Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Let Cricket be Cricket - The Game That It Is...

What’s happening in the cricket arena is a sad episode. The IPL has created such a hullabaloo that this noise pollution will take some time to drown. The game of cricket was lost in all the mess and the dirt, to be more precise, was just popping its head from the dirty mud tank to make its presence be felt as the final of the IPL 3 brought down the curtains for this season.

The IPL blame game was all because of the huge amount of money that was associated with it. So many Bigwigs who are a part of it are now washing their dirty linen clean in the water of the "Political Ganga”. Some are the guardians of power which makes it all the more easy to clean themselves in this tank.

What has so much Glamour to do with Cricket when the game in itself is so glamorous. Cheer girls had been brought in the earlier IPL tournament for whom??? - is something to ponder about. Women in the stadium in short dresses and colourful pom-pom’s in their hands, is not in the interest of the game. The late night parties after an IPL game was all for the interest of the organisers. Happenings at such party-sharty is for a handful of Kha-aas People and more of a fairy tale and distant dream of the Aam Aadmi.

Money, glamour, women, glitz and much more that only the organisers can tell about, which will remain locked in cupboards, is all because of the money that came unaccounted and is tax-free for them. I say tax-free because the top brass in the government never bothered that this could bring in so much “tax-money” to the country’s coffer. After all the common man is always there to pay his/her income tax religiously every year.

This whole IPL controversy can never be a one-man show. But now the partners are trying to save their skin and come out clean as "dhood ka dhoola". It’s become a "Pitch of Ditch". These people will bat and bowl for such time till the whole issue cools down and then foes will become friends again for all are hand in glove in this whole dirty affair.

Cricket is the game that people love to see, why bring politics into it. Let the players be sincere in the field with the bat and the ball and let people clap to their hearts content when their favourite cricket stars perform well in the game. Leave cricket to survive as the Game That It Is.

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

IPL – Loser or Winner

As the days roll on the story of IPL is getting dirtier. The whole IPL saga sings more about dirty money, betting, entertainment, glamour, women, and a Pandora’s Box full of controversies. In all this mess that is doing rounds, the game of Cricket is starting to rot.

Big names are coming up one after another and now it seems that IPL was born and nourished by a handful to make big money. In this entire story the followers of IPL have been fooled as they are the viewers and spectators who is making this whole money making machine work easily.

There is a way that can be worked out to stop this dirty affair of money making come to an end. Once the people stop watching the IPL matches on television, the advertisement world will not pump in their money on a loss project. Another way of blocking the rich getting richer with our money is by not being a spectator in the cricketing field where these matches are played.

Whatever be the outcome of the Damaged IPL, the Cricket Test Matches and The One Day matches will always be close to the hearts of the cricket lovers.

Thursday, April 15, 2010

The Indian Premier League (IPL) and the Fudge

The last time when I wrote about the IPL it was about the combo of cricket and entertainment. Read hereNow the whole IPL thing is getting murky with so many controversies building up.

I feel the whole IPL thing is more about money, power, politics, glamour and less of the game. Some want to make big money out of this. And many players have become gainers monetarily...good for the cricketers.

The game of cricket, which once used to be so gentlemanly, has now become business for some. Is it not time to let the game remain a game and entertain its followers instead of making a mess of it for the vested interest of some?

Don’t hound the game to make personal money and fame out of it? Don’t go to such a level where the whole bubble of the IPL will burst leaving behind only thin air.

I want cricket to be the game I love to see. What do you think?

Monday, April 12, 2010

Is Indian Culture Losing Out with Progress and Development

The other day while shopping at a store in our neighbourhood it made me think about our rich culture. India does have a very rich heritage and culture of its own. But with progress, this is very difficult to define. I mean the word Progress that I’m talking about.

The thought of writing on this topic was all because of what I saw before my eyes. I was there in the store walking down and looking at the different items I wanted for my need. I had the bag in hand and as I handpicked the things I put them in the bag. There were very few people.

One thing that caught my eye on entering was a little girl sitting on the counter with a bottle of water. I thought her to be the child of the person who was doing the billing job but he looked more like a boy just out of his teens. So the child, probably about 3-4 years, couldn’t be his child. Soon a woman’s voice spread around the place saying, “N don’t drink any more water”.

I finished up with my shopping and came to the counter to pay. The child was sitting shaking the bottle of water and the mother making comments from somewhere in the shop. I knew for sure she would drop the bottle on someone. I had to wait as the lady had placed her things for billing and had gone to search for more items she wanted. After waiting at the counter for more than ten minutes my patience started giving way to anger. Just then a lady in shorts came up with a packet and handed it over at the counter where her billing was half done. By this time the cheeky kid with beady eyes and a mischievous smile spilled water on the counter. The man could not tell anything because he was very young or maybe the lady would react...after all such ladies give a bad name to the whole female fraternity.

This lady did not have the least sense in her and went on talking with the child in English while the child was talking in Hindi. Maybe the complex that was in her. After the billing was done she took more time to look into her handbag for her credit card. Later, after paying she took more time to check the list before she could budge. All this time she made the child sit on the counter. Later she left. It hardly took a couple of minutes to get my computerised billing done and after paying I was on my way.

This incident made me think how we are losing our very Own Culture. I think as I was draped in a sari the lady thought me to be an illiterate out-dated woman, no match for her hot pants she wore. In India there are so many languages and if I’m not wrong we all have a mother tongue...a language we speak at home and with the people who belong to our particular states.

What’s the necessity of speaking in English to a child who cannot understand the language except understanding the tone of the mother?

As for showing off credit cards and branded handbags is something many ladies like to.

And for sure I found that she has given birth to this child but her showiness was stumped out by the behaviour of the child.

At home she must be eating the typical Indian food but when these ladies go out to restaurants they prefer Pizzas and Burgers and what not to show off their status.

I am a person who is for advancement and development but not at the cost of losing our culture which is our heritage.

A lady in a sari can be highly educated, doing a good job. If she doesn’t do the Angrezi gitir pitir before the people doesn’t mean she doesn’t know English. She may be soft and docile and may hand over cash at the counter, doesn’t mean she doesn’t have one or many credit cards with her. Her diamond studded ear-rings, finger ring and pendant maybe real diamonds which may seem as false stones to the novice.

Beware, such simplicity can fool anyone but that’s how some are keeping our culture alive before the world. They are proud to be identified with their country.

Thursday, April 8, 2010

Sania-Shoaib-Ayesha Story and The Broken Triangle

It was more of media reporting that kept the Sania, Shoaib and Ayesha story making round for the last few days. The electronic media found more food in reporting this love triangle with people getting more and more interested in knowing about the happenings. The print media was not lagging behind either.

People’s thoughts began to weave a story in their mind, a Bollywood masala in the making. Shoiab, the hero of this whole happening pretended to be so innocent that he came up before the television reporters by fumbling with the name of Ayesha, reflecting his anonymity of not even knowing the name of this girl with whom he was married. Whoever saw him taking the name of Ayesha, saw the fumble in spelling out Ayesha’s name in public, but one could very well read his wary thoughts.

Sania braved the situation cleverly without even a single question being put to her about her recent engagement break-up and soon linking her name with the Pakistani cricketing star. What is in her mind about her future career only Sania knows.

Ayesha was more looked upon as building up a story like one from the fairy tale. Some believed her while others ignored her and thought her coming out in front of the world to speak out about her marriage to Shoaib, more of a cock and bull story.

Having read the news about betting on the Sania-Shoaib marriage, money was in the making for many betters.

As all these talks began to brew in a pot, it took some time for the fire to cool down. At last Shoaib, had to pour a vessel full of cold water on the burning fire. He signed the divorce papers thus breaking up his first marriage with Ayesha. Ayesha’s family was happy at letting the world know that theirs was not a tell-tale story. And in all this Sania’s family has gone behind closed doors not speaking out in public.

Such marriage stories of very popular personalities add more glamour to their life and career. They become more popular maybe at times for wrong reasons. But they do like to be in the news so that people don’t forget them.

Who has won and who has lost only time will tell. Who has earned money and whose pocket has been looted only the concerned persons know.

The triangle has been broken and left with two parallel lines...of marriage between the two who will now live their lives together and run parallel in their different sporting fields.