Ok – if you started to think of this as another blog on the Indian Premier League, I’ve got you stumped! By IPL, I meant Indian Political League this time!  But to give you and the way you think some credit, let me be fair – I will have some references to the cricket IPL as well, so it wasn’t as bad in the end eh!

I’ve had a lot of fun watching both these leagues unfold over the last few months. If the ride up to these events was fun, the actual events and the end result was very heartening to see indeed. Here is my take on five big lessons learnt from these leagues:

1. Planning & execution is the key to success:

The Congress pulled off a few rabbits off their hat. Sweeping the polls in states that have never been their bastion, the Congress clearly showed that planning and executing well is the key to success. The cricket league had something pretty similar to showcase too. Teams ranked 7 and 8 in the inaugural edition of the IPL played the finals and it was ironic enough that the tables turned and turned literally. The team that finished last a year ago was the winner. Gilly, the man behind this turn around has in interviews revealed the secret of this turn around – Some good planning, learning from mistakes and some smart execution.

2. There’s no place for “Left” overs:

The Left, a major opponent of development was ousted. In what I believe is a fitting message for them to change and embrace development, the Indian electorate showed that we want to move on. In subsequent interviews, the leaders of the Left, snorting under the message they received said that their party was out of touch with the ground reality! WOW! Did it need Einstein to figure this out?

Wasn’t Somnath Chatterjee saying the same thing a while ago? The story wasn’t different in the cricket league  either – Ganguly, the Lord who can’t field, run or bat was a poor shadow of himself. Being a passenger on the slow moving good train that was KKR, he for sure played his last ever game. Should I say I was fortunate enough to see him play his last? . Laxman, the rock star of test cricket and a spectator in T20 was asked to go home mid-way with the champion side. He was rusty to say the best and played his part “motivating” the team on the benches for a large part of the second half!

3. Charge of the “Youth” brigade:

While old is not necessarily out, youth for sure is in. From Rahul Gandhi to all those young chaps who’ve become members of Parliament, this is a new beginning. There’s for a moment no discounting the old hands here – but the guy’s who actually made it through are the finest and probably the fittest. While I’d love to believe that it’s the case always, there are a few exceptions too right?

How else can you explain an 81 year old with prime ministerial aspirations running the race and winning too? The sane can be said if a former Finance minister who won by the skin of his teeth – there’s a sect of people that believe he didn’t but, is controversy ever away from Indian politics? With the cricket, the Suresh Raina’s and the Rohit Sharma’s continue to impress driving home the fact that Indian cricket is in safe hands. If that wasn’t enough, the emergence of Kamran Khan and Manish Pandey is more testimony to this fact. Welcome to the future – the big turn is just around the corner

4. Failure is an orphan:

From being the toast of Indian cricket ( I still believe he is), MSD wasn’t a part of the dream team that the Chairman of selectors put together. At the expense of stating the obvious, I find it ridiculous that a semi final loss actually had such a steep fall for poor MS. Don’t worry MS – you hold all the keys with your young guns – this is a freaking domestic league at the end of it. Don’t let these distractions take anything away from you.. we need you and nee you in full flow for the other big things coming up. These spineless souls will soon be singing your praises! On the political side, the queen makers if you will, had such a fall. From being courted, wined and dined, they were all dropped like hot potatoes (don’t tell me they look like one now please!) from the moment the lead results started to come out. So much for loyalties and alliances eh!

5. Don’t burn bridges, especially by wagging your tongue:

The cake goes to out former Railway minister. After having a good 5 yrs at the helm, he fell apart with the leadership and went on record to say that the Congress will not win more than 3 seats in Bihar. He didn’t stop there, going on to criticize Sonia and the party that he has been associated with for a good 5 yrs. Guess what happened? Our friend won just 3 seats instead and had to eat humble pie – but to his credit, he came out and said he made a mistake! He went to Delhi with his tail between his legs saying I will provide my unconditional support! What does 3 mean when someone already has 300+ mate? What happened on the cricket?

The war of words on the proposed multi captain theory had its share of fallouts – While people love to talk and comment, this war broke an already divided house into pieces of garlic bread that everyone was content to just eat! From being the butt of all jokes to finishing last on the table, they saw it all. The extent of the damage that these talk have done is still being estimated ( hopefully, Fake IPL players predictions on changes to this team will seal it). The piece I loved the most was a commentator on TV saying, forget winning here – I understand… but look at the fair play awards list, KKR are last here too!! I can tell you one thing for a fact – this commentator has no role to play in any future KKR team. Will he want to is a different question though!

With these leagues over, I realize that my evenings are never going to be the same again. TV shows will be back in vogue – but what the hell, the cricket is just around the corner you see!

Image Credit: Tom@HK

Popularity: 36%

Sports is something that I’ve always had a fancy to. Growing up as a kid, I would play badminton with my grandpa and try pinching a point or two when he wasn’t paying too much attention, flick off the board a couple of coins in a game of carom or chess, all to win. My grandpa used to ignore this at that moment, catch me up aside after the game and coach me on the importance of accepting defeat graciously.  Those lessons that I learnt have stuck with me for a long time. I’m more than sure that this story of mine is not something which is unique to me. We’ve all had our moments when we are desperate to win and are willing to play outside the rules, knowingly or unknowingly. The key here though is to pick up the right from the wrong and learn. Our upbringings haven’t been all that different in the end – have they?

The desire to win is a global phenomenon. Clubs pay ten of thousands of dollars and pounds to hire the best talent, countries go around the world looking for a coach and the best certainly get the best financial deals. Fair enough, I won’t complain. That said, there are times when the best of the brains and the players that you bought don’t give you the desired results. It’s bound to happen and that’s a part of any sport. If there was everything that money could buy, then the world won’t be what it is today right?

It pains me when we pay all the money in the world in attempting to do this and let people abuse us in the bargain. The IPL is cricket’s biggest extravaganza. The ICC would be upset with me if I said that the IPL was bigger than the world cup – but in a lot of ways, it is. Look the money on display and I am sure you won’t have a second thought!

The Kolkata Knight Riders have had a pretty dark IPL2. Seems that someone blew the lights out of their day. With supposedly the best brains in the world and some real good talent to boot, they have had dark nights and nothing else. I honestly dislike that team – both the owners and some key role players (coach and former captain included). While I follow the Fake IPL players disclosures with a lot of interest, I care a rat’s ass to read any other article about their team. Being the cricket crazy fan that I am, I’ve gone and seen the websites of each of the IPL team except theirs. It doesn’t stop there – I switch channels when Nokia or Sprite advertises during the commercial breaks! So much for some dislike eh!

That said, a report on racial abuse in the same team was doing rounds a couple of days ago. For a change, I paused to read that report. The note struck a chord with me instantly as this is something I had read about in a blog. The article also referenced the fact that you don’t need an outsider to validate this and how rampant this was.

Despite all my dislike, my heart goes out to those boys here – seriously! Racial abuse in any form is just not done. It was the same bunch of Aussies that acted like the world fell on them when they claimed that Bhajji said something when the poor sardar swore at them in Hindi. If they felt so strongly about discrimination, you can’t treat people in a manner that you don’t like to be treated in – more so considering that you are an Indian owned team playing for an Indian league. Absolutely not acceptable Bukka! As a coach, you own your coterie and their behavior, and to all those boys out there, you are only playing for pride now! If winning a game gives you pride, doesn’t the need to treat you with respect give you pride too? You may be at the back of beyond, but that’s a part of sport – don’t let some silly fools disrespect you at any cost.

Speak up. There’s nothing more important than your self respect. Stop playing cricket guys, it’s a lost cause anyways and you need to put your feet down firmly to end this crap. Dildo, you patched up something first up? Any self respecting Indian won’t and that makes me wonder where is yours?

Image Credit: KKR, Wikimedia

Popularity: 37%

It’s been a long time since Kerala produced a good cricketer.

I used to live pretty close to the border in Tamilnadu when the first ever selection to the national team from Kerala happened – a bloke called Tinu Yohanan, a pace bowler was picked for the national squad. I recall the amount of celebration that this news created in the local community that I lived in ( there was a huge migrant population from there and we all used to watch the cricket on a large screen on our club then). Every other person I bumped into had that name on his lip and was so proud that someone from there made the cut!

Fast forward time and Sreesanth probably became the second to make the cut (I am sincerely hoping that I didn’t miss anyone else). I moved away to live in Bangalore, but am sure that the community back in where I lived would have erupted in joy again. The joy this time, much more long lived than Tinu’s.

To his credit, he’s a bowler who is very passionate about his game. With a belief that he is the best and a fierce desire to compete and win, he gives it his all on the cricket field. Reading interviews that most cricketers give, it is very difficult to spot someone who is not passionate about the sport. Bhajji’s spoken about this time and again, Sachin is a living example to passion for the sport.

If this is the scene locally, the international players are no different. The Aussies love their cricket and hate losing, the Kiwis are fighters and so too are the South Africans. The neighboring Lankans are no different and at the expense of loathing Pakistan and wishing they weren’t our neighbors, they love their sport too.

In a sport filled with passion, one is certainly bound to see a few characters. Top of my mind come the Aussie, Greg Matthews (the spinner who used to wear a cap and bowl spin, he played the famous tied test), Pakistan’s Abdul Quadir and Javed Miandad. If these were characters on the field, there are a ton of off field ones too. From Andrew Symonds to Shane Warne, the list is endless. I am sure there is one for every character between B & R. Fair enough – in sport you will find them and cricket is no different!

The IPL’s been witness to an Indian character who’s been in the news for all the wrong reasons. Being laid off for an injury, someone comes into bowl and gets caught in this hurricane called Mathew Hayden who seems to be whacking everything in his sight out of the park. After being hit for 24 runs in an over – 4,6,4,2,4, 4, any bowler in his senses would have walked away with his tail tucked between his legs. It’s not my day and these things happen in sport are the way they would be thinking. It’s happened to the greatest of bowlers, Shane Warne included and they have always said that.

Our friend walks across and abuses the batsmen without a second thought. The man he is attempting to abuse is twice his size and in form that no money can stop. This isn’t the first time he’s run into an altercation with him – there’s legacy and we know it all. If this is a here and now thing that comes out of pride, one can certainly understand. This was just needless and absolutely stupid, and for people following him, a repetitive disease! How else can you explain someone sledging Sachin Tendulkar (the god of Indian cricket) in India? Sachin apparently told him “Don’t ever get this close to me ever!”. Slap gate, when he got on Bhajji’s nerve and got slapped does not seem to have thought him a lesson either.

Listen dude, you are not the sharpest tool in the toolkit to be doing what you are doing. Playing a few tests, taking a world cup winning catch and getting a few ODI wickets is all good – but the path to the summit is a long way away. It’s an arduous one that needs a lot more heavy lifting. Merely dressing like a tiger and acting like one won’t get you there. You are making a fool of yourself and being called Appam C*%$&%. The first name will fade away and the last name will just stick on should you continue your on-field antics. I still believe it’s not late to out up your best behavior. It’s in your hands to change the Appam C*%$&% to Appam Champion! What do you want to do mate?

Image Credit: Srini G

Popularity: 43%

I must admit to being embarrassingly biased about a lot of things, more so when it concerns my cricketing heroes. I grew up watching the likes of Pataudi, Gavaskar, Bedi, Srikanth, Kapil and later on Dravid, Ganguli, Laxman, Tendulkar etc., lording it over like mighty colossuses straddling various cricket fields. When someone like Dhoni or Yuvraj vie for space with these greats, I view it as a personal affront. As if to rub salt on my wounds, Nars in a recent India Special piece admonished our Dada of Calcutta for suggesting that the present cricket team may not be the best ever.

I want to yell at Nars and the millions of swooning fans of M.S Dhoni & Co., that this team is lucky to be facing opponents who are nowhere as menacing and bloodthirsty as those towering cricketing legends of earlier eras. That some of our cricketers of the past matched those legends and licked them at times, is stuff of cricketing folklore. I can conjure more arguments against these young pretenders, but the flow is interrupted by…..

Do I hear an incessantly chattering brat inside me, chastising me for those uncharitable words about Dhoni and his boys?

The brat is telling me unpalatable things like I am too dumb to see greatness in the present and can comprehend it only once it is history – in the comfort of hindsight. I retort that I write in India Special and therefore can’t be all that dumb, but the brat just shrugs and persists with its demand to give Dhony & Co., their due. Forced into a corner, I get ready to bat for Dhoni’s boys.

So, what is it that makes this team win nine games in a row and pummel opponents of all hues – the blacks, whites, browns and everything in between – very convincingly and at times very humiliatingly? They have even beaten the New Zealanders after 33 years.

Is it because Dhoni is so very positive and confident? Or, is it because he has got an enthusiastic bunch that does not have the burden of reputation or experience to defend? Then I think of our coach Gary Kirsten with his unobtrusive and understanding ways propelling the youngsters to higher levels of performance. May be the reason could even be Krishnamachari Srikanth, that cocky, confident chief selector who keeps infusing fresh blood and pushes the youngsters to play hard and hit the balls out of shape?

About two weeks back, Kevin Peterson attributed the phenomenal rise of Indian cricket to the emergence of T-20. He said Indian cricket went through the roof after T-20. It made every player realize that when it comes to the crunch, they could rise to the occasion and send the ball out of the stadium whether it is a T-20 or a one day game or a test match. Out of this shortest version of the game emerged the giants lying buried in most of the cricketers.T-20 was a huge paradigm shift in cricket.

Rahul Dravid has been my hero above everyone else. He gave everything to win and he never played for himself. I desperately wanted him to win as a captain and remain at the pinnacle of success. That did not unfortunately happen and his captaincy record is nothing to write home about. I ponder at the huge injustice done to this great sportsman and legend by God’s funny system of justice.

Then came Dhoni, with that careless swagger and don’t-care-attitude, captaining a bunch of upstart youngsters full of raw energy and enthusiasm. He seemed to be having great fun on the field along with the rest of the gang. He started winning games and imperceptibly his boys slithered into the winning habit.

I ponder at the contrasting ways of these two captains. Dravid was desperate to win and his visage on the field was one of anxiety, determination and intensity. Dhoni on the other hand is as cool as a cucumber and his demeanor betrays not a trace of fear. He is full of the joie-de-vivre and excitement of life. He seems to be just playing a game. I marvel at the profound wisdom ingrained in the words of my teacher

When you are desperate about something, it will almost certainly be delayed though not denied.

Why write about cricket and games, when I am faced with the reality of running a business through chaotic times? The economic melt down has caused a bloodbath in my company and am bruised all over from the cuts and thrusts of maneuvering through these rocky terrains.

I realize the old world order is giving way to a new, uncertain reality and the rules of the game have changed. I have to find the resources within to play a T-20 game and thrive in these times of turmoil. And I have to learn to play hard and find the giant within. There are some parts of the game which are not in my hands. At times I may be bowled or caught and may have to take the lonely trudge back to the pavilion. But I will play the game joyfully with carefree abandon and will return to play many more innings. I am playing to win!

Image Credit: Vighi

Popularity: 13%

Pakistan has been passing through chaotic times for quite some time. It was forced to cede some power to the Taliban and promulgated Shariat law in SWAT region. And a few days later, innocent Sri Lankan cricket players barely escaped being massacred in Lahore. The Times of India front page article of 11^th March suggests that Taliban is knocking at the door of Peshawar.

It is very intriguing that Pakistan which was created for people of Islam to live in peace has had a tumultuous history of chaos and terror right from its inception. It is estimated that in a population of 160 million there are 40 million firearms and 4 million drug users.

On the other hand, India which is a melting pot of all religions under the sun, basks in peace and brotherhood, relatively speaking.

Why is Pakistan which was founded on the basis of one religion, as a refuge for Muslims, going through such bleeding and pain?

Jinnah wanted all religions to flourish in his country. However, a few months after his death, vested political interests implemented their own agenda. The Basic Principle of the Constitution (Objective Resolution 1949) adopted in 1952 stated that the Quran and Sunnah were to be the sources of all laws in Pakistan, that it would be an Islamic Republic and only a Muslim could be the Head of state.

The Soviet intervention in Afghanistan in 1979 was a god sent opportunity for President Zia and the US for different reasons. The US wanted to create a Vietnam for the Soviets in Afghanistan. Zia seized the opportunity to further the cause of Islam and fight against the communist infidels. With the Inter-Services Intelligence Agency (ISI) as its active collaborator, the CIA equipped the Afghan dissidents known as Mujahideen with billions of dollars of cash, weapons and explosives.

Meanwhile, thousands of young Madrassa students, known as the Taliban (Students), were recruited from Afghan refugee camps, brainwashed in Pakistani madrassas, trained and equipped by the ISI and were sent to Kabul.

These students are also sent to Kashmir or other parts of India to spread the Jihad. Some of them are now turning against their own government as suicide bombers or assassins.

On the social front, the government in NWFP in 2002 adopted the agenda of the Talibans and banned co-education, movies and videos, put women inside Burqa, and doled out harsh Islamic justice to the poor.

Meanwhile, the Pakistani ruling establishment and the military have become myopic, failing to see the wanton destruction of the country from within. Instead, they try feverishly to catch up with India in their army, air force and navy strength.

The fast moving and frightening events in our neighboring country offer very powerful insights and lessons for all of us and our country.

The Pakistanis and the Americans are now discovering to their horror that the Frankenstein they created in Pakistan and Afghanistan is now coming to haunt them. May be, poetic justice is catching up.

Minorities in a nation contribute tremendously to the internal gelling, enrichment and understanding among citizens. M.J Akbar wrote in his Sunday “Siege Within” column in the Times of India,

“A minority is the yeast that enables the national flour to rise.”

Flourishing nations in different parts of the world resonate with this truth.

The events in Pakistan should serve as a huge warning to all us to be weary of those who seek votes or divide people along religion lines. They have demonstrated time and again that such elements wreck the unity and peace in the country and their extremism has spawned many a terrorist.

The vision of founding fathers and leaders makes enormous difference to the destinies of nations. Vision based on human potential, aspirations and endeavor, goes to create prosperous nations while those based on past fears and limitations pave the way for failed states. We in India are lucky that we had visionaries like Gandhi and Nehru who only saw harmony in myriad cultures, religions and languages co-existing together.

In another article which appeared in the Times of India on March 8, M.J Akbar writes,

Every Indian Muslim should offer a special, public prayer of thanks to the Almighty Allah for His extraordinary benevolence – for the mercy He had shown by preventing us from ending up in Pakistan in 1947.

May our national flour continue to rise and rise.

Image credit: Meanest Indian

Popularity: 17%

Indian cricket is on a high these days and the man responsible for this is none other than Saurav Ganguly. Handed the mantle to lead and transform the team into a group of world beaters, Ganguly went about this with nonchalant ease. He went in search of talent to shores beyond the traditional, he embraced the “no fear” motto and made sure that it rubbed off on everyone in the team and he got about a whole new dimension to the meaning of the word “aggression”. If the Men In Blue can match a team word for word when it comes to sledging, it is surely something that Saurav must claim a lot of credit for.

Being the fiery personality that he is, he’s had his share of ups and downs. From being controversies’          favorite child to a man with the steeliest resolve, he has proved time and again that he is no push over and can fit into any team purely on merit anyday.

Why are we talking about Ganguly in March when he walked into the sunset a while ago?

Ganguly commented on the current team saying he didn’t agree that this was the best ever Indian team to have played. It’s perfectly OK for someone to share their point of view, but coming from someone like him who is a sort of a demigod, it’s hard to understand the rationale. I have been following cricket for a long time. If my memory serves me right, I can’t think of hay days in Indian cricket beyond the 1983-1985 timeframe when a team won everything in sight and most importantly, across geographies.

If Dada feels his days at the helm were the best, they sure were, albeit the level of consistency and the energy and positive attitude surrounding the team today. Even in the days that we thought we won most, I’ve never heard a single player come out and talk about team spirit and how everyone backs for each other. For someone as revered and respected as Sachin to come out and say this is the best team ever, it speaks volumes! Sachin is a cricketer par excellence. His word is as good as a word from God and we saw that during the Bhajji controversy.

To me, this act of Saurav is a fall from grace. This is incidentally not the first time that he is doing this.

Just after he retired, he commented on Dhoni and his hairstyle. He backtracked in a couple of days, but the scars sure remain. To me, if someone who knows about the game says this team is not the best to have played the game ever, I think it is a joke!

Look at what these young boys have done.. they won the first ever world T20, went to the toughest place to play cricket ever and won – Australia, played in a few places around the sub-continent and won, and beating sub continental teams at home is harder than beating Australia and then called teams like England home and made them eat humble pie. They are sitting on the verge of making history in New Zealand (and I am hoping I am not speaking too soon).

Never has a team played with so much confidence and won everything in its sight. That said, there may be a time in future when someone team plays better than this crop. While I will be the happiest Indian cricket fan and certainly not alone then, I think anyone trying to say this team is not good enough to be the best is making a fool of themselves!

Come on Dada – stop your fall from grace by commenting needlessly and focus on your preparation for the IPL. I understand you played an active role in selecting the cheer babes.

I hope your cricket will entertain us as much in April as do your picks!

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Popularity: 14%

The recent 2 match 20-20 internationals between India and New Zealand were a “huge” let down for the cricket crazy Indian fans. Being so used to winning for a long time, the crash landing 2-0 score line had a lot of folks feeling bitter. The old habit of pulling out the daggers when the team does badly did certainly show up and the good old media at it again saying has India lost the plot. Add to this that a section of the media were asking a question saying was it the new uniforms!

What I fail to understand is the fact that that this was no big deal for most of us. These are T20 matches and true to their name, they are really 20-20. A result can go anyway and all that needs to happen to change the course of a game is 6 balls – A batsman can play out of his skin or a bowler can do the same and bingo, the game swings! The connoisseurs of cricket even fail to recognize that T20 is cricket!  To get into a difficult country where the pitches are fast, winds and wind chills have a huge impact and especially to play a game with literally no practice matches in hard.  People lose perspective to the challenges that the boys face when they travel around the world and expect them to perform at the same level always.

I happened to be travelling and caught both the T20 matches on blackberry – What surprised me was the kind of viewer comments that accompanied each defeat. I read all kinds of crap, the saddest being someone questioning Irfan Pathan’s commitment to the country when he bowled the last over and we lost the second ODI. Wasn’t it the same bloke who played out of his skin to win you a match that you had lost for God’s sake in Sri Lanka ? How can memories be so short lived??

I’m so glad the boys turned things around today to go 1 up on the ODI series. They did this with élan and showed that they are truly the team that is on the path to becoming the world’s numero uno. A few defeats here and there are bound to happen and one needs to be patient. This is a good team, not a god team that can win all the time. Winning and losing are part of the game and we must learn to accept defeat with grace. Pulling out daggers and knives is not a solution to an odd loss on the way. The path to greatness is never a bed of roses alone!

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Popularity: 13%

There was a furore in January when the Indian cricket team refused to tour Pakistan for a much awaited cricket series, citing security reasons. While the Indians thought it was absolutely rationale, the Pakistanis didn’t think so.

Their cricketing greats came out in strong opposition of the move saying that this was a black day for cricket. Their former captain turned politician, Imran Khan was the loudest of them all criticizing India and saying that sports was beyond politics and hatred and that India backing out was bad for the game.

He was joined by his erstwhile opening partner, Wasim Akram who too was surprisingly critical of India’s decision. Wasim’s reaction was a bit of a surprise for me as he always comes across as a logical person. The fact that he has logic is manifested in the fact that he is invited to comment on the game across the world. As they started off this India bashing, several other Pakistani players joined in.

I am a patriotic citizen and I completely understand how it feels when someone talks ill of your country. That said, one needs to apply logic to rationalize what is said before you react to criticism. The cricketing greats of our neighboring country didn’t and went out lashing with their loose tongue. In less than 60 days from their claim that their country was safe for cricketers has come back to slash mud on their faces.

A 26/11 style terrorist attack was unleashed on the Sri Lankan team that went to tour Pakistan as a replacement for India.  6 of them have been injured and are in hospital. The tour has been called off.

It’s a known secret that Pakistan is an epicenter of terror around the world. The fact that the Taliban has their government by their b***s and beat them into humble submission to their demand is evidence enough. What’s equally puzzling is the fact that the crickets who spoke so strongly against India’s decision have their residences in the heart of central London and don’t live themselves in their country that they speak so highly of!

While my heart goes out to the Sri Lankan players, I pray and hope that they recover soon. As for Pakistan cricket, this is their Black Day, a day that no cricket playing country will forget. As far as I can see it, the international cricket stadiums can now be converted into play grounds for kids as no team will ever step in to that country to play cricket ever! A decision on whether to convert them into play grounds or training fields will be taken by the Taliban I am sure!

While they say hind sight in 20-20, I am so thankful and glad that our cricketers chose not to go. Thank god for small mercies. Should this have happened to Indian cricketers who are larger than life here, there would have been another war! The result though, very different!

Image Credit: Prakhar

Popularity: 17%

Until about a couple of weeks ago, Stanford (to most people across the world) was synonymous for purely academic reasons. The prestigious educational institution in California took in proud students and churned out distinguished alumni, for they occupy an arguably equal level in the esteemed echelons of the industry as say the Harvard graduates.

The law of averages, or karma (however one wishes to look at it), had to strike back at the Stanford name – it was too long for it to go on without an untarnished image! The Harvard had its fair share of recent criticism if the news coverage of the background and education that the instigators of the biggest financial turmoils in recent times had, was anything to go by. Now it was the other hand’s turn to face the music – ladies and gentlemen, enter RA Stanford.

What took most people by surprise was the quarters the name’s sacrilege came from. A relatively less well known state side until recently, Robert Allen Stanford came into spotlight more or less in the same fashion of his entry into the Mecca of world cricket – Lord’s stadium in England – amidst much fanfare, he descended in a helicopter. Much has been written about, and some even criticized it very early on, the England and Wales cricket board’s hand-in-glove extravagance with Stanford but it was all attributed to just a public display of wealth then.

There’s also been more than enough coverage as to what happened on the sidelines of the Stanford 20/20 game with the WAG’s of English cricket. Last week, the Federal Bureau of Investigation charge sheeted Stanford after a movie-like chase across the continent with reports that his attempt to flee the country on a private jet failed miserably for his accounts had been frozen the previous day. I am not about to draw conclusions as to whether RA Stanford is a sinner or a saint – there’s many paid folks whose day job it is to make that determination.

Where I find this amusing, or even cynical at some levels, is the quick disassociation of the very same people who were seen closely by his side all along. I am sure there must have been some red flags raised last year, especially when the investigating agencies say they’ve been on his trail for 3+ years now trying to gather all the evidence. The pictures of the helicopter arrival in London make a mighty and stark contrast to the long lines outside the Stanford Bank in Antigua this week ensuring the hard earned money isn’t lost.

I wonder whether the same people knew where the $20M 4-hour game was being funded from. The positives from this – another lesson on financial misrepresentations.

On a lighter note, if something sounds too good to be true, it probably is!!

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Popularity: 16%

Will Smith comes on stage to present the award for the best action movies. The Academy awards for best action movie goes to Curious Case of Benjamin Button. Eric Barba, Steve Preeg accepted the award. This one is the third one for The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button. I need to watch this movie now.

The award for Sound Editing goes to The Dark Night and the award is accepted by Richard King.

The award for best Sound Mixing goes to Resul Pookutty for Slumdog Millionaire. Resul says history is being handed to him. How true. We are proud of you, Resul Pookutty. India Special salutes you!

Another one..

The award for best Film Editing goes to Dickens for Slumdog Millionaire. What a night this is turning out to be for India. This is the 6^th award for India.

Slumdog Millionaire has definitely put India on the map. I hope the Indian public wakes up and gives the crew a rousing welcome like they did for the cricketers and Olympians.

Three cheers for Slumdog….Hip Hip Hurray! (3 times)

Am I too excited…I hope there is more!

Popularity: 21%

I would have been around 9 years old when I saw Mohammed Azharuddin for the first time on television. If I remember correctly, it was in the winter of 1984 and England was touring India. The first two matches saw results – both the teams had won a match each in the 5 Test Match Series. India had won the opener in Bombay and England defeated India convincingly at the Ferozshah Kotla Maidan in Delhi.

Golden Debut

Both teams met at the Eden Gardens at Kolkata for the 3rd Test. It was in this match that Azhar made his debut at Eden Gardens when India was down at 126/3. Azharuddin’s debut was as fabulous as one can imagine.

He went on to score three centuries in three consecutive test matches – At Eden Gardens, MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai and Green Park stadium in Kanpur and thus etched his name in the annals of Indian history as the only player to score three centuries on debut. Some would term it as “Golden Debut”

Compare that to his grand entry to the Congress team.

The Andhra CM is battling his political life – With the Satyam scandals giving him nightmares, Asaduddin Owaisi and his All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen turning out to be a roadblock for Muslim votes in Hyderabad and Chandrababu Naidu gaining strength to strength, Congress had to find a savior who would take the baton and move on. With three big threats and a possible loss in the assembly elections looming, Congress sees a savior in Azhar – out to lambast the opponents. Azhar announces his grand entry into politics and yet another Golden Debut.

Will have to wait and watch, this time, if he can prove his critics wrong.

The Foreign Connection

Azhar was always compared to David Gower for his wrist flicks – a shot that he became characterized with, for the rest of his life. The grace and fluidity of his wrist once prompted John Woodcock, a noted cricket writer, to say,

“It’s no use asking an Englishman to bat like Mohammad Azharuddin. For, it would be like expecting a greyhound to win the London Derby!”

And now when he joined Congress, his foreign connection seems to have resurfaced again– No prizes for guessing the foreign connection!

The Moolah Machine

If you are not from a business family, a corporate czar or a black marketer in India, there are only three ways you can make money – Politics, Bollywood or Cricket. With his entry into politics, Azhar seems to be the only one who has hit the jackpot in all the three fields. Will his second innings prove to be as pocket heavy as in the first ? Only time will tell.

When Chips Are Down

Azhar has this uncanny knack of picking up things when the chips are down. Take his entry into cricket – it was when India needed support in the middle order and in walks Azhar who along with Ravi Shastri would hold the turf for years to come. And who would forget Azhar’s entry when Sangeeta lost her love interest in Salman. And now Congress!

One thing for sure – There is no denying the fact that he is talented and that fans still love him. We want him to succeed and may be he will. Hopefully he does so, doing the right thing, fighting for the right cause..and winning many hearts ….unlike his previous innings!

Image Credit: Prakhar

Popularity: 19%

One news that caught my attention a few days back was about Shilpa Shetty.

Shilpa Shetty and her boyfriend Raj Kundra bought a 11% stake in Rajasthan Royals for an estimated sum of Rs.83 crores. Wow! What an astonishing figure to pay for a 12% stake in a Cricket Club!

It is not the amount that is bothering me, what bothers me is the “Me Too” tendency amongst the glamour dolls of Indian Film Industry as if there is no other business in the world.

Look at what happened – When IPL started there were just four or five celebrities raring to take the risk. Shahrukh Khan and Juhi Chawla of Red Chillies Entertainment became the lead promoters in Kolkata Knight Ri ders. Preity Zinta and her boyfriend Ness Wadia bought a significant stake in Kings XI Punjab.

Subsequently Tamil Superstar Vijay and actress Nayantara became the ambassador for Chennai Super Kings while Katrina Kaif and Akshay Kumar became the brand ambassadors of Vijay Mallya’s Royal Challengers and GMR’s Delhi Daredevils respectively. And now we have Shilpa Shetty and her beau.

Not that Indian cricket and Bollywood did not have a connection. They definitely had – Sharmila-Tiger Pataudi, Azhar-Sangeeta Bijlani et al are shining examples. We also had the likes of Sandeep Patil, Mohsin Khan (Pakistan) and in the last few years, speedster Salil Ankola trying their luck at Bollywood and/or Indian Television. This trend seems to be growing north. With the launch of IPL last year, Indian cricket seems to have taken a big leap in bridging the gap.

Is this the right thing to happen to Indian Cricket? I don’t know.

Purists will tell you that the glamour industry could take the steam out of Indian cricketers. What happened with Pataudi, Salil Ankola, Sandip Patil and the dozens who tried their hands at Bollywood or their glamour dolls. Purists will also give you examples of dozens of Premier Leagues in Football, Soccer, Basketball, Tennis etc are not well represented by the glamour industry. Why should Indian cricket be an exception ?

The broadminded ones, like you and me , will tend to believe that glamour and cricket are inseparable, for cricket is a religion in India and Bollywood stars are Gods. Cricket and Bollywood are like husband and wife – one can not live without the other. There can be innumerable analogies that can establish this relationship and as long as we have a thriving population of glamour and cricket fanatics, the euphoria of being in a relationship will continue. It is a never ending debate.

The meat of the matter is that we, Indians, love cricket and we also love Bollywood. And when Bollywood Glamour and Cricket Stars promises to entertain the entire nation together, there is only one person who is the most benefited – The Spectator!

Three cheers for the Indian Spectator.

Ashkalakiri ashkalakiri hooh haah, hooh haah !

Ashkalakiri ashkalakiri hooh haah, hooh haah !

Ashkalakiri ashkalakiri hooh haah, hooh haah !

Image Credit: Vijay Bhandari

Popularity: 19%

The article, “Where the head is held high” drew two interesting comments. One despaired of anything changing for the better in India, while the other radiated hope. It was a repeat of the oft quoted “the glass-is-half-full vs the-glass-is- half-empty” debate between the optimists and pessimists.

More than a year back, I witnessed in a forum what to me was an effusive, unbridled and blind glorification of India and Indians. To counter what was only one part of the story, I went to the mike and spoke about the hundreds of suicides by farmers all over India, particularly in Vidharbha region. Then my teacher, T T Rangarajan, the Founder of Alma Mater spoke while I squirmed in my seat.

Rajan said if anyone felt strongly about the plight of the poor farmers, do something about it rather than just speak about it. And, by being positive, proactive and truly concerned about people, we can stop suicides from happening.

Finally, our minds are like the radio. Whatever frequency we tune into, we attract into our lives.

If we tune into a channel of happiness and abundance, our reality would mirror that frequency. The much acclaimed recent book, “The Secret”, by Rhonda Byrne covers the same ground that Rangarajan has been espousing for several years.

In the Swaminomics column of 25^th January, 2009 in The Times of India, the well known economist, Swaminathan S Anklesaria Aiyar, makes a very bizarre but interesting contention.

“UP is on the verge of economic take-off. I base this prediction on the fact that Uttar Pradesh has reached the Ranji Trophy cricket finals in three of the last four years, winning the trophy in 2005-6. And, believe it or not, there is some association between cricketing and economic clout”.

Perhaps, there is a connection between feeling good and becoming good economically.

I am hopeless at economics and so I can be permitted to ask a few naïve questions about the current world economic mess. Despite several fundamental reasons for the present crisis, what can explain the sudden feeling of scarcity though the wealth available in the world about a year back was pretty much the same as it exists now? Is the disappearance of wealth a conjured perception or a reality? What is the meaning of “market sentiment”, a favorite term of market analysts? Could it be that the present economic paralysis is largely fed by the collective vibrations of fear emanating from people around the world? Perhaps the answer, like what Hamlet says to Horatio is, “There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy.”

Tijn Touber, in a great article – based heavily on quantum theory – titled, “The amazing promises of the Zero Point Field” asserts,

“Dreamers used to be laughed at by people who considered themselves sensible. Now those dreamers have science on their side. Dreams are where reality begins. The future is created by seeing that future, by tuning into it. In principle, anything is possible. The miracle of Jesus and other enlightened thinkers was their ability to see and help shape a better world. They understood: if I want another world, I have to learn to think differently. Or, as Gandhi put it: ‘Be the change you wish to see in the world.”

Speaking about things closer home, India Special is another dream that has been unleashed into the universe and yearning for nurture and tenderness at this stage of infancy. Sudev and his team have a dream and I see them tuning into a great future, consistently. There is a collective responsibility that each of us share. It is to breathe life into this dream by putting ourselves to some slight “inconvenience”, by taking responsibilities – encouraging good initiatives or contributing good articles, commenting or even by the simple gesture of rating an article. We will then see the unfolding of Paulo Coelho’s prophesy, “ When you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it…”

I started with the debate raging around us and within us between forces of pessimism and optimism. My teacher, Rajan’s answer would be to stoke the fires of dissatisfaction within us, and doing something about what makes us dissatisfied, while remaining happy all the time. In short, “being dissatisfied, happily.”

Image Credit: Utpal

Popularity: 20%

In a day and age where we hardly get time to read the papers every morning, I was at work early and started my day with a quick rush through of the morning headlines. A leading Indian website had a screaming headline quoting Obama say “I Screwed up”. Home page, First link and highlighted, I clicked on to read and only in reading realized what the real issue was. The article was written in such a hurried manner with intent to let the world know that Obama said what he said.

I managed to get sometime later in the day and went through print media! Sania Mirza is upset! – that’s what the sports page reads and why? Because a couple of guys went to a movie without taking her!! Give me a break!

It was the same day when India played Sri Lanka for the 3^rd time and Sachin was adjudged leg before. I am not exaggerating here, but in exactly 30 minutes from the time the event had happened, an award winning Indian news cast site with the biggest names in the news business ran an opinion poll on whether India must complain because Sachin was a victim of bad umpiring!

I think the media is certainly missing the trees for the woods here. I firmly believe the role of any media is to make a meaningful impact to society. The reason I say this is because they choose to put the old adage, the pen is mightier than the sword in front of them at all times and hence I’d like to logically assume that their profession comes with responsibility.

If that is the case, why didn’t most media houses choose to dwell on the fact that the world’s most powerful man confessed to making a mistake and did it without much ado? Isn’t this a lesson for most leaders around the world? How many leaders have the guts to go in front of the world and say they made a mistake without batting an eyelid?  Likewise with Sania! While I certainly believe they overdid the victory coverage to make me believe that this is the greatest thing that had happened to Indian sport (while I think this is probably the stepping stone), they chose to ignore the young kid who won a juniors on a world stage! The poor kid came up for review in a corner in fine print! I understand he does not have the glamour that a Sania has, but is that fair to the kid who did what he did?

It’s not over! The cricket story that day had India seal the series in clinical fashion. A series win overseas is a big deal and this probably went to the backstage with the focus on the reviews being how Sachin was penalized. Spare a thought for Yuvi and Sehwag who literally took the Sri Lankans to the cleaners in facilitating that great win!

In a glaring reflection of the state of the media, I pause to wonder how the media can be very selective in what they report and often times pick on trivial events to make the news? Is this the need for eyeballs or one of those fancy 3 word abbreviations that define viewership?

Image Credit: Chrstphre

Popularity: 12%

This is the coach era, period! It all started gaining prominence with sport. Be it soccer, basketball, baseball, cricket – name the sport – the “coach” today has a very high profile and visible role; even seen as the public face of the team or franchise.

John Buchanan, the erstwhile coach of the Australian national cricket team, was a big hit amongst the newer generations for his introduction of technology and out of the box thinking. He brought in practices from rugby to fielding sessions in cricket, he considered getting hitting coaches from baseball to train cricket batsmen in hitting over the top, etc. One of the old school blokes who played in John’s era, Shane Warne, once famously said “Coach is something that gets you from the hotel to the match venue”. He could not have better articulated his disregard for the coach’s influence in the scheme of things.

This week, while covering the English national team’s ongoing visit to the West Indian islands, an outspoken commentator by the name of Geoff Boycott got into the news with his observation that there were more support staff seen out on the field, than players. Unlike a few sports like soccer or the American football where there’s a lot of strategy formulations and alternations in game situations, sports like cricket provide very little powers to the coaches in the midst of a game (if you will, for a moment, forget the Cronje-Woolmer mic experiment episodes!).

It is very common to find analogies between sports and businesses. I, for one, am a big fan of using buzz words from sporting worlds in the corporate life. For, after all, where else could you look for better equivalents to team work, leadership, commitment, bonding, etc than look at sports teams. More importantly, it helps a lot of us sports fanatics connect to some of these situations better. No wonder then, to see management coaches and consultants being the order of the day – be it helping in new strategy formulations, bringing in radical transformation to business strategies, or determining newer synergies for organizations. The list goes on and the clan’s purview seems expanding by the day…

Where I find the freshly “coached” organizations struggling is in the aftermath of the consultants’ or coaches’ study of the organization: i.e. implementing the report’s suggestions (forget the pressure of trying to do some meaningful changes to justify the cost of the fancy report!). The engagement with consulting firms has become a fancy term to the point where the grass roots within the organizations look at these external coaches and consultants cynically. I’ve had strong opinions in the past, on these very lines, until having had a chance personally to work hand-in-glove with some management consultants and coming away with valuable insights.

I think the essence to a successful coach-team or consultant-client relationship is in managing expectations upfront. The likes of Bain & Co., which have made huge reputations in being positive and successful change agents, have succeeded purely because they came in clearly setting expectations and roles on both sides. Coaches or Consultants do not provide magic answers; they don’t wave magic wands! Rather, because they do not the have the vested interests and the associated baggage, they are able to bring in a balanced and objective view to the problem on hand. This is putting it bluntly, but in reality their suggestions (again, not answers) are most likely to be painful transformations to undergo; hence they aren’t thought of beforehand, or kept as the last resort, by organizations themselves.

I am, not for a moment, trying to belittle the role of external consultants or management coaches. I am merely trying to state my positive experiences, and stressing on the mindset one needs to go in, before dialing “C” for a coach!

Image Credit: DB King

Popularity: 10%