscle than any other sports body in the world, has also refused to sign the clause in its entirety. They have also expressed concerns of their players, but unlike the BCCI, they have not rejected it altogether. Instead, they have proposed to WADA that only players they deem high-risk should be part of the ‘whereabouts’ clause. Obviously, they understand & agree with the greater objective & its merit, and treat the proposal as a necessary evil on the path to glory.

The public at large wants to see their heroes perform wonders every time they step on the field. But more importantly, they want clean sports and clean heroes. If our cricketers think they are holier than thou and above reproach, incidents that I pointed out earlier are testimonies that this may not be absolutely true, and in any case needs to be thoroughly guarded against. If Indians are not ready to adapt themselves to global norms, they cannot hope to be seen as a part of the global sports world. Being a top athlete has its joys, but it also has certain responsibilities, which by their very nature of being responsibilities are not all that easy to live up to. Our cricketers and our board will have to learn to abide with them and live as one with the world. Their current stance has put the Indian cricketers’, the BCCI’s & the ICC’s reputation, and even cricket’s future, at stake. Howsoever much may I admire them, I cannot help but find fault with Indian cricketers’ stance on this issue. With their current decision, they will only end up alienating themselves, and doing great injustice to those who like to play the game fairly. Hope some good sense will prevail over the men in blue, and they will finally emerge from this crisis as real heroes.

Gambhir tops test ranking… is there a captain in the making?

Gautam Gambhir topped the ICC test ranking two days ago, becoming the first India batsman in over four years to head the batting rankings. In an era where T20 & ODIs are ruling the roost, this comes as the most beautiful feather in cap of this Delhi batsman, who has till now lived in the shadow of another Delhi bat who is most feared the world over – Virender Sehwag. This is the coming of age of sorts of the shy, yet determined cricketer, who has withstood the test of time and proven how valuable he is not just to Indian cricket, but to world cricket. And even though he has been off-colour in the shorter version of the game for some time now, nobody can take away from his capability to win a match on his own on his given day.

He is one of the cleanest strikers of the ball, and like Sehwag, when he hits them, they stay hit. Having Sehwag for company at the other end, while playing for Delhi in Ranji, or while playing for Delhi Daredevils, or while playing for India, would surely have impacted & influenced him. And to prove himself in such circumstances, when his partner is probably the most feared batsman in the world, who is so very popular and has such a huge fan following, can be difficult. But Gambhir has proven, if you keep working hard, nothing is impossible.

The other Indian batsmen who have reached this pinnacle are Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, Dilip Vengsarkar, Sunil Gavaskar & Gundappa Vishwanath. To be in the such august company is in itself a huge honour, and this just goes on to show the class of Gambhir. All the batsmen here have two things in common. They were all batsmen in a class of their own, each one having an enviable repertoire of clean cricketing shots, and a certain individual flair which separated them from the herd. And, each one of them has been bestowed with the responsibility & pride of leading the Indian cricket team. So, do we have another captain in the making?

Pakistan rise like a Phoenix from the ashes to emerge champions

So, Pakistan are the new world champions of T20.

Did they deserve to win? I think they did, despite my being an Indian who would be the most unlikely supporter of anything Pakistani. Though I can also have a last laugh by saying in the same breath that India beat Pakistan in this very World Cup even before the first official ball was bowled in the championship. So, we’ve vanquished the eventual victors, and by that very logic are better than them. However, I do not wish to steal their thunder, and for once I will applaud them for their achievement.

The pre-tournament favourites for me were South Africa, Sri Lanka and India (not necessarily in the same order). However, there were other teams who gave two hoots to what I thought and came to the party. Both West Indies & Pakistan showed that they were hungry and ready to play big daddy. Amongst the early favourites, the South Africans did reach the semis but choked at that stage as they so often do (maybe they should get an automatic bypass to the finals the next time they qualify for finals in a championship, and then maybe they can lift a cup). Both Australia (who weren’t in anybody’s reckoning despite being the best team otherwise – I know I am playing with peril by saying this, but no arguments please) & India (the defending champs) withered away in the early stages to set up the final clash between Sri Lanka & Pakistan. Finally, the champion is a country that didn’t just deserve to win; it ‘needed’ to win badly.

The two finalists were nations whose cricketing destiny seems to be intertwined ever since the terrorist attack on Sri Lankan cricketers in Lahore on 4th of March, 2009. Pakistan has been the pariah of cricket ever since. That they have been reduced to becoming touring cricketers, who are now forced to embark on a journey every time they want to play international cricket, since no nation wants to tour the terror-ridden Pakistan, has meant that they’ve not had too much going for them for some time now. They did need something to revive them, and for sure this victory is going to do wonders to the sport and the general feel-good factor in the country.

Sports has a way of creating a mood across any nation, and it finally reflects in the economy & general behavior of people. Is it because the people are generally happy after the victory, prone to partying & spending on self, family & friends? Or is it merely coincidental? Historic evidence suggests that every time Brazil has won the football world cup, their economy has received a huge boost. Indian cricket (and Indian confidence) really started looking up post the 1983 world cup win. When Italy won the FIFA Cup in 2006, for months it seemed that the nation was forever in a celebratory mood, and the economy went into 5th gear. Since it has happened so many times to so many nations, it can’t just be written off as a coincident. And I do hope this victory does something similar to Pakistan – they really need to have something to rejoice about. They need to come out of their closet and become a part of the developing world where terrorism has no place. They need to bask in the glory of what they have achieved, and not bicker over what was never theirs. They need to shun violence & hatred, and embrace friendship & goodwill towards others. They need to be seen as people who one can be friends with. History has given Pakistan an opportunity, and as a neighbour I do hope they grab this one.

Cricket’s glorious 5 centuries!

There are billions of followers of cricket the world over, many of them self-confessed fanatics. Yet, very few know about the origin & evolution of cricket. In this article, I try to put forth what I learned based on my own knowledge & some research over the Internet.

While a lot has been done to trace cricket’s origins, there is no final conclusion. It is commonly believed that the game was invented by English shepherds to while away their time while grazing the sheep. They used to use farm equipment & wooden sticks to hit a round-shaped object made of wood or stone… winner being the one who hit it farthest.

The first written evidence of a game known as ‘creag’ played by Prince Edward at Kent is in 1301, which could place cricket’s history back to 7 centuries. However, it is merely speculated that this was cricket and there is no concrete evidence of the same. For all purposes of reported history, cricket originated as a sport in England in the early 16th century, way back in the Tudor era, sometime earlier than the beginning of Queen Elizabeth I’s reign (1558 – 1603).

The earliest definite reference to the term ‘cricket’ is in 1598, when it was called ‘creckett’. The reference is in a court case about a sport played by the students of the Royal Grammar School, Guildford around 1550 (whew, that is over 450 years ago). The word is assumed to have been derived from the Old English word ‘cryce’ meaning a stick/staff. Way back then, the cricket (or cryce) bats were shaped liked bent staffs (like hockey sticks), and the ball used to be rolled on the ground for the batsman to hit. The bats continued in this form until they evolved over 2 centuries (!!!) later in 1760, when bowlers started pitching the ball instead of rolling it towards the batsmen. This meant that the ball came bouncing towards the batsmen, and this necessitated the introduction of a straighter bat, the kind that is used today.

By the early 17th century, around 1610, the sport had evolved to the level of a contest, where inter-parish matches were being held. The game’s popularity kept growing through the 17th century; however, it was popular mostly in southern England and it still remained a villagers’ game. But, by the end of the century, things changed. The rich started patronizing the sport and forming their own ‘Select XIs’, on whom they placed bets (who says ‘Super Selector’ is new?), and this helped it become an organized sport played for high stakes all across England.

The first proof of cricket’s popularity comes from a newspaper report about an 11-players-a-side match that was played in Sussex in 1697. The fact that a newspaper found this worthy-enough of being written about in ‘holier-than-thou journalism days’ also suggests that the sport had assumed a fairly important status. As early as 1707, cricket had become prominent in London, with teams coming to play from afar, which attracted huge crowds & betters.

The Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) was founded in 1787, when the Lord’s Cricket Ground (named after Thomas Lord, a professional bowler who was encouraged by his club-mates to find & run a private cricketing venue within easy distance of London), the mecca of cricket, was formally opened. However, the first ground was not in the same place as the current ground and Lord’s has been moved twice till it reached its current home. Though it was not the first cricket club in England, MCC quickly assumed the position of the most premier club and the custodian of the Laws of Cricket.

By the end of the 18th century, cricket had become so popular that it was accorded the status of the national sport of England, and the expansion of the British Empire led to cricket being played by the Englishmen in other countries. The game became well established in Australia, New Zealand, the Caribbean Islands, India, South Africa and North America (yes, North America – even though it is not a very popular sport in that continent anymore). In fact, you’d be surprised to learn that the first ever international cricket match was played in 1844, between the United States of America & Canada (although neither has been accorded a Test-playing nation status ever)!!!

By the mid-19th century, international matches begun to gain importance. In 1859, the English Team went on their first overseas tour to North America (see picture below). In 1862, the English made their first tour of Australia, and in 1876-77, played the first Test Match at Melbourne Cricket Ground, Australia. The term ‘Ashes’ came into existence shortly, due to the cricketing rivalry between the English & the Australians in 1882, when at The Oval, Australia beat England on an English ground for the first time, and a newspaper wrote that English cricket had died, and “the body will be cremated and the ashes taken to Australia”. Within the same decade, international cricket expanded further when South Africa became the 3rd nation to play international cricket, when they played England in 1888-89.

The English Cricket Team aboard their ship on the tour to USA & Canada, 1859

With cricket’s growing footprint, a global governing body was needed, and the International Cricket Council (ICC) was formed. Originally founded as the Imperial Cricket Conference by England, Australia & South Africa, it came into existence exactly a century ago on 15th June, 1909. It was renamed the International Cricket Conference in 1965, and took up its current name in 1989.

The game has gained huge popularity over these 100 years, and today ICC’s headquarters have moved away from England to Dubai, highlighting the widespread impact that other nations have had on cricket. Today, over a 100 nations (that’s half the world by nation-count, and probably half the world even by population count) play the sport, and the popularity is growing. That’s cricket’s impact for you – 5 great centuries, and getting better!

Dutch courage humbles the English in their own backyard

Dutch courage – what is it exactly? The term has its origins in naval warfare. In the old days, the Dutch navy was feared by all other navies because of the courage it demonstrated in fighting a sea battle. This was especially true during the Anglo-Dutch wars of the 17th & 18th centuries, when Netherlands & Britain were bitter rivals, and the Dutch were particularly dreaded by the British navy, and the Dutch East India Company was forever taking on the British East India Company in atrociously daring attacks. It was rationalized that such an attack could only be undertaken by a drunk man, who was not scared of anything at all. And thus, the phrase Dutch courage came into existence as a slang for courage gained from alcoholic intoxication.

Well yesterday, the Dutch proved once again that they have absolutely no fear of how strong the opposition may be, and especially Britain needs to be extremely wary when facing them. Were the Dutch cricketers drunk before the match or not, I do not know. What I can safely say is that they would definitely by drunk on the success of beating England, and Pakistan, who are next in their line, must be a worried lot.

Predicting a winner in Twenty20 match is not an easy task. It is akin to predicting the future. There is only one problem though… the difficult aspect about predicting the future is that… uhm, it’s pretty difficult to predict. And as was demonstrated yesterday, this holds equally true for cricket. Or, at least, Twenty20 cricket.

Well, the tournament has begun with a huge upset, and that is the beauty of this game. One can never say who will win on a given day. Though, I also notice a trend thus far – most winners in practice matches and in the opener too are teams batting second. So, maybe, just after the toss, we can predict a winner most of the times. Hope Dhoni notices this too, and wins all tosses for India… starting with the one today, or we might witness yet another upset.

India demolish Pakistan in a World Cup yet again

Yawn! Yawn!

So, what’s new guys? History repeats itself, and every single time, whenever India & Pakistan clash in a world cup cricket tournament. For the past 34 years, ever since the very first World Cup, Pakistan has never been able to beat us, and I am sure they will not be terribly happy about this at all. Pakistanis would wonder, who says cricket is a great leveler? As for us Indians, it is just a great reveler.

Even though this was a warm-up match, nothing associated with this game would suggest so. The tickets for the entire stadium were sold out 2 days in advance. The crowds donning their country colours, cheering and jeering with mad frenzy on every boundary & wicket, made it seem like the final before even the first ball is bowled in the actual tournament. And the intensity with which Pakistan batted in the first inning, surpassed by India in the second inning, hinted that this was not just a friendly warm-up match, but a battle which both sides wanted to win under any circumstances. So much so that when Harbhajan dropped a catch early on, there was genuine sorrow being seen on his face and his compatriots, and the Indians amongst the crowds were groaning and the Pakistanis celebrating. The whole atmosphere was electric to an extent that even the final would be proud of.

With the kind of response this match generated, guess England would want to become the neutral venue for all Indo-Pak matches – it’ll ensure capacity crowds and great television earnings in a country which fathered this great game, but where football is pushing this into the background. But then which country won’t like to play host to an Indo-Pak game? The rivalry has become bigger than the Ashes, and I think it is time that this also is given a commemorative name – how about “Clashes”? (…No pun intended).

158/6 that Pakistan scored, after winning the toss and electing to bat first, was by all means a decent score, and one that should not have been too difficult to defend. At least, one would have assumed that the match would have been a cliff-hanger, going to the last over if not the last ball, before either side emerged victorious. The bowlers were not entirely effective, and India had to employ 7 of them. The fact that 5 of them did snare a wicket each and kept giving crucial breaks meant that India were able to stop Pakistan at a chase-able, under 8 target. And with 158 on the board, even Pakistan would not have been too unhappy going in to bowl in the 2nd innings.

When Gautam Gambhir & Rohit Sharma walked out to open the Indian innings, many would have felt Sehwag’s absence, who is out because of injury. However, the two openers were out on a mission and ensured that there were no twists in the tale, and went on to score at will, marauding the Pakistanis. Incidentally, Pakistan too employed 7 bowlers, but only 1 of them could get the sole wicket to fall – Rohit Sharma who scored a brilliant 80 off 53 balls. When he departed, the score stood at 140/1 with 4 overs still to go to chase the balance 18 runs. Undoubtedly, Pakistan’s fate was already sealed. Gambir & Dhoni completed the formalities of hammering in the last nail in Pakistan’s coffin in the very next over, and India romped home in front of a 23,000-capacity crowd in style, with 9 wickets to spare.

For us Indians, the final has been played, even before the first ball being bowled in the actual tournament, and India has once again crushed Pakistan on the world stage to emerge victorious. Whatever happens hereon in the tournament is not so very relevant.

As I finish writing this, a thought has just drifted into my mind - why can’t we settle all disputes between India and Pakistan peacefully through a cricket match once and for all? Condition being, it is played at a world cup tournament.

Sri Lankan cricketers are safe; sadly, we can't say the same for the state of Pakistan

Yesterday, in Lahore, The Sri Lankan cricket team was attacked by gun-yielding, and even rocket-launcher equipped terrorists, and many players were injured in the attack. That they are all out of danger and safely back in their own country is a relief, to say the very least.

This attack once again reminded me of precisely what I, and many others, have been saying for the past so many years. Pakistan is a safe haven for terrorists, and they have produced a Frankenstein that they no longer control. Without an argument, the terrorists are a creation of the state and have always been given all the monetary, military and political support they needed to create mayhem in India. Now, as was witnessed very recently through the large celebrations & public display of arms by the Taliban in the Swat Valley post Sharia law being allowed there, the radicals want much more power and wish to control everything in Pakistan, much on the same lines as they did in Afghanistan till a few years ago.

The tentacles of terror have truly gone beyond their maker's control (the Pakistani politicians, army and ISI) and are now deliberately attacking civilians, and even foreigners and teams on a goodwill mission to Pakistan, to spread their awe & fear. The September 2008 Marriott attack in Islamabad was a grim example of the same, and even yesterday’s attack was aimed at bringing their power & capabilities to international notice – much like the US 9/11 and the Mumbai attacks.

There were many knee-jerk reactions in Pakistan to these attacks to absolve themselves of the blame. These ranged from – this is a work of RAW; after all Sonia Gandhi promised retribution for 26/11. Another being – this is the LTTE striking with vengeance as a last hurrah in their fight against the Sri Lankan army. I, for one, do not believe this at all. And there are many reasons for the same.

12 heavily armed terrorists attacked the team bus, being escorted by 6 policemen. All the policemen were killed and all the terrorists got away unharmed and escaped being captured. Wow!

How could the terrorists manage this feat, especially given the fact that the bus route to the stadium was changed at the last minute due to security concerns, and nobody but the police were supposed to know the route. The only sound logical reason that comes to my mind is that the terrorists were Pakistani insiders, possibly policemen/ISI men themselves rather than radical terrorists, who staged this to create an impression that Pakistan is itself a victim, and not a perpetrator, of such attacks. If the RAW or the LTTE did it, they would surely not know of the last minute change in route, and would not have been able to strike. Even if they managed to do so somehow, they would certainly have been captured or killed by the Pakistani forces – goddamn, at least 1 out of the 12 could have met that fate. That this did not happen, is proof enough of the complicity of the authorities running the show there.

Anyhow, the purpose of this piece is not to defend our nation or the LTTE against the blame, or to fault Pakistan. I write this as a grim reminder of what is our fate, if such terrorists were allowed to take center-stage in Pakistan. They have no love for our nation, and I dread the day the nuclear option against India will cease to be an “option” and will become an “opportunity” in Pakistan. For that very reason, we have to continue applying international pressure on Pakistan to fight this menace. And yet, howsoever much we may not want to do so, somehow help them combat this terror. It might be their creation which is hurting them now, but it is our neighbour’s house collapsing that will take our own home with it as it falls. Difficult thought to digest, but a bitter pill that I fear we will have to swallow.

Mumbai Terror Attack...will we ever be rid of terror?

The Mumbai Terror Attack on the 26th of November was a hugely poignant moment for all Indians. As a person who has spent over 2 years as a denizen of that city before returning to Delhi last year, I was stung with the pain, fear and anger my fellow-countrymen in that city would have felt. But this is not just about Mumbai. It was an attack on the fabric of the nation itself. Our house was impregnated, our brethren (Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, Christians, Jews… everyone) were killed, our pride was dented, and our confidence in our national security system & Indian polity was shattered. It is time indeed to rethink what we, as a nation, want to become – a mourning victim of such perpetual attacks, or a steadfast voice that not just condemns such barbaric acts, but is ready to fight them.

Enough has already been said in news channels, newspapers, blogs, and there are many initiatives – from candlelight vigils to angry protest marches – undertaken by various organizations & groups that have just been formed out of common bonding arising as an after-taste of these attacks and the political response that we’ve witnessed from all parties. At least one thing binds all our political parties finally – they’re all alike in inaction, cowardice, opportunism, one-upmanship and contempt of the people who vote them to power. We, the ordinary citizen, are scum of the earth for them.

If a lipstick-powder wearing woman is not the voice of this nation, then why do they seek them out when it is time to ask for votes? If the family of a martyred soldier is not worthy of a visit by a dog, why should people at such or even lower levels (and I consider myself of a lower level than a martyred soldier) be called for election meetings and told why they are so loved by a politician seeking their mandate? And why should the widow of an officer, who was tormented & condemned for his investigating the role of a particular community in spreading terror, be offered more money than most of us can earn in a lifetime? Just so she keeps quiet at the horrible attitude and apathy of the political masters, and the same politicians who were baying for the officer’s (her husband’s) blood even on the day he was killed by the terrorists, masquerade as caring humans who stand by this nation’s martyrs, and reap political gains on his bloodied, bullet-ridden, dead body. And why should the Chief Minister of the state under the bloodiest attack, organize terror-tourism-treks for his kith & kin, rather than work aggressively towards ensuring that our police & forces are armed to the teeth to not just counter such attacks, but to stop them in their infancy.

I could have used euphemism instead of the strong words that I just used for describing the deeds of our politicians, but while they may sound good, they would be unjust and hollow. The anger in the common man this time is too deep and too unforgiving. And our politicians must awake, arise, and act. Finally, as people who are our representatives and not our masters. For they come from us, the common people. Otherwise, the government of the people, by the people, for the people, will just become a phrase that sounds good, but means nothing. The politicians have to finally put aside their differences and do something positive – not for their sake… but for our sake, our nation’s sake.

Will that happen; I do not know. Will this fizzle out as the candle-light finally fades out; I hope not. But I guess the patience of the people has been tested enough, and maybe this is the catalyst that is going to change things forever.

As I end this note, I am reminded of some lines that I had written in 1984 after the assassination of Indira Gandhi. I reproduce them below.

"Give me a home where no terrorists roam"

Give me a home
Where no terrorists roam
And the kids can play
On the streets all day

No firing, no gun shots
No killing of tiny tots
No fear in the air
No mothers in despair

No murders in religion’s name
Let’s not make life easy game
Guns are not anyone’s toy
Funerals don’t bring anyone joy

Does it matter which God I pray
Does your God hate mine, I say
Is your blood’s colour different than mine
Is your prayer and temple more divine

So, why are we all fighting each other
And killing one another’s son and brother
Is this what you really call freedom of choice
Where only one religion can have a voice

Let’s make our country, our home a beautiful place
Where peacefully can reside human race
And all of us can live together in peace
May I have my paradise back, please

Give me a home
Where no terrorists roam
And the kids can play
On the streets all day

Oh! Give me a home
Where no terrorists roam
And the kids can play
On the streets all day

Nuclear Deal - What it means for India and why the political parties are divided over it

The nuclear deal has created much debate inside and outside political circles for the past one year. Not many of us understand it well. Not that we were intended to too – by either the Congress (which is propagating it as being for the national good), or the Left Block (which is demanding the Congress Government’s head for it pursuing the deal), or the BJP (which can’t really decide which side to take; after all they started this, but they don’t want to lose out on the opportunity of toppling the Congress at the center). The general belief is that it is necessary for the country. But the general belief also is that it comes at a cost of compromising our position vis-à-vis the US, and hence we must not agree. Two sides of the same coin, you might say. No sir. These are not two sides of the same coin at all; the coin always has a third side – the circular edge – which due to its very nature of conjoining the two other sides, holds the real truth. And that is the truth that most political parties are not willing to let get revealed. But this article is not about my view of the political compulsions of various parties; this is about the merits and demerits of the deal itself.

So, what is the deal all about?

The nuclear deal is an agreement between India and the US, opening the gates for the US government to supply nuclear fuel and reactors to India, which will also enable the world to collaborate with India in civil nuclear usage, thereby helping our energy needs of the future, apart from various other gains. All the nuclear deal does is to grant a ‘waiver’ from the laws of the NPT, which India has vehemently refused to sign, so that American companies can now pursue nuclear trade with India. From an Indian perspective, the deal itself needs to be seen as what it is primarily – an agreement to shore up India’s energy security and gain access to nuclear and high technology, with transformative effects on foreign policy.

The Deal: Some basic compulsions

As per the agreement, the following must be adhered to for the deal to go through:
• Identifying and separating civil and nuclear facilities and programs in a phased manner by India
• Filing a declaration regarding India’s civilian facilities with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)
• Taking a decision to voluntarily place India’s civil nuclear facilities under IAEA safeguards
• Continuing India’s unilateral moratorium on nuclear testing

Arguments Against

• First and foremost, the proposed separation of nuclear facilities into civil and military is costly & difficult or rather impractical. It would also mean that we allow external agencies to come and examine our facilities, thereby exposing our capabilities to the world, and finally limiting them. The deal will impact India’s ability to produce requisite fissile material, as all new nuclear facilities will be civilian in nature and under the supervision of IAEA.
• Second, nuclear power is costly in nature and an emerging country like India can ill afford it. It is a luxury that only the developed world can enjoy and India should not count on it in its energy security calculus. In any case, the benefits are not going to be immediate, and hence there is no need to rush into signing this deal. We must look at other, more viable energy means in the meantime.
• Third, the deal is all about American promises and Indian commitments, and we just cannot trust US to keep its word. If it fails to do so, India will have traded in its independent nuclear program, without having received anything in the bargain.
• Finally, the deal does not remove the discriminatory nature of the present nuclear regime which India has been fighting all along. Why should India place all its existing and future civilian nuclear facilities under IAEA supervision when other nuclear powers are not compelled to do so? In terms of statistics, out of the 915 facilities under IAEA safeguards worldwide, only 11 are in the 5 NPT nuclear power states.

Arguments For

• First, India is a fast growing economy that is looking for all the energy resources that it can get hold of, howsoever costly they may be. The denial of nuclear fuel due to provisions of the NPT regime has been precisely the reason behind the Indian nuclear establishment’s dismal performance. History has given us the chance and we must seize it. If international nuclear fuel is available, the cost of producing electricity will also come down and will be within the affordable range. The benefits that the future generations are going to reap are far too many to negate with a veto against the deal.
• Second, there is no provision in the deal that asks India to place its indigenously developed nuclear reactors under IAEA supervision. The deal is applicable only in the case of existing and future nuclear reactors that will be using international nuclear fuel. Technically, India can build up as many indigenous nuclear reactors as it wants for its security purposes.
• Third, to answer the proliferation charge, the present deal is a win-win situation for the non-proliferation regime since it brings India into the nuclear mainstream. India has consistently put its foot down to join the NPT regime, and has also not given any commitment to sign the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT). So, thus far, it has been denied the nuclear status (and benefits that follow) that it truly deserves. Nonetheless, India, despite being a declared nuclear power, has an impeccable non-proliferation record that needs to be trusted & rewarded rather than questioned & punished. That we have got the US to finally grant us what we deserve (and that too on our terms, without us signing the NPT or CTBT) is not just commendable, but laudable.
• Finally, India has still not signed the NPT treaty. But it will enjoy all the privileges available to declared nuclear powers under the NPT regime. In fact, in the eyes of the American non-proliferation lobby, the nuclear deal is an American sellout to India. They feel that the deal is likely to abet the nuclear weapon capabilities of India. For, by the very act of separating the civil & military facilities, without NPT being signed by India, the supply of international nuclear fuel will free its existing non-civil facilities, designated as military facilities, to produce plutonium and enriched plutonium exclusively for weapons’ purpose.

My Take

India is a developing economy and to maintain its current growth it needs power to run its industries. In a country like Germany, 60% of the power comes from nuclear power plants. To grow into a super power we need nuclear energy to keep the wheels of the industry, and thereby the economy, moving at a rapid pace. The deal’s biggest positive impact will be on the country’s energy needs, which becomes a critical consideration given the high oil prices touching $140 and more a barrel, and the imperative of maintaining high growth rates into the future. The second advantage is that it will gain India access to high technology – to larger capacity reactors, for instance, and to monitoring and safety technology. India’s nuclear establishment will be able to participate in international collaborative research on thermonuclear reactors, that could offer significant advantages in the future.

In the face of these advantages, some of the objections raised by critics seem quite peripheral and even trivial. There is, for instance, the criticism that technological cooperation will remain less than full unless the U.S. were to amend its laws to permit export of enrichment, reprocessing and heavy water technology. Or that arrangements for reprocessing the spent fuel imported from the U.S. have still to be negotiated, without which we do not know where we stand. The more substantive objections, however, are basically two.

The first is the Left’s view that the deal will take India into a closer strategic partnership with the U.S., which would mark a departure from the independent foreign policy line agreed to in the national common minimum program. It is a pretty well known fact that closer relations with the U.S. are essential for any progressive nation in a globalised world, because it controls the levers of economic and technological power. Nobody can really object to better relations as such but the Left, as always, is opposed to any relations with the U.S., whether they are beneficial or otherwise.

The second objection is from the BJP – that the deal will compromise India’s strategic autonomy and it will become virtually impossible to carry out another nuclear explosion. That, immediately after the Pokhran 2 blasts, the then Indian Prime Minister, Mr. Atal Behari Vajpayee of BJP himself, and thereafter many leading scientists have already said that India has no further need for any more tests, is being conveniently forgotten by them, on the belief that public memory is short and nobody will remember what they said years ago. So, basically, the objection has nothing to do with the deal or its contents per se; it has more to do with the political needs of the BJP at present.

As I see it, the India-US nuclear deal is the much-needed fuel to regenerate our nuclear establishment that is stifling under present international regulations. If the status quo is allowed to prevail, our ambitious plan to be counted as a globally recognized nuclear power, and to derive benefits from the same, will only remain a pipedream. Of course, there are a few conditions, which may be strict in nature, that have to be adhered to. But despite all of those, it is clear that the advantages of the deal overwhelmingly outweigh any threat or flaw, and this is as good a deal as any government can negotiate for us. Were the country to miss this opportunity, it will be an uphill task for any future government to resurrect the deal with a new administration in Washington.

P.S. Almost the entire text of this message has been researched through various articles – both Indian and International. I cannot take any credit for the factual inputs into this; however, any analysis thereof and flaws in the same are solely mine, and I stand guilty should you find fault with my comments. I deliberately refrain from commenting on the political scenario which is likely to be revealed later today post the vote in the parliament. But I guess you can make out who I am backing – no, not the UPA, but the deal.

Goodbye Gilchrist!

India won a historic one-day series down under yesterday, finally getting the monkey off their back by beating Australia 2-nil in a best of 3 finals. That there was no need for the third match to played, demonstrates how India dominated the Aussies in the finals totally. But the world is talking a lot about that already, and I shall refrain from doing so this one time.

Instead, I am going to write about the one man I have always admired as a cricketer, who hung his boots yesterday. The man, as is no secret, is none other than the Australian, Adam Gilchrist. Wicket-keeper par excellence, batsman most dreaded, and a sportsman who stands out like an angel amongst his other team members who wouldn’t miss any trick in the world (character assassination included) to get the better of their opponents. He was one man who never waited for the umpire’s decision, but always walked, if he thought he had edged the ball and had been caught behind. A true gentleman cricketer, I must say, in this day of blatant, low-stooping techniques to stay at the crease by so many others in Australian cricket that it has almost become their charter – “do not walk unless the umpire says you’re out”. Even in his last inning, he walked even before the umpire had time to react to the appeal, on a very faint edge, decision on which could have gone either way.

Gilchrist scored just 2 runs in his final essay before edging Praveen Kumar to Dhoni. The fact that he finally finished with 9,619 runs in 287 one-day internationals shows that this was uncharacteristic of his otherwise extremely high standards. Why, on his batting abilities alone, he would be the pride of any cricketing team in the world. And the pace at which he scored runs was always something that gave ulcers to every opposing team captain, and put him consistently on his toes to somehow try & control the run flow.

As a wicket-keeper, he was again unparalleled and contributed to 472 dismissals in his career. And to be keeping wickets to champion bowlers like McGrath and Warne is no mean task, and his contribution to their tally of wickets is immense. He definitely changed the basic qualification required from a wicket-keeper to a wicket-keeper/batsman/all-rounder, and Kumar Sangakkara & M.S. Dhoni would be immensely proud to be from his herd of cricketers.

Statistically speaking, the man averages 33.52 runs per match (I am not calculating averages the traditional way, wherein you look at averages based on no. of innings that a batsman has been out on). In terms of dismissals, he averages 1.64 per match. If he just stayed on to play another 13 matches to reach 300 one-day internationals, he would have scored an additional 436 runs, and crossed the 10,000-runs mark. To get 28 dismissals to reach the 500 mark, he would need 17 matches. So, if he lingered on for some more time only for this very year (nobody wanted him out of the team at all, as his contribution is immense even now, and there are no serious contenders knocking on the Aussie team door yet), he would have surely got both the 10,000 run mark & the 500 dismissal mark, in addition to an amazing 300 ODI appearances. That he had the courage to go into retirement with such huge milestones within his grasp, shows the man’s mettle and resolve.

If only the world (and specially Australia) had more such cricketers, the gentleman’s game would still be extremely competitive, without being combative. I will surely miss him.

Delhi...the city of delights

“Jaadon kee narm dhoop aur aangan mein leit kar” – Gulzar’s these lyrics echo in my mind every time I think of the city where I was born, educated and where I work. Delhi, the city of winter morning dreams, rainy day delights and beautiful spring experiences – this is my city.

When I was born, my family lived in the Choori Walan area of Bazaar Sita Ram, which many describe plainly as Old Delhi. To me, though, that is the heart of real Delhi. Most people won’t know that this area was developed the same time round as Chandni Chowk, and actually is home to the real halwais who prepare the best chaat, the best bedwi-aloo, the best gaajar ka halwa and the best kulfi that was ever prepared in this city, and which has so often been wrongly credited to Chandni Chowk, the better-known neighbourhood.

As a child who lived in a house, that many described as a haveli, inside the deepest of the narrow, winding lanes of the old city, that would be a bhool-bhulaiya for the uninitiated, I used to miss the gardens and the opens that were always welcoming my cousins who lived in the New(er) Delhi areas of Patel Nagar, Malviya Nagar & Lajpat Nagar. What I never realized then was that I was enjoying the so many other joys of life that my cousins would give their right arm for. Like the rickshaw rides from Chitli Qabar to Golcha Cinema along the colourful Urdu Bazaar, where enroute you could stop and pick up small bargains and mouth-watering delicacies like mewa-gazak in winters or kesar-baadaam-sherbet in summers. Or the sheer joy of having a bicycle race with a friend from Hauz Qazi to Jama Masjid – just trying to keep moving ahead on the bicycle in the congested lanes of Chawri Bazaar made even more crowded by the cows who actually own them, or by the jhalli-walas who run amok in the secure knowledge that the road is theirs and anybody else is a trespasser, was a skill that only some old-Dilliwallah could master and then take some pleasure in. For once, it was skill over speed that ruled.

My alma mater, Happy School, was one of the most popular institutions of its time that produced brilliant results and some illustrious students, but could never be as glorious as a DPS or a Modern probably due its location. A much-sought after school for their children amongst the denizens of the old city, this place taught me a lot in not just academics but also in human values that most of us today crave for our children. The place is still revered in my heart.

Post my graduation from the Delhi University, once I started working in the advertising industry, it finally dawned upon me that the true culture of Delhi does not just reside inside the serpentine lanes & bylanes of my childhood, but also in the newer colonies, albeit in a new avatar. It opened my eyes to the culture beyond normal tehzeeb; a culture where the sequined salwaar-kameez was easily given up for the sensuous short skirt; a culture which extended to the cacophonic unspeakables that many Delhiites use as part of their everyday language, peppering their already colourfully rich vocabulary. The Bhatoore-Chholey gave way to Butter Chicken, and the bhaai-saheb gave way to Big-Bro. However, my love for Delhi continued to grow.

Whether it is the hundreds of cricket teams playing at the Ramlila Maidan or it is a family outing at the Trade Fair at Pragati Maidan, the crowds that would normally scare you, merge & mingle with each other as easily as water colours on a canvas, creating a rainbow that can be so welcoming. The Sunday picnics at Qutub Minar or anyday dinners at India Gate lawns, or the charm of just lazing around in the winter sun at Central Park in Connaught Place – which other city has so much to offer? Joys that don’t cost a penny, and yet give you so much pleasure.

Today, as a true professional who has more time for his office peon than for his wife, who now lives in an NCR town and works in South Delhi, I’m almost in Delhi, but still miss being there. I do miss the fun of growing up and exploring this lovely city as a child. I am afraid that my children will grow up not knowing what Delhi is really like, due to my not being able to find time to show them around. The ease of life has given way to the business of eking out a living, and a hectic routine keeps me busy & away from the simple joys that I so cherish, and would like to share with my children. Today, as a Delhiite, my heart cries out, “Dil dhoondta hai phir wahi fursat ke raat din…”

India are the World Champions of Cricket!!!

India are the World Champions of Cricket!!!

India are the World Champions of Cricket!!!

India are the World Champions of Cricket!!!

Well, it still hasn’t sunk in, and therefore the twice-repetition. Just when nobody expected them to win, Indians have finally emerged as the well-deserved suitors of this new, lively, nubile 20-only bride of cricket, and the honeymoon has just begun.

What a match? If ever, there was a match that swung more than the swingers of Irfan Pathan, it was this one. I almost had two heart attacks before the Indians romped home and picked up the trophy. But I think enough has been written, said, read & heard about the match, and whatever I may say now would only be old wine in a new bottle, and so I shall spare you the misery. What I will dwell upon are other aspects of India’s victory & what it augurs for Indian cricket.

First things first: this young Indian team has proved to everyone that they have absolutely no fear. The big stage fright does not weaken their nerves; in fact, it motivates them to higher levels. And playing & winning against Pakistan is just a small hurdle that can be cleared easily. Reputations do not matter; great play does – that is what epitomizes the team belief & is reflected in their spirit on the field. South Africa & Australia have already learnt their lesson the hard way – by being chucked out of the tournament just when they thought they were close to winning it. The message from the team clearly is, “Bring ‘em on and then some more!”

While Dhoni & his men have shown that they mean business, and are ready to rule the world, we must remember that this is T20. A traditional 50-overs a side one-day match is a completely different ball game, and they would do well not to get too carried away, and to be mentally & physically prepared for that as well. The taste of success can be very heady causing hangovers that take forever to get out of, and the team needs to be ready for the next challenge pretty soon. As regards tests, I think the team would be very different and would include the trinity of Sachin, Sourav & Rahul, but it would still be nice to have the boys who have performed be a part of the new-look India that has no past baggage to carry.

Coming to the trinity, I was fairly surprised to notice that none of them went to South Africa to cheer the team for the finals! After all, this was a world cup final, made even more interesting & important by the fact that it was against our arch-rivals, Pakistan. So, what were our seniors doing here sitting inside their homes watching the match on television? Why did they miss being a part of history – win or lose, it was going to be a historic moment for India? Why did they not cheer for the team from the stands? Did they rue the fact that they thought that T20 was frivolous and chose not to participate? Or were they jealous of this young team that has performed miracles without any of the top 3 being in the team, and could make them redundant in the small form of the game? I know that such thoughts should not colour my imagination, but what to do – my imagination is quite colourful!

Finally, I must admit that the slug-fest was quite entertaining. That India won the championship was an icing on the cake. And I am forced to take back my earlier opinion on bowlers being marauded in this crazy & cacophonic carnival of cricket. When it mattered the most, the bowlers did stand up to be counted and proved that when a batsman is hell-bent upon trying to hit every ball for a six, it is a good bowler, who practices his skill well, who can make a difference.

Well done India, and keep it up!

ICC Twenty20 World Cup - spare a thought for the bowlers

The ICC Twenty20 World Cup began yesterday in South Africa amid grand fanfare. A new form of cricket that is meant to provide wholesome entertainment to spectators – does it sound like Bournvita (wholesome nourishment for kids)? Who cares – so long as it tastes good!

So, what are the ingredients of this bottleful of wholesome entertainment? A bagful of pinch-hitters – javelin chuckers who can hurl anything beyond 80 yards most welcome; an army of fast legs, safe hands and good arms – Asafa Powell (the new world record creator at 9.74 seconds – he already held it – for the 100m sprint), brick-passers who work in building construction & discus throwers take notice; an orgy of masochistic bowlers who love being hit out of the park – dads teaching their little ones to bat, please stand up and take a bow; all added together, mixed well & bottled into well-packed teams consisting of an ocean’s eleven that wants to be the world’s most famous recipe for success in this colourful menu of picture-perfect grounds, cheering & jeering crowds, and cheerleaders who go berserk with their pelvic movements every time a four or a six is hit (surely, Michael Jackson’s career could see a new lease of life). That is what conjures up this alluring meal that is being dished out to cricket lovers across the globe. And the sweet dish – well, when the actual match seems better than highlights, who needs a sweet dish?

I will not reflect upon the inaugural match between South Africa & West Indies yesterday, but for mentioning the fact that Chris Gayle became the first cricketer to hit a century in this form of the game, at a scoring average of 200%+. I am sure that this is only the beginning, and we will see many more in times to come. When a team scores more than 200 runs in 20 overs and still loses (as is what happened to West Indies yesterday), you know it is time to bid a farewell to bowlers. Surely, this species is on the verge of extinction, and the poachers are the world’s cricket governing body and spectators who bring in the moolah.

When people love to see a bowler being taken to the cleaners by a batsman and cheer every four & six, you know that this format is about the skill of tactful & hard hitting batsmen who send the fielders for a leather hunt (both inside & outside the stadium). When somebody like Shaun Pollock goes for over 50 runs in 4 overs, you seriously wonder why should he be willing to torment himself at this age and after such glorious achievements! An economy rate of 8.00 runs per over seems like dream bowling in a match of this sort. So, why will good bowlers play this game – this will only result in them slowly deciding not to participate in such matches. And make it the sole domain of batsmen who can hit big, batsmen who can-also-bowl and all-rounders only. McGrath would be glad that he retired in good time.

As I watched the run riot at the New Wanderers yesterday, I wanted to spare a moment of pity for the bowlers. And I started thinking about how we can improve this game and make it good for the bowlers too, and ensure that we don’t lose out on seeing them on the field (and not in commentary boxes) in this format. I have come up with 2 basic suggestions that could go a long way in improving things as they exist. I am not talking about fielding rule changes or batting affecting bowling, but about changing some rules regarding bowling only that should see great bowlers still wanting to participate.

Suggestion 1: Like a free hit given to the batsman after every no ball, the bowler should be given a free hit after every wicket. This should mean that the batsman cannot score in any which way on that ball apart from a 4 or a 6. This will make it more lively from both the bowler’s and the batsman’s perspective. The batsmen would try to hit out and could get out. Or, he would try to defend, giving some respite to the bowlers and helping his economy figures. Also, on this free hit ball, the batsman can be declared out for failing to connect with the ball – watch the fireworks if this happens!

Suggestion 2: This one is more radical, and I believe also more potent. Every time a wicket falls, the over should automatically come to an end, and the next over should start. This will ensure that batsmen are more cautious for the first 3 balls and take risks on the last 3 balls of the over, giving a fair chance to the bowler to experiment in the first 3 balls and take wickets.

Not that I have a say in world cricket policy matters, but as a spectator & a lover of this glorious sport, I want to see good bowlers also, and would not refrain from raising my voice against those who want to kill the fine art of bowling. Howzzat!

The State of Indian Sports - are we ready to play a fair game?

As I reflect upon the state of Indian Sports, I would like to base my thoughts on two recent, independent happenings that are surely going to impact sports.

India won the Nehru Gold Cup in Football for the first time yesterday beating Syria 1-0. If I were asked if India would win it, my instant response would have been, “Are you kidding?” But the inevitable happened. If you happened to watch the match (I watched the recording in the night), you would have been left wondering, “Is it really India playing?” The pace of the match was just amazing – I have seen many FIFA World Cup matches, and I must admit I was equally impressed. Then, there was game-play, which I thought was just too wonderful. India regularly had possession of the ball, and it was continually attacking. In fact, we penetrated the goal twice, but the first time Bhaichung Bhutia was clearly off-side and the goal was denied. Syrians, on the other hand, were excellent but unnerved. They played great football, but Indian defence was flawless, and our goal-keeper saved two of the most amazing attempts that I ever saw. Resultantly, Syrians went ballistic and resorted to violent tactics, getting a red card in the process, eventually helping India’s cause. But that is not the reason why India won – they won because they believed in themselves and played like hungry tigers.

The second instance is the formation of the Indian Cricket League. A rebel league, promoted by Subhash Chandra of Zee, that has the BCCI worried like nobody’s business. Worried they should be, because of what an Australian media moghul by the name of Kerry Packer did almost 3½ decades ago when his Channel 9 was denied telecast rights. He gave birth to limited overs cricket, which was played in the night (due to stadia not being made available to him in day-time) and was called pyjama cricket. The fact that this had to be duly recognized pretty soon by the world’s cricket governing body due to its growing popularity, and eventually the cricket world cup was formulated on the same format, tells us that public mood can change things. That BCCI was forced to raise the pay-check for players and tournaments 7-times over to match the ICL payouts shows that they are scared. It also shows that the world’s richest board has huge a purse from huge earnings whose strings it was not opening till now.

Clearly, things are changing for the better. But what is unbecoming in this rivalry is the fact that BCCI has refused to let players contracted by ICL to represent the country. Why should that happen, I ask? After all, shouldn’t the best players represent the country, irrespective of which governing body they are associated with? I think this will happen sooner than later. If Sachin, Dravid, Sourav, Yuvraj, Dhoni, Munaf, Zaheer (and if Kapil Dev was still in his prime) join ICL – will the BCCI send somebody else to the various tournaments organized by ICC? Would (or should) the sports-loving citizens of India tolerate a second-rung team being sent that is sure to lose, only for the sake of commercial & one-upmanship reasons?

There are various instances (like the Nehru Gold Cup victory), which are moments of glory for India, that for selfish reasons remained ‘moments’ and never became the platform for the big leap ahead. Such is the ill-growth of the weed of nepotism in India (that exists not just in sports but in various other fields in India) that we are never able to take off our blinkers to look beyond our brethren as people who should represent the country.

However, if you watched Priyaranjan Das Munshi (our Information & Broadcasting Minister, who incidentally is also the President of the All India Football Federation for almost 2 decades) dance with gay abandon on the borderline immediately after the final whistle was blown yesterday, you would have said national pride (or at least the love of sports) still rules the hearts of our politicians. I must also add that Mr. Munshi has taken the initiative to announce the creation of First Pro National Football League, which will go active from 30th September, 2007. One small step for a man, a giant leap for mankind – that is the impact this is likely to have on Indian Football. Certainly, some people are trying to move the sport in the right direction, but a lot still needs to be done.

If I were the president of BCCI, with all my coffers filled to the brim, I would have immediately announced the formation of a fund for football (and hockey & other sports where the teams need support to practice & perform). After all, any true sportsman would not restrict himself to helping people playing his sport only. The managing authorities of one sport need to be subservient to other sports that need guidance, attention & financial support. And this has to happen for the growth of sport and sportsmen in our nation. But we’re a long way away from there. In fact, we’re busy in our turf wars over the same sport. If we have to become a mega-power (and I do not see why we can’t – even China went through an equally bad sporting phase some 2 decades ago, which forced the government to ban themselves from participating internationally in any sport till they produced good talent; and look at what they’ve emerged as due to their focused approach), we have to become like parents who bring up their daughters so lovingly, only to give them away in marriage. That is a thought that our politicians do not seem to understand yet, but things will surely change sooner than later.

We have to become passionate about grooming players who play for our country as a team, leaving behind the dirty politics of regionalism & biased commercial deals in sports that dog this nation. I think the 1½ months that our Football Team (brought together from various states) spent together under Bob Houghton, our Zimbabwean coach, helped in getting them mentally prepared as a team for the big league and go out with an attitude & hunger to win. The same needs to happen in cricket, and the two boards should work together for the sake of Indian glory, rather than for business alone. But unless our politicians & businessmen are driven out of the sport, or play for the country first, this will not happen. We, the people, are the only ones who can make that happen; and I am sure the day is not far off.

Wah Taj!

I remember that when I was a 9-10 year-old in school, we were once asked to draw any one thing that symbolizes India. Some students drew the Indian flag; some etched out the Ashoka Lions; some settled for the map of the country; some sketched peacocks & tigers (our national bird and animal, respectively); while some more artistic ones tried their hand at a portrait of Mahatma Gandhi. I, on the other hand, sketched a simple-to-draw building – Taj Mahal.

The Taj Mahal has always captured my imagination as not just something that is the pride of India, but as something that the world should be proud of. Therefore, it was no surprise for me that the Taj Mahal finally made it to the New 7 Wonders of the World this weekend. Rather, it comes as a greatly satisfying feeling to me to see this architectural marvel find its rightful respect worldwide. If anybody in the world thought that the Taj Mahal needed a vote to become a part of the Magnificent Seven, the only thing I can say to that person is, “well, you need a vote to prove that you exist”.

I do not wish to even get into the historic and cultural background of building the Taj. The sheer magical impact that its mere mention has on lovers is emphatic enough to place it right at the top of any list that is created to honour such monuments. And while such comparisons can tend to be odious, there is nothing more obnoxious than comparing anything else to the Taj. How can anyone commit such an act of blasphemy?

Anybody who has seen the Taj, up close and personal, would more than vouch for this. Who can not be mesmerized by the sheer beauty of this memorial of love? And who, in his/her right senses, would ever put any other place in the world ahead of this as a wonder?

So, for over 1 billion Indians who swear by the beauty of the Taj, this is proof that we’re not alone in this world. But did we need it in the first place? To my heart, we did not. To my mind, we probably did. For this will give just the right boost to tourism into India, and open the floodgates for millions of global visitors queuing up to get their Visas stamped to India to catch a glimpse of this wonder. And that, to me, will not be just Taj’s victory, but India’s victory.

As far as I am concerned, there are 2 kinds of people who exist in this world – those who have seen the Taj, and those who long to see it. Period.

The cup of joy is elusive

India lost to the minnows Bangladesh in their first match. Well, I was disappointed but not distressed. After all, in 1983, India were the minnows who beat the world champions and brought the trophy home. Why did we cheer them then? Because it was us who were victorious, and David had beaten Goliath. But now, when the tables are turned on us (by the way, we're not even the world champions for a good two decades), the entire nation goes into deep depression. And then we go out and burn effigies and destroy houses of the same cricketers who we had made deities.

By the way, this has not happened just because we've been beaten by Bangladesh; the same thing happened in the last world cup when we were beaten by Australia. We've completed the journey of being beaten from A to B; Canada must be smacking its lips right now, and I don't even want to think how long Zimbabwe would have to wait. The journey, it seems, has just begun, and our nation's patience is already running low.

Somebody edify me - why do we behave like manic morons everytime our nation loses in the world cup? And why do we suddenly have equally moronic memory lapses, when the team performs well in the next encounter, and we go back to singing their praises. I guess that in India, cricket has truly become a religion that thrives on the high hopes of its devotees. When the hopes of a billion people are dashed to the ground in an unexpectedly unbelievable fashion, the volcano erupts. And when their hopes are given the wings of victory, they feel blessed by divinity itself.

That is exactly what happened when India beat Bermuda (Omigosh - their name also starts with B; thank God Bangladesh beat them to beating us first) by over 250 runs in their second match. Records tumbled in the match, and it had to be nothing less to appease the wrath of the believers in the Gods. 413 - a record total by any side in a world cup match. 257 - a record margin of victory in all ODIs till date. 18 - the highest number of sixes hit by a side in an inning (though, here India equalled Australia's record). So, the hopes are alive again, and one can again hear the feverish chants of the chaste.

But the task is not complete, and we will not be able to rest even if we defeat Sri Lanka on the 23rd of March. The most anticipated - and most likely to be watched by every single Indian (this would have not drawn even a single viewer or an advertiser till India lost to Bangladesh) - match in group B has suddenly become Bangladesh vs. Bermuda on the 25th. What a twist in the tale! However, I don't think any advertiser is going to touch them till the 24th; because if India loses to Sri Lanka, nobody will watch it. But, if India does keep its hopes alive by winning, the 24th is going to see blood on the dance-floor as every advertiser worth his last penny rushes to buy ad-space. I don't think we'll ever be witness to such an anti-climax in marketing ever, ever again. But such is the joy of cricket.

The cuppa that will cheer India seems nowhere in sight at the moment, and it would need a giant effort if we are to bring it home. The one billion Indians at home are praying hard. Now, it is time for the 11 Indians on the field to play hard.

Aussies' Asinine Arrogance - isn't this bringing disrespect to the game?

Punter and Martin have, to use a cricketing phrase, swung their bats a bit too wildly this time. But will they be given out or even warned, I doubt - given that the umpires (the Australian Board, Cricket Australia, who are going to investigate this incident) are very vocal supporters of all Australians and all their unsporting acts, specially when such acts are against the subcontinental teams - Darrell Hair is a prime example.

I saw the footage over television yesterday. Of how Ricky Ponting "beckoned" Sharad Pawar to hand over the Champions Trophy to him. And how, immediately thereafter, Damien Martin virtually shoved Pawar off the dias, so that the Aussies may be photographed with the trophy. Very rude behaviour and an ugly incident, to say the least, irrespective of whether it was Sharad Pawar or a completely unknown, insignificant person. Though, if one has to go purely by his stature as the BCCI Chief, Central Minister of the Government of India, and a leading, very senior & well-respected politician of the world's largest democracy, and the reverence that he should command for his sheer age, the Aussies have shown great disrespect not just to him, but to all Indians.

Pawar, in his maganimity, has dismissed this as an unnecessary debate, and as an incident which is not noteworthy given the youth of the Australian team and their excitement at winning the trophy for the first time. He has dismissed this as a unintentional mistake, at the most. I am no fan of Pawar's or his ideologies, but I am not willing to let this pass by as an accident. I do feel that these twin acts, even if unintentional, were definitely uncalled for, and extremely disgraceful.

Aussies cannot be pardoned for being so arrogant due to the excitement of winning the trophy. They are, after all, world champions in cricket, have won too many tournaments to count, and are the first team to hold both the World Cup and the Champions Trophy at the same time. This is definitely not their first win, where they can be excused for behaving like kids, though I have yet to see any kids who behave like this on a dias.

As ambassadors of not just the gentleman's game, but of their country, the Aussies should have behaved the way a champion should - gracefully. Obviously, that is a word that they have never come across in their life. It is a norm, if not a basic courtesy, to give respect to the host, specially when the guest has been treated so very nicely while visiting another country. And it is even more necessary when you are in public view of not just the stadium audience, but the entire world watching you over television, to behave in a manner befitting you. But let me give Ponting & Martin the benefit of doubt; maybe they did behave in a manner befitting them perfectly - rogues will be rogues, as they say.

Irrespective of their upbringing and their ethos, I would like to know from Punter, Martin and Cricket Australia how they would feel if the same treatment were meted out by the Indian Team to Hon. John Winston Howard, the Chief Patron of Cricket Australia, and incidentally also their Prime Minister. But which Indian Cricketer will ever give them tit for tat? Maybe, we do have a business case for Sourav Ganguly's presence in the Indian Team.

Saddam's finished, but is it time to rejoice yet?

To be hanged till death. A very dramatic sentence, indeed. Specially for a head of state. But it was coming, wasn't it?

So, Saddam Hussein is finally done in. Any surprises there - none I guess. After Bush had decided that he had to bring the Indisciplined Arab to his knees for defying America, this was bound to happen sooner or later.

When Bush went to the Congress to convince them that the war against Iraq was necessary, he talked about Saddam working day and night at developing Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD). And that America would be under constant threat from the despot, should it not take immediate action to curb the same. The annihilation of the Butcher of Baghdad became the most pressing thought for the mighty President of the USA. Even more important than finding Osama bin Laden, who is singularly responsible for causing more bloodshed & panic in America in a single day than both the World Wars put together.

Why was it so important, one may wonder, to go after Saddam. Because Bush, along with his best ally Musharraf, has been so very unable to even figure out whether OBL is dead or alive (wasn't that the phrase that Bush used before he began carpet-bombing Afghanistan to get the man), forget locate him and bring him to justice. With public confidence in him plummeting by the day, Bush needed a saving grace, and so Saddam became the fall guy.

The fact remains that despite whatever atrocities that Saddam would have done against so many Iraqi denizens, he was nowhere close to developing WMDs. The only WMDs that the American soldiers could locate and destroy in Iraq were the common Women & Men, and the Descendants of Saddam. And they went on a systematic demolition drive of the same, till they finally found the man himself, holed up in an underground bunker, and began his retribution.

So, one despot is done in. So much better for the world, and I can probably eat my dinner more peacefully today. But what about the Big Brother attitude of America in imparting justice? They may go on claiming that the trial and judgment was a fair one, meted out by Iraqi Courts with absolutely no consideration to America's stake in the entire state of affair. But is it really so, or is it most certainly "Justice of the Victor", which for centuries bygone means awarding death penalty to the vanquished? I personally don't think this is a good precedent, and goes on to make the world a better place.

Yes, if Saddam is at fault for mistreating his citizens, he should be punished. But the whole agenda for the war by America was destruction of WMDs. So, what gives US the moral high ground to persecute him in the first place for other sins? And why do US soldiers continue to show complete disrespect for prisoners of war and the common Iraqi citizens? Wouldn't that be a sore wound that the Iraqis will have for years to come, despite having being rid of Saddam? And will they respect America for what it has done for them, or will they and the Arab & the Islamic world become even more suspicious and spiteful of America? I have no answers now, but I do believe that with this deed, America has only ended up alienating the foes, and it does need to do a lot to bring the world together.

Daughters are God's gifts

Today, 14th August 2006, has heralded a new chapter in my life. My wife and I have been blessed with a baby girl. Already the proud parents of a 6-year old boy, this new bundle of joy is an absolute delight, and she completes our family.

What is the difference between being a son's father and a daughter's father? Not much, I must admit. Except that a son is so very exciting, and a daughter is so very precious. Her first lazy glance at my face, as she sleepily opened her eyes for the first time, was enough to swell my heart with joy and pride.

My wife Anshu, who has suffered through very high blood pressure for the past two weeks that really scared us, finally gave birth to our daughter at the Holy Spirit Hospital, Mumbai at 8:59 a.m. About an hour and a half later, the little one was brought to the room - to be with her family. Anshu took some time coming, and was still reeling under the strain and pain of a C-section delivery till late evening. But hey, nobody's complaining; she's given birth to an angel, and a nice and healthy one at that - she weighed 3.63 kilos at birth, which is pretty decent.

If you want to see unblemished joy, you should see the delight on my son's face on becoming the big brother of a superb sister. Guess even he realizes - daughters are God's gifts!

Mumbai Bomb Blasts...The City Refuses To Die

Terrorist… what does it take to become one? Is it the cause (like fight for one’s land – right or wrong is debatable) that one believes in? Is it the religious fanaticism (irrespective of it being Islamic, Sikh or Hindu) that pushes one beyond all lines of control? Or, is it the urge to scare the wits out of your enemies and make them cower & bend down in front of your supreme, naked power (as some countries of the world are used to demonstrating)? I guess it can be either, but mostly is a mix of all three, apart from many other things added to make a heady cocktail of anger, passion, spite, etc. that turns a man into a monster.

The cause for a land may be just – as was at the time that Bhagat Singh & his fellow-freedom-fighters decided to bomb the assembly in 1930s. That they did not intend to kill is another story – they intended to scare the British and bring public notice to their cause through newspapers writing about this act. Not much different from what the Lashkar-e-Taiba is busy doing today, except that Bhagat Singh’s fight was against another nation occupying ours by force, and this cannot be termed terrorism. Same is not the case with Kashmir, even though the terrorists may draw parallels here. The debate, though, will continue forever, as one man’s murderer is another man’s martyr.

The cause for religion may also be just – should a particular religion be at risk, as the Jews were during World War II. But does Islam really have to fear? They are, after all, now the largest religion in the world. And do Hindu fanatics have to retort every time like devils whenever a Godhra happens – is our religion at risk in India? With 80% of India’s 100 crore+ population being Hindus, not yet, I may say. Christianity appears tolerant today, but the world knows how their missionaries spread their religion by the sword for centuries. No; religion can never be the right excuse to kill millions.

The cause for crushing an enemy may also be just – but should it be left to armies to fight it out or should innocent civilians be subjected to whims of nations? And is the bombing of citizens of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, howsoever noble it may have been to end the WW II, an act of war or an act of terror? Are Israel and Palestine right in what they are doing to each other’s denizens for decades? And is Pakistan right in being a sponsor of terror across our border? No, it is not – as no nation can ever be. Simple rule – even if your neighbour beats you black or blue, and then also grabs your house, you just cannot kill his wife or brothers or children to get it back, can you?

Terrorism, in all forms, is nothing but the wild expression of frustrated feelings of a set of humans (can we still call them that, or is ‘creatures’ a more appropriate word), who have their own agenda that is completely different from the world. And the only way they can make themselves heard or noticed, and remain powerful & dreaded (though they would like to call it ‘respected’), is by making a song and dance of it every time they can. The song of suffering and the dance of death.

This brings me to Mumbai, which was once again hit by terrorists yesterday. 7 blasts – inside of half an hour – in the railway network that carries teeming millions – at peak hour traffic – designed to deliver maximum impact – and to bring the city down to its knees – worked like clockwork. To my memory, only 9/11 NY, and 12/03/93 Mumbai were more horrific. The sheer panic that I saw on the faces of people yesterday was more horrifying than whatever I have ever witnessed.

What I saw was people running for their lives like I have never seen before. Office-going ladies crying like lost schoolgirls on the roadside, men in their 30s and 40s looking zombie-scared and clinging onto whatever transport they could get a hold of, old men & women pleading with everyone who would care to listen to help them reach their homes – the memories of the so many terrified faces I saw while trying to get back home yesterday will haunt me for a long time to come.

What I also saw were a lot of good Samaritans trying everything they could to help out – they were very, very few, but they were there – handing out water, biscuits, stopping private vehicles and requesting them to take some passengers with them. The city had suffered a great blow, but the city is resilient and was trying to stay alive & kicking. Today, at least for now, it has got back to its feet. And while the impact of yesterday’s terrorist attack on it is huge and loss of life suffered incomparable, the normal citizen on the road is ready to show the terrorists that they have largely been unsuccessful in trying to disrupt life. Makes me say, “Salaam Mumbai!”.