India in the Western Eye

India in the western eye.

It was a fine Saturday morning stock markets closed and there was practically nothing left for me to do, a stroll through the crowded streets seemed a good idea; a book stall can do wonders when one has got time to spare. That day also worked some wonders although in a different fashion. The Book stall owner with his usual smile brought good news “Sir we have a prepublication offer on a three book series on world nations. The book itself is a good bargain for the discounted prepublication price and to make the offer irresistible on offer is a set of National Geographic CD roms on Forces of Nature and one on Designs. Then there is also a six CD single pack from The Discovery Channel School titled World Geography worth Rs 1245 free with the book.

“How much for the book”? I asked. “ sir, three volumes 2500 pages, as a ‘gold card holder’ (a special privilege offer to regular customers) you get substantial discount extra”. This offer was irresistible to me though I usually avoided such ‘offers’. “A pack of discs worth Rs 4000 free it is too much! What disc is that when good quality CDs available for one tenth of that price”.

“Sir it is a publication by the world renowned Discovery Channel and it covers whole nations of the world, please see the book; you will definitely buy one”

I browsed through the samle book and found it worth the amount; more over the Rs 4000 worth discs were a lure that caught the mind –if it is worth Rs 4000 it must be some real thing!. I ordered the book and the CD packet and returned home happily.When the book and the goodies finally arrived i was quick to browse through the book and to check the cd’s too.

I checked the cd titled Discovery Channel School World Geography’. Was impressed by the opening sentence that read “ Discovery Channel School, a leading provider of quality education resources that help teachers bring the world to their students. It covers all nations region wise. Hence more of less a time of two to 5 minutes was only devoted to each nation.

I browed through the country index and quickly found India. I was shocked to see how ignorant were the team that covered the feature.

Please follow their text ‘India is the second most ‘populist’ country in the world. Though it is hard to get on exact count, scientists estimate that more than one billion people live in it’ They forget or are ignorant of the fact that India’s censes system as recognized by the United Nations is the most efficient in the world. In this aspect they must have been talking about Burma! Please remember that the product is of 2007; a very latest one.

Next ‘Indians are free to work in whatever jobs they want, but that wasn’t always possible from this to the last part the theme centers on dalit issue and that alone as if they have to say nothing about a great country that has gained much braving against all odds since independence. It all seem like the early tricks of evangelists who used exploit painful situations of one nation for their selfish gain. It remains a fact that India’s dalits constitute a minority and their recent progress is praiseworthy and they have occupied all top positions of the nation.

But there are many non-dalits in this nation of whom they have nothing good to say only blaming them for the dalits’ fate. I have three questions to the publishers of this product

1 Why you have said nothing of the racism -when those nations were mentioned – it very much exists in developed nations,

2 why you did not see any thing that is good in India and kept mum about its opportunities and challenges?

3 why you presented such unbalanced views on India that is the greatest democracy in the world? As a media product your publication should have done justice to a great nation with a balanced view.

If space constraint was the reason showing all shameful aspects about India in such elaborate way is not justified. There are many countries in the world poorer than India engaged in greater discrimination to their people. The present position India has gained in the world is hard earned and it is the result of determination and hard work of its people. India is growing with 8% plus GDP and has been accepted as the super power of information technology, these are things even common people know what happened to the team of the ‘Discovery Channel School a leading provider of quality education’! is hard to guess.

Among the thousands of people who were scanned by their vicious camera not even a single well dressed human being is visible while whole the beggars, waifs and strays filled the shots. I was humiliated by the stark cynicism the camera had shown. India has so many things like poverty and diseases; every nation on earth has such things, why ‘Discovery’s camera has forgotten to show such things of other nations, and why they have forgotten to show good things of India. It all must be a purposefully manipulated to project to show India in a very bad light, their sympathy to Indian dalits seems suspect.

I’m giving below the exact words of the commentary as it is on the cd. This will give u a better picture of how things look from their angle.

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India – (time alloted 2:23)

India lies in the massive south asia peninsula. It is approximately a third of the size of the united states and is bordered by Bangladesh, Bhutan, Myanmar, China, Nepal and Pakistan as well as Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea.

India is the second most populist country in the world. Though it is hard to get an exact count, scientists estimate that more than one billion people live there.

Today Indians are free to work in whatever jobs they want. But that was not always possible. As lays 1949 India was made up of many tight knit social groups called junta or castes that determined a persons occupation, friends and even whom they can marry.

Early conquerors from southern Russia and Central Asia put people into casts when they conquered India in the second millennium BC. They created castes t give everyone a special purpose and to create order in Indian Society. There are many different castes in India. Hindu priests called Brahmins were the highest cast. Merchants and Farmers were members of a special caste called the vaisias while the peasants and laborers belonged to the lowest caste the Sudras. Unlike the Brahmins, Vaisias and Sudras; Dalits were people without a caste. They were not able to lie and work in the same area as non dalits. But the worst thing about being a dalit was how others treated them. Dalits were considered untouchables because people from higher castes thought that just touching a dalit would contaminate them. The Indian government abolished the term untouchable and all discriminations against dalits in 1949 in order to make India a modern, democratic country. The Indian Government has been working to stop discrimination against dalits by sponsoring schools and providing medical care. Some dalits have overcome oppression and now have power in Indian Society. These successful people and others use their time and money to promote more schools, healthcare and a better life to other dalits in India. It will take time to change the way dalits are seen in India but as a pull together these people who were once untouchables are improving their lives and looking towards the future.

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If the text does not impress you then watch the visual if possible that wills sure do the trick.

Top Five Nations in the World

Top Five Nations in the World.

All nations are top most as far as their citizens are concerned; this article is just an impartial ranking of five nations based on five criteria. Strength, Population, Area, Historical relevance and Cultural diversities are taken as the criteria for this ranking while its relevance in other four criteria is also given proportional weight. There may be difference about the criteria chosen, it has to be admitted that these standards like economic strength, population and other three factors are no mean things.

No: One - AMERICA

America (USA) for strength it is far ahead in GDP (13.77 trillion) (Gross Domestic Product – the aggregate value of the total production and services rendered by a nation), entrepreneurship, and an immigrant population (the cream of almost all other nations), who have found better livelihood in this land of opportunities. America’s might in its armed forces (with most sophisticated weapons in the world) even though the mightiest is not taken in to account. This exemption though robs America one of its trump card does not challenge its top position in any way.

Remaining as a magnet pulling in the cream of human resources belonging to other nations is no small thing. America’s status as the ‘fair freedom’s open door’ has added much points to this rank. People who were persecuted by tyrant rulers have always looked at America for asylum in fact these asylum seekers constitute a good portion of American population. In population (301,656,000), diversities and geographical area (9,631,420 sqkm) (other criteria) also America stands third and fourth respectively in the world.

Two - CHINA

China (People’s Republic of China) is top with its 1.4 billion and still counting population where as its geographical area, economic strength and pace of growth in technology are tremendous (soon China is to over take Japan as the second largest economy). It is a cultural, lingual and political monolith (scoring some minus points in criteria of diversity). Ever since it got release from the clutches of Maoists there is no stopping to this giant with one and a half billion population.

Chinese Diaspora (scattered throughout the globe) contribute to its economy in phenomenal scale. The massive export surplus it has in trade with other nations has made its coffers spill over ($1200 billion and fast growing, creating headache to USA and other developed nations). The recent strides China has made in technology and its buying power has gained for it a far respectable position in international forums. Its area 9537,000 sq km is also factor making it a giant in the making.

Three - RUSSIA

Russia though lost much of its area with the disbanding of the former Soviet Union; still remains as the biggest nation in the world (area 17,075,000 sq km). As an unwanted association with unwilling partners (Soviet Union) has gone, Russia can now focus on its energy on real issues like fast growth and welfare of its people.

A radical change in a society will take its own time to settle down as habits die hard. Haunted by one outdated ideology in which they were destined to live for decades, Russians feel the change to a modern society much more painful for a population of 142,754,000. The present Government seems to be aware of realities and addressing them head on. Vladimir Putin has made Russia back on its rail and now it is one of the fastest growing economies. Its vast mineral resources like coal, oil iron and other metals will no doubt add velocity to this ride to progress. The present GDP of $1.926 trillion is grossly inadequate for a nation of this size, but there are symptoms of fast improvement.

Four - GREAT BRITAIN

United Kingdom (Great Britain) considered as the nominee for richness in history may be taken for some bias on the author’s part; as many other nations with very ancient history are there like Greece, Rome, Egypt and India. Its scoring in population, area and diversity criteria also is not considerable (area 244820 sq km and population 60,609,155).

The real factor taken in to account was that ‘how relevant was Britain in shaping the history of the modern world’. A nation which controlled an empire in which (sun never could set), one making its language that of the world are all nothing less than great. If the whole world is culturally getting integrated, the role of Great Britain is primarily responsible for that.

This integration is far wider than one would think, it encompasses the dress one wear, and language one speaks, morality and ethics one may take as standard behavior and many things like that. No doubt the centuries old British occupation has been the reason for the emergence of this uniformity. For the last three hundred years Britain had been in the helm of world affairs in varying degrees, its role in the past two world wars also has been most prominent. All other ancient nations mentioned have richer history most of them only inclusive and contribution in influencing the external world much less.

Five - INDIA

India with its “rich diversity” is no intruder in the list, (living along with diversities is seldom considered that important but that is not the case, living along with differences is real greatness) it has the status of number two in population (by 2030 it estimated that India will overtake China in population) its geographical size also is considerable. India has the most number of languages spoken, most diverse numbers of cultures, People of all ethnic groups (Aryans, Dravidians, Mongoloids, Negroid and a collage of all sorts of ethnic groups available in the world along with all its combinations of varying degrees.

All of them live at times in harmony and at times in disharmony, yet all goes together contributing to the nation as much as they can while they gain for themselves; a strange set-up known by the name “unity in diversity”. India is said to be a nation which lives in different worlds there are people and areas which are worse than Sub-Saharan nations and there are areas and people which can excel the most advanced lands in technology and progress. Even with one fourth of its diversities Soviet Union could not go together; where as India strides to progress with diversities unheard of anywhere else in the world.

All nations are great; a comparison is not healthy as each nation has its own opportunities as well as challenges. The above article does not intend to compare and establish one superior or inferior to the other this only a ranking based on some parameters set by the author, when parameters may vary ranking vary along with. Wish all nations faster growth and all people better life!

Ineffective BCCI

Pointing Fingers Indian Cricket Style

Image Courtesy: aljazeera.net

Indian cricket is at it again!!! They are back to doing what they do best when faced with a crisis; pass the buck to someone else. And there has been a lot of that in the past few days and fingers have been pointed at all and sundry. In the midst of all this nonsense there is a former captain’s meeting with the board due next week. Hopefully at least these former greats will be able to knock some sense into some brainless cricket authorities.

The BCCI has always been a divided body, what with politics and power mongering always taking more importance than the welfare of the game itself. The new regime however brought with them a lot of hope and there was a genuine feeling that things would be different. One gets the feeling that the new regime is more interested in the balance sheet than the well being of the game in the country.

Right now everyone from the players to the selectors to the coach is being blamed for the debacle. The board president indulges in grand posturing and says that changes would be made to the team. But will that solve the problems afflicting Indian Cricket? The answer is a resounding no!!!

Image Courtesy: eurosport.com

Indian cricket’s problems are much deeper than what changing the team or even the captain and the coach could solve. The system itself is rotting. The number of teams in the domestic league is a joke. You can’t have tough competition and a true test of a player’s ability if you have 30 teams in a league. First class players score tons of runs and pick up buckets of wickets in domestic circuit but come up cropper when pitted against tough international opponents.

One can argue that the two tire system has brought about a change but it is only marginal. And the fact of the matter remains that the international players rarely come back and play in the domestic circuit. You can’t blame them too considering the amount of workload they are under in the international circuit.

The saddest part in all this is that even though we have 30 teams in the circuit the BCCI is not represented by the whole nation. There are no cricket associations in some of the states in the east like Sikkim. While a state like Maharashtra has 4 associations. This proves that even after becoming the richest sporting body in the world the BCCI has fallen woefully short in spreading the game to every nook and corner of this nation. Unless they do that we will miss out on talent and the opportunity to tap the country’s full potential.

Image Courtesy: cricmania.com

The selection policy is also flawed. When you pick selectors based on their zones there is bound to be parochialism, and the quota system will always be a hindrance to selecting the best possible team for the country. Why can’t we pick 5 bale selectors, irrespective of their place of origin, and assign each zone to them. The zones allotted to each should be rotated at regular intervals of time so as to avoid any one selector getting too attached to the zone assigned to him.

The pitches in this country do not provide anything to the bowlers. If at all they do provide some assistance it is to the spin bowlers. But they are made ineffective because the boundary of grounds across the nation is becoming shorter and shorter everyday. The logic behind this is that people love to see runs being scored. So in an effort to avoid being pulverized by the batsmen on flat batting tracks the spinner bowls flat and quick which quickly makes them ineffective as potent wicket taking bowlers. Add to that the short boundaries and the spinner has no other option but to bowl flat and quick. And we lament that India is not producing young spinners anymore.

Image Courtesy: hindu.com

Young talent in this country is not properly groomed. Opening up a plethora of cricket academies alone is not the solution to this. They should be given enough opportunities to hone their skills. They should be playing against tougher opponents to gain the necessary temperament needed to survive at the big stage. Above all they should have an exposure to as many different kinds of conditions as they possibly can. Right now they are reared on flat tracks which serve no one. Bowlers get disheartened. The batsmen are found wanting if there is even the slightest of movement or pace in the pitch. If India is to improve on their away record then they have to learn to play on fast bouncy pitches that are found around the world.

What the BCCI, before making all round changes to the team, has to do is to take a look at itself in the mirror and be honest about what they see. If they are to shake up anything then it is the system itself that should be shaken up first. I am not saying that the players, coach and the selectors are not to be blamed. But they will only be as good as the system allows them to be. So if the BCCI genuinely has an interest in the welfare of the game then they should start the drastic changes from within themselves. Otherwise cricket might go the hockey way and then they wont have anything left even in the balance sheet to talk about.

Cricket World Cup 2007

The Great Indian Dream Over

Image Courtsey: cricinfo.com

So that’s it then. India is out of the world cup after being defeated by Sri Lanka for 69 runs. It would be a time of reflection and introspection. The team needs to be rebuilt and Indian cricket in general has a lot of rebuilding to do. And please let’s not go and vandalize their homes and engage in petty public posturing, although it would be wise for the Indian team not to come back to the country straight away. There is a chance that India could still go through if a miracle occurs (read Bermuda beating Bangladesh), but the saddest truth of it all is that we were not good enough to deserve going to the next round.

Was this unexpected? If the Indian fans were to answer honestly they would say no. And it would seem from their body language that the Indian team did not believe in itself. Even though the team was able to cover up its inadequacies with some good performances at home, they had always struggled in the last one year. It was very clear to see that the Indians were yet to recover from their defeat against Bangladesh. There was a very palpable sense of fear in the way the Indians approached this match. Much as Sri Lanka, my favorite to win the cup, played brilliantly Indian batting was equally pathetic.

This is where the coach’s role needs to be questioned. Agreed the coach doesn’t have a direct hand to play in the events on field. But definitely it is the coach’s job to make the players believe in themselves. This was not the case. It is the coach’s job to make the fitness if not the fielding better. This was also not the case and it was never expected to. I have always believed that most of the criticisms against Chappell were unwarranted. But when a coach who took over with the sole purpose of doing well at the world cup, and whose various experiments were indulged with in the hope that it would help the team do well at the competition, only to see them dumped out of it in the first round itself… well criticism is inevitable.

Image Courtsey: cricinfo.com

Dravid’s captaincy has been disappointing to say the least. He seemed to be following a set pattern and incapable of adapting to the situation. The much celebrated batting line up too should share bulk of the burden. Tough decisions need to be taken. Places in the side should be based on merit and not on past performances. If the great players feel that they are being given a raw deal then let them prove their worth in domestic cricket and come back. Dravid was not able to motivate the players. He has not able to galvanize the team into a single unit. And he along with the coach has to take responsibility for that.

But keep in mind the trinity of Sachin, Sourav and Dravid are not getting younger. It is for them to decide the timing of their retirement from the game. It has to happen sooner or later. And the sooner we start grooming the youngsters the better. If we don’t have enough talent out there then at least instill in them some fighting spirit. Matches are not won by talent alone. Bangladesh and the Australian team of 1987 are testament to that.

Another big concern to me right now is Sachin Tendulkar. I have always been a huge fan of Tendulkar. I have always stuck up to people asking him to be sacked. This is why it was disappointing to see him play the way he did in this world cup. He just doesn’t seem to be there mentally. He has to sit down and assess if he still has the hunger in him. If not retirement at least take a break from the game and start from scratch. There is no disgrace in taking a step backward to reassess one’s strengths. But it is belittling his own achievements and reputation if he continues to play this way.

Image Coutsey: zeenews.com

The BCCI too is responsible for this debacle. This is a result of the board’s lack of vision in developing the game at the grass roots. It is all fine that the board makes money, but the focus shouldn’t just be on balance sheets. The money gained from the sport should be spent in improving the infrastructure and ability of the players. The Ranji league needs to be revamped and the number of competing teams reduced thereby reducing the number of matches. Only then will we have quality players playing each other regularly. The pitches need to have more variety so that they have the technique to counter any condition. Right now our batting line up is too full of blind bashers who come up copper when playing on a pitch that offers even the slightest of assistance to the bowler.

There couldn’t have been a bigger blow to this world cup commercially than the exit of India and Pakistan. But then again for a World Cup reeling under an avalanche of controversies and scandals this would seem like just another thing that went horribly wrong.

Indian cricket is facing a crisis and it would be better if all involved gets up and smell the coffee before its too late.

World Cup Cricket 2007

A glimmer of hope

Image Courtesy: hindu.com

What a strange thing hope is. It is at the same time man’s greatest strength and his biggest downfall. It springs eternal from the human breast according to the poet Ernest Lawrence Thayer. And now a billion Indian cricket fans are left with nothing else to cling on to other than this very thing. For their overrated bunch of heroes have made things extremely difficult for themselves by losing to Bangladesh at the world cup. It would take some brilliant performances aided by a fair degree of luck for these guys to go through to the next round.

The Indian cricket team must be one of the most fickle of teams in sporting history. After having demolished West Indies in a warm up game they have promptly gone on to lose to a lesser established team like Bangladesh. Nothing clicked for India on that fateful day against Bangladesh. Their batting wilted, seemingly from the fear of losing. The bowling was as penetrative as a blunt knife. And the fielding was all butter fingers. Indians were outplayed and embarrassed at each aspect of the game, even at the post game press conference. The Indians were forced to come out of the match with their tails between their legs and deservedly so.

Image Courtesy: cricinfo.com

So it must have been relief to everyone involved with Indian cricket when they saw that the next scheduled match was between an even smaller team – Bermuda. The Indian went about thrashing them thereby boosting their bloated egos. The whole country is waiting though. Everybody knows that this is just the calm before the storm. Their real test would be between their crucial encounter against Sri Lanka. And even if India wins that game whether or not they would go through to the Super Eight would still depend on somebody up there liking them. India needs luck to be on their side to get a favorable net run rate equation to go through.

Sri Lanka would be a much tougher cookie to crack than Bermuda. For one thing their bowling is far more potent than India’s. For another their batting can be as destructive as India’s. Add a much better fielding ability to the mix and the scale tends to shift in Sri Lanka’s favor. But as was illustrated in the match against Bangladesh cricket is nothing but a game of glorious uncertainties. And that’s where Indian cricket fans are clinging their hopes on.

Image Courtesy: cricinfo.com

For India to beat Sri Lanka, our batting needs to come good. I am sure that if we can get to the 30th over without losing too many wickets then the big guns coming in later can blast off. This is why I want Dravid to come up early in the innings, maybe as high as 3. He should drop the sheath anchor with the later explosive batsmen playing around him. I would also bring in Pathan into the eleven. He solidifies the batting line up especially the tail which looks very long at the moment. If he goes at around 4 runs an over then we should consider him as having done his job instead of expecting him to do the great things he used to do in the past.

Finally this is the last chance for the golden generation of players who have managed to consistently underachieve at the big stage. But this time they will have only themselves to blame and the general public may not be as forgiving as before. Like one banner said at the Trinidad the other day “This is your last chance India. Win this or else stay in Trinidad forever”.

Sexy bitches in Kovalam

Now I aint no tourist in the classic sense of the word and when I say bitches I mean bitches. And not of the two legged kind either, though that’s convenient, but the original four legged canine breed. Pure stuff.

The best and most sexy bitches of the four legged kind are to be found in Kovalam and you guessed right, my blood group is pervert positive. I mean come to think of it, how would a cross between you and your neighbor’s dog look like. Would it bark, bite and catch flees like a puritan or would it kiss, smooch and fuck around just like us humans?

Anyway, I was observing some real beauts in kovalam when Malcolm Radney from Rhodesia was bargaining with little Kavita’s mother for a price. Kavita is 10 and Malcolm wants to fuck her. Better still, own and fuck her up. After a bit of a debate, the mother (not second or third but the real thing) settled for a black and white tele along with 50,000 bucks read rupees.

As dear mother was looking at her kid being taken away by Malcolm, I was on to the next german shepherd. Was chasing it down the beach, my cock at the ready when right beside, Aunt Margaret from U.S of fuckin’ A was playing along with the balls of dileep deep in the beach waves. Forgot to introduce you, dileep is a polio infested kid coming from a local fisherman family. But fuck that! I am after that beaut of a german shepherd, and where did it go? Shit!

I then walked down the board saying “dog’s own country” and I saw my next bitch. Make no mistake. I always make sure it’s a she before I make my move. After all what do you think I am, a no good homo? No sireee, am cent percent pure hetero. Well then, I saw my bitch and after a bit of a run was almost inside her when all of a sudden, a cop did his duty by grabbing me up my ass and pushing me inside a jail cell. All that for just trying to pass my time with some genuine bitches? Of course I tried to give the cops my mentally pre-prepared lecture on ‘whats the point in kicking me up when little kids from poor families are getting screwed in the ass each day by people of different nationality?’. But it didn’t go on for long since I was busy drinking up the variant vibrations of piss which was being graciously poured down my throat and I couldn’t speak anymore.

The only thing left to say is that I somehow made out of the cop hell an example or two under my belt of how Pasolini might have felt after shooting ‘salo’ under my belt.

And there definitely is a lesson I learned from all this. Its not worth the risk just to fuck some four legged bitch. Should have gone for the two legged kind, just like ol’ Malcolm Rodney.

Cricket World Cup 2007

David’s Day and Dreams Shattered

Image courtesy: tribuneindia.com

Yesterday would be remembered in cricket history as the most momentous and unbelievable of days. It would be a day when the Davids of this world decided to stand up and make themselves accounted for in a competition overburdened by criticism for the crime of including them in the competition. The proved critics, including yours truly, eat their words and also proved to all and sundry that the competition is much the richer because of their inclusion into the event. It was a day the seemingly gate crashers of the party became the chief guests.

Bangladesh, in a clash of sub continental tigers, defeated India and proved why this group is considered the group of death. Credit should be given to the Bangladeshi players for holding their nerve and pulling off an upset of huge proportions. This would be watershed moment in Bangladeshi cricket and they would do well to build on this.

It seemed India came into the match looking for some match practice and some time in the middle for their out of for players. They took the opponent too lightly. They did not respect the conditions. They were so overconfident that I am sure the possibility of a difficult match did not enter their minds, let alone that of a defeat. And that along with some spirited performances from the Bangladeshis were their undoing.

Dravid won the toss and elected to bat on a pitch that had some moisture in it. But blame him alone for what happened from there on would be unfair. His batsmen seemed to be left their brains in their hotel and capitulated to a total which was not at all enough.

Image courtesy: cricinfo.com

The way some of the batsmen batted was absolutely reckless. Sehwag should consider himself extremely lucky to be in this word cup. But he did nothing to justify the faith his captain has on him and got himself out once again. How long is India willing to carry this noncontributing player in their eleven? Atleast Pathan, would give you some runs lower down the order if not too many wickets. Sehwag contributed just 2 runs to the cause.

After sehwag’s dismissal Uthappa too lost his head to a rash shot. Tendulkar was beaten by a clever delivery and suddenly the Indian were facing a crisis. That a man of Tendulkar’s ability was beaten by a young bowler spoke much about the confidence with which Bangladesh approached this game. Dravid tried to rescue the innings but he too was undone by an inappropriate shot.

Ganguly and Yuvraj then came together for the only period of time in the entire match when India raised hope of a recovery. Ganguly went on to complete his fifty albeit a bit slowly. But Yuvraj threw away his wicket by an ill timed sweep shot. And then followed a procession. The rest surrendered too meekly and too quickly. 3 batsmen were out for ducks before Zaheer and Patel put on some much needed run to take the score to at least 192.

Any hope of India salvaging the situation evaporated after the Bangaladeshi opener Tamim Iqbal started off in blitzkrieg fashion. While chasing a low total any kind of blitz brings down the total radically and eases the pressure for the later batsmen. In this aspect he did a wonderful job and he found the Indian bowlers obliging with some steady doze of width in their deliveries.

The contrast between the two teams was palpable when they took the field. While the Bangladeshis looked fired up and gave their all on the field India looked jaded and as if the occasion had overwhelmed them. Bangladesh dived around the park as they would into a swimming pool while the Indians spilled two sitters and two half chances. The match was never ever a contest and that’s the most worrying thing, for Indian fans in this match.

Image courtesy: smh.com.au

If Bangladesh’s victory was huge then Ireland’s victory over Pakistan was absolutely shocking. If the shock were to have been measured on a Richter scale it would have registered a 9. Nobody expected Pakistan to leave this early from the tournament. Of course Pakistan still has a mathematical chance of qualifying but realistically the chances of that happening are fairly remote.

Pakistani’s like their sub continental brothers did not bring their brains to the ground. They just lost it completely when faced with greenish wicket and capitulated to a low score of 132. The way Kamran Akmal and Azhar Mahmood got out signified how they had let the occasion get to them. Yousuf failed to carry his test form into the one day matches while Inzamam looked like he was playing in his 2003 mode.

The bowlers did try to put up a fight with the enigmatic Sami leading the way. But some gutsy batting from the Irish batsmen ensured that they could go on to record a most memorable of victories if they could just hold on to their nerves. Hold their nerves they did and they eventually sent a big team packing from the world cup.

It’s a shame that some of the sub continent’s biggest names maybe bowing out in disgrace if India were to lose to Sri Lanka too. It would be disappointment to see Sachin, Sourav, Dravid and Kumble depart from the center in such a shameful fashion. The Indian team have their backs to the wall and will have a tough time to overcome the pressure of the backlash and call for heads that would soon start back home. Is this the end of the dream for the so called ‘Blue Billion’?

Cricket World Cup 2007

The Caribbean Carnival Begins

Image Courtsey : Wikipedia.org

Here we are! Cricket’s biggest carnival has finally arrived. It was fitting that the greatest cricketer of all time, Sir Garfield Sobers, declared the world cup open. The organizers departed from the usual formality of the head of state of the host nation declaring the world cup open, and instead asked one of its erstwhile greats to do the honors. Probably this was influenced by the fact that the West Indies is an entity which consists of many nations, and maybe to avoid any dispute which may arise subsequently they selected their greatest ever cricketer to start off their greatest ever sporting event.

This is one of the most open of all world cups in recent memory and also the least hyped one. One can vividly remember the hype that surrounded the world cup last time in 2003. Compared to that this year the hype has relatively low key. It is not until 2 days before the world cup that it has started showing signs of picking up momentum. This could be attributed to the fact that almost 50% of the competing teams in this world do not stand a chance of winning a single match other than among themselves. This has inundated the group stage with a lot of meaningless matches and with the results being a foregone conclusion in almost half its matches. Hopefully the tournament would really start off when the super-eight stage begins on the 27th March.

Image Courtsey: smh.com

There have already been some fireworks on and off the field for this world cup. If the opening ceremony showcased some spectacular fireworks display, off the field it has been the showdown between Ponting and Gavaskar that has been in the news lately. Ponting’s harsh reply to Gavaskar’s equally harsh criticism of their behavior on the field and his subsequent return to Ponting’s taunts have all added spice to an already simmering rivalry between India and Australia. The Indians are still haunted by the massacre they received at the hands of the Australians during last world cup’s final. Indian captain has already stated that he would love to play Australia in the final, above even traditional rivals Pakistan!!! If that doesn’t tell you how much intensity Indians have to a clash with the Aussies nothing else will.

Another confrontation that has just been heated up is that of Bob Woolmer, the Pakistani coach, taking on former greats Imran Khan and Javed Miandad. Woolmer has been subject to their criticism for quite some time now. He has finally hit back taking on both these legends and claiming that he will prove them. Boy!!! As if the pressure of the world cup was not enough, he has gone on and added some more pressure upon himself and his team. Nevertheless there is no denying the fact that this has added much needed excitement to the initial stages of the tournament.

Image Courtsey: cricket-worldcup.net

The opinion that this world cup is the most open in recent time has almost become passé now. Australia’s dominance has been severely dented by their recent losses to England and New Zealand. Their bowling does not seem to posses the same potency it used to posses. With the exit of Shane Warne and the ageing on Glenn Magrath they seem to have lost some of their lethality which had made them such a dominant force for such a long time. Their decline is welcomed by the whole cricketing fraternity as this opens up the door to glory for every other major team in the competition. But still, only a fool would take the Aussies lightly and to their own detriment.

The pitches would be the most crucial factor in this world cup. If it behaves as it has in the past few years then we would not be seeing the run feasts that we have grown accustomed to, and according to me that’s a good thing. The pitches could make it an equal contest between the bowlers and the batsmen, with only the ones with the necessary skills and with the ability to adapt prevailing in the end. Low scores could be the order of the day and this would force the captains to think on their feet and change their strategies as per the demands of the situation.

Image Courtsey: cricket-online.com

I believe that if the wicket plays out as it is expected to, the teams from the subcontinent could come to the party in a big way. These guys are champions anytime the ball doesn’t bounce above their hips. Every Indian must therefore be hoping that their team goes one better in this edition than what they achieved last time around. Nothing would give them more pleasure than dishing it out to the Aussies. If history is anything to go by, then the last time a team was poised to win a hat-trick of world cups they were thwarted by a team of no-hopers from this great country. I genuinely wish that history would repeat itself.

Related Reads:

Can India bring the world cup home?
The Big Fat Caribbean World Cup
Dropped, Doped or Duped? – The drug scandal in cricket
World Cup Unforgettables – Australia v South Africa, 1999
World Cup Unforgettables – India v Pakistan 1996
World Cup Unforgettables – India v Australia 1992
Rahul Dravid – The Great Wall of India
Saurav Ganguly – The Return of the Prince
Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar - Hero, Villain or Victim?

India’s chances

Can India bring the world cup home?

No world cup starts off without the whole of India dreaming of an encore to that glorious day in June 1983, when we were crowned champions of the world in cricket. Every four years from that memorable day the whole country undertakes their favorite pastime of ascertaining their team’s chances at that particular edition of the World Cup. Every ‘Couch Potato Expert’ worth his salt in the country debates, discusses and speculates the team’s chances. Since it’s futile to try and escape this nation wide phenomenon, I thought I might throw my hats into it as well. So here goes…

If you are wondering why the Indian team captain talks of managing his fielders and about placing the right people at the right place, it is only because of the fact that we are one of the poorest fielding sides going into this world cup. Most of our senior players are on the wrong side of 30 and the daddy brigade was never good fielders in the first place. So as Dravid put it, we need be better in the other two departments of the game if we are to stand any chance of winning back the World Cup. Let’s forget temporarily that no team, other than Pakistan in 1992, has won the world cup without being a good fielding side as well.

So what should our players look to do at the world cup? Since our bowling does not inspire much confidence, our only chance of winning the world cup lies in batting out the opposition. This is where the gamble of picking Sehwag assumes significance. Coming into the world cup Sehwag has not done anything to inspire confidence. We are banking heavily on his past performances and his coming good during the course of the tournament. But the team should be realistic enough to drop him if his woeful form continues. Uthappa, even though I have doubts on his ability perform consistently, should be considered if Sehwag does not fire in the group matches. India definitely cannot take a blind chance on Sehwag in the super eight matches.

So our opening batting line up should be Ganguly and Sehwag/Uthappa. Dravid at one down is in the best possible position of the batting line up. The No.3 is the position around which the team should revolve around. I hope the team does not continue with their experiment (if you can still call it that) of sending Pathan up the order on a regular basis. That tactic should be used sparingly and India should look to Dravid coming in at no.3 regularly.

No matter what the situation of the game is Sachin Tendulkar should come in at No.4. We should play him in the middle order to provide stability and strength as that position requires experience and no one in world cricket can provide you as much experience and caliber as the master himself. Putting him any lower would be a waste of his talent. He has the ability to adapt himself to any situation and can steer the side home in tight situations.

Yuvraj should come in next as he is one of the better finishers in the game right now. He should look to play out the full quota of overs if he is playing with the tailenders and should play with a lot more freedom if any of the other top order batsmen are at the other. He should be followed by Dhoni who with his powerful hitting can take the game away from any opposition. India would be looking at these two to take them home during the business end of an innings.

I would pick Irfan Pathan over Dinesh Karthick, even without his bowling prowess. If Pathan is able to bowl even 6 overs at 5 runs an over, I would still pick him over Karthick. I have my own reasons for saying this. For one, I think Pathan is a more consistent batsman than Karthick. For another if he bowls decently enough he brings in another option to the captain which Karthick cant. I would at least start off with Pathan during the group stages and then make a call from there. If Pathan has an off day with the ball he can be covered for by others in the team like Tendulkar, Yuvraj and Sehwag.

In the bowling department, I would play both Kumble and Harbhajjan. If the West Indies pitches behave like what we have seen in the last few years, then without a shadow of doubt these two should be played. The slow low pitches in the Caribbean would be ideal for the Indian spinners and India should be able capitalize on the experience, not to mention the skill, that these two would bring in.

Zaheer Khan should spearhead the attack. He has been in spectacular form after his return to the team and thankfully that has made up for Pathan’s problems with confidence. The question would be as to who would partner him. Sreeshant still needs to prove himself in the shorter version of the game. It’s a close call between Agarkar and Patel. At the moment the odds are slightly in favor of Agarkar. Patel will have to grab his chances if he has to barge his way into the team.

So can India win the cup? Well, if we are to win, then it would require a great deal of luck too. My heart says that we will win, but more realistically I would be hoping for it rather than believing it. But who knows? Nobody believed the 1983 Indian team to be crowned champions either. So all the best boys and bring home that cup. It’s about time you did!!!

Related Reads:

Dropped, Doped or Duped? – The drug scandal in cricket
World Cup Unforgettables – Australia v South Africa, 1999
World Cup Unforgettables – India v Pakistan 1996
World Cup Unforgettables – India v Australia 1992
Rahul Dravid – The Great Wall of India
Saurav Ganguly – The Return of the Prince
Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar - Hero, Villain or Victim?

India Budget

Indian Agriculture, Farmer and The Budget 2007

India and its farmers

2007 Budget is almost ready and undergoing final touches on the FM’s anvil, the following are some untraditional ideas about a budget that will make the profession of agriculture viable and beneficial to all who are engaged in the job as well as all who consume the products out of agriculture. As we all know Indian farmers are not doing well and for a steady income however small it will be he will quit the farming and go leaving the land which so far gave him only cups of woes and marginalized him far from the developed world.

Farmer v/s consumer

The interest of a farmer should not be against the interest of the end user and the prosperity of the end user should never stand against the welfare of the farmer. At present the governments in the greed for caching votes is in search of quick-fix solutions by disbursing more and more bank loans to farmers. Loans are no solutions to the problems as they only push the poor farmer in to more and more debts – he is already immersed in debt. Writing off of loans is a bad precedent only to be a drain of public wealth.

A rotten machinery

There are a lot of government officials employed for the welfare of the farmers and the output of all these machineries are virtual nothing. They are good only for expending the allocations made for agriculture. The farmers are emotionally attached to their land however in-fertile it is, hence asking them to part with the ownership of this land for better style of living is not practical in the Indian background.

The facts, problems and solutions.

Ownership

The ownership being left to them why the management of the farms to be left to some efficient corporates, let us think of the pros and cons of such a radical action.

Money, money and more money

Good agricultural practices involving latest technologies require a lot of money and Indian farmers do not have that kind of money at their disposal neither are they equipped to deal that much cash. The best thing they know to spend money is to see their daughters married off in grandeur, buy some consumer items like TV, fridge, car etc or building a palace like residence.

Management

Managing farms (machineries, fertilizing, using of pesticides, engaging laborers etc) require cutting edge skills. Expecting poor illiterate Indian farmers doing all these with panache is nothing but wish full thinking.

Value addition and storage

Our farmer’s knowledge about value addition is a big zero, hence they sell it as harvested

And get the least value for their produce. Inventory control of machineries and scientific storage of produce require good knowledge and large amount of capital, which Indian farmers have never had it enough.

Marketing

Marketing of products is a high-skilled activity which calls for technical knowledge, marketing skills, and bargaining power, in this point how many Indian farmers score pass-mark? The bank managers knocking their doors for repayment, force them for distress sales.

Ownership v/s Management

Suppose on a trial basis government select the worst affected agricultural area (Vidarbha in Maharashtra for example where farmer-suicide is a common event) and invite tenders from good Indian corporates for managing farms in Vidarbha and a model agreement is reached with the entity which offers the best conditions for the farmers who own the lands (The ownership in no way is transferred to the company).

A transparent agreement.

When the complete process is transparent there will be no loop-hole for false accusations and as the company which offers the best to the farmers for the lowest rate wins, why should there be any complaints from any corner, if necessary changes have to be made in the laws, why can’t that be done? If not for the people why should be there a law making body and so many members who waste a lot of money?

No labor outsourcing!!!

All the laborers required must be met from local people as per the agreement, this will generate jobs and steady income to the farmers and through best agricultural practices the company also will stand to gain. If farming can be done in developed nations, it can be done here with one tenth of the cost and our farmers will not have to commit suicide and will not be forced to leave the profession leaving their land barren as it is done in Kerala.

Subsidy if any? No compensated.

In case any subsidy has to be paid to lure the companies? Most probably it will not have to pay for as modern farming is a profitable proposition and corporates will compete for the entry in to the new vista that has opened before them. Even if some subsidy has to be paid it will be compensated by the great savings in keeping a large army of agricultural officers without much use.

Walk out or stay

Suppose this experiment succeeds, the entire India will undergo a change and the idea will close the chapter of debt-ridden farmers from this land for ever, they will be getting double benefits one lease of the land and two the monthly wages for doing work for a reputed firm which pay them regularly. After the experiment for limited period the farmer gets back his land and he can lease it out to any firm for the terms and condition he can agree for his good.

Government only a facilitator

No permanent officials are required as government is only a facilitator, initial directions framing of laws and deputation of a top local officer as a mediator alone is required and farmers associations also can be a party for the transparency of the deal and better and efficient implementation, that is all for the government, it being not a good thing to be entrusted with day to day affairs of anything as corrupt officials will jump in to make a quick buck out of the sweat of the farmers.

Starving on a mine of gold

Illiteracy and ignorance of the farmers on the one side, a government-machinery devoid of any sympathy or ingenuity on the other side has so far left our farmers sleep with empty stomach on the treasure trove that their land actually is as the Arabs starved and toiled on the oil-treasure a century back. There must be someone to show them the actual value of the land they possess.

60 years went waste!!!

India got independence sixty years back but our farmers live in the chains of debt and tyranny of money lenders, what a shame to the government that rules! Discovering a new slogan for an election was what the politicians did so far.

An idea of the time

But Indian President and even Prime minister are not professional politicians for the fortune of the nation. It is hoped at least they may think about a radical change in the Indian farming. Shouting slogans like “Garibi Hatao” (ward off poverty) from roof-top was what the previous ones did. Industrializing agriculture is an idea the time of which has come. If the face of Indian industry has been changed by our entrepreneurs they can change the face of our farming also.