India:Twenty Eleven: Part one

They say the ‘sun never sets’ in the rainbow nation of South Africa and after having crossed the half way mark of 2011 and after having witnessed so many high profile events, we can say with utmost substantiation that the ‘sun never sets’ in India too. Be it Mahendra Singh dhoni’s gigantic strike that sailed over, to eventually seal the fate of Sri Lankans in the world cup final or be it the Tihar jail which houses the poshest in the country or be it the meteoric rise to fame of a septuagenarian who has literally taken the government for a ride, we have all been treated to action-packed mornings and gossipy evenings.

It wasn’t always like this, wasn’t it. India wasn’t always this country of frenetic activity. There were times when even the Kiwis thronged here for Peace, for stillness. But none can argue the fact that certain things are subject to change; they falter in the test of time. And so India has also moved on or rather been forced to.

The other day, I read a column by ‘Barkha Dutt’ where she mentions ‘Alice in Blunderland’ as India’s current story. Thoughts in spades struck me. India in the last six months has been more or less like a T20 cricket match; no space for a breather. There was non-stop action. Powerplay(er)s in the form of 2G-spectrum heroes, free(bie)hits of politicians, scams resembled the sixes and there were cheer leaders too in the form of Yogic Gurus. The match-referee(Sonia G) and umpire(MMS)  had no say in it. Yes, India sorely missed a  ringmaster in its circus. It missed a leader, a comrade, a guiding light and more importantly a Lok(h)’s Pal. But still India has moved on. As they say whatever happens, the show in the circus must go on.

So, UPA didn’t have the best of its times as the scams after scams were exposed and the guilty were sent behind the bars. The integrity of our netas were questioned and the corrupt were smelling trouble. Ironically, even the opposition failed to capitalize on this as the BJP had Yeddyurappa as its reply to the Kalmadis and the Rajas. And India was very much in doldrums. This was enough for the Gandhian, a real patriot- Anna Hazare to emerge as a superhero for millions in shortest possible time history has seen. He was old but bulk of his fan club were teenagers and campuses. And could you believe the fact that he outscored Katrina Kaif in the number of Google Images search made on him for almost a week!!! Oh, it happens. And it won’t be a surprise if he features in Time’s Most Influential people next year. There was more to come. Baba Ramdev…. Digvijaya Singh……

Let us move on. Politics sucks big time everywhere…

Six months!!! Do you expect nature to remain mum? Absolutely no. The nature had its influence on the people and in what splendid manner-the monsoons. The monsoons came in as a relief. In India, it is normally associated with rejuvenation of life and joy. It just mesmerized everyone. It brought with it magic, moments of madness, romance, longing and more importantly life. When we talk of monsoons, how can we forget the ‘God’s Own Country’ ??? Tourists from across the world flocked to Kerala and south-western part of the country to get a clear picture of monsoons- images of the scenic beaches, of the coconut palms swaying , of dark clouds, of the countryside, of the backwaters. I’m pretty sure that they would have gone back with all these postcard images saying,” Wow!! That was life”. 

            So, does the sun ever set in this country?????

India's cup of joy and pride

     Yes!! It’s the world cup mania-the most riveting and happening spectacle in this cricket-crazy nation. The Gala tournament featuring a fair mix of heavyweights and minnows is  definitely not short of any fun, energy or excitement and the fact that it is being staged in India adds more color and spice to it. And no doubt that it is the most followed world sporting event  in the country, pushing behind the likes of Olympics and FIFA world cup.

      

       So what makes this game so popular in this country? Why is it that it is considered a religion? And why is that the cricketers turn national heroes when they triumph at the world cup stage? Why?

      Always when you are on the right side of a wrong thing(an accident), it just makes you feel excited and prompts you to propel your inclinations towards it. The accident that took place was of course the world cup in 1983. From underdogs to world champions, their success story has already been talked about umpteen number of times. It was this accident that turned the world’s view over India and since then its been kind of a curve. The world cup brings the best out of a team and there is no better feeling  for an Indian cricketer than donning India colors and performing with expectations of millions. Playing in front of their home crowds with the numbers easily exceeding 50000 is what every Indian cricketer dreams of and considers it a once in a life time experience. So one can imagine the sort of excitement and electrifying atmosphere in Eden gardens, Kolkata and that too on the day when India is doing well.

      Interesting thing about Indian cricket is that we tend to smell victory too early, we rate our cricketers highly, we take cricket not just as a game. That is probably why we find it difficult to digest the defeats and hence represent the other end of spectrum by targeting the cricketer’s houses, throwing stones and burning their posters. Year 2007 was the best example showcasing the two extremities of cricket following in India. The early exit from the world cup in the West Indies resulted in widespread anguish and hate from the Indian public but that mood took a drastic U-turn when the  ‘unexpected’ actually happened; from underachievers to world champions in five months. The cricketers once again became the apple of everyone’s eye and were the toast of the entire nation. 

     

      When we talk about Indian cricket and world cups, its not complete without including the  money factor. Lump sum of cash is involved in the management of cricket in the country. Its quite heartening to see the transformation the country has undergone. It is not the old India of sluggishness, dust, beggars and snake charmers. Now it is the power house of world cricket; the BCCI is the richest cricketing governing body in the world. The bulk of the revenues come from here and its big bosses dominate the proceedings in the decision making sessions of the ICC. Yes, its all happening here. Indian cricket has unleashed its power to scales which were undreamt of a couple of decades ago. The huge fan base,  inflow of corporate into the game, broadcasting rights have all contributed to this stature. There have been criticism too with the people lashing on some of the cricketers for their increased Ad appearances and they go on to say that sometimes the number of endorsements he does is perhaps exceeding the number of runs he scores.But that is the bitter reality of cricket in this country.

      Finally imagine the situation when India go on to lift the world cup in front of their home crowds. The people simply go cock-a-hoop, the game’s fame just takes an elevation. and what happens to the cricketers ? Well, they turn national figures, images of worship. A string of lucrative endorsements, high profile alliances, hot bollywood offers, cash awards, the fame…it goes on…..and the finally the cricketers say,” well, its not that bad, isn’t it!!!!” Let us hope this dream comes true.