Monday, June 22, 2009

IPL : Boon Or Bane???

The much trumpted IPL is now being maligned as the cause for Indian team's humiliating ouster from tht T20 World Cup. Last year when the IPL debuted it was the biggest draw in entertainment which Indian media had seen in a long time.. this year theIPL 2.0, has been mired in much controversy ranging from the shift in venue to allegations of match fixing... only a ubiquitious gentleman as Mr. Lalit Modi could pull through all the allegation with that disarming smile of his!!!PHEW!!!
So, let's just pause for a moment and reflect whether IPL has been good or bad for Indian cricket... or atleast for the National Team... the IPL opponents have long been voicing their greivances first for converting a game to an entertainment and then blaming the IPL for all that's bad in the National team...the proponents of the IPL on the other hand tout the IPl as being a platform for the upcoming junior criketers who cannot get a place in the national squal to show their skills...the latest voicing his opinion on this line has been none other than our national Captain, M.S. Dhoni. True both the sides have some element of truth in their arguements but how much does the IPL 2.0 have to do with the latest performance of the national team in the recently concluded World Cup. There are many who have pointed out that the team which did not parcipate in the IPl 2.0, Pakistan, took home the cup, but how many of us remember that the Aussie players were as much absent as were the Pak players in this version of the IPL and they were one of the first team to be shown the door. Out National Coach Gary Kirsten has pointed out a very important fact in the defeat of the Indian players which some of the players themselves have been refusing to admit..."Fatigue".. if anyone has cared to notice this issue did come up in the past also when Dhoni himself had commented that the team is playing too much cricket and he and some senior players had themselves asked the BCCI to relieve them of the upcoming tour... so the issue of fatigue or stress isn't too new an issue... and another important thing that many must have noticed that the other finalist Sri Lanka has been constantly tourring... they had the Pakistan Series which was cut short by the unfortunate shooting incident just before the IPl and most of the Lankan players not only participated in the IPL but also played impressively... did Fatigue or stress not affect them... ofcourse there is much truth in Mr. Kirsten's observation that the team was fatigued and stressed out because if anyone cares to notice the IPL schedule was a pretty gruelling one... also if someone has observed the IPl foreign players this year that the differnt teams bidded for, one cannot fail to notice how many grade B players from foreign countries have been selected... most of the Australlian, South African, and New Zealand players that came this year do not play for their respective national squads... so where does the arguement go that IPL is a brilliant platform for new and upcoming Indian players... it seems IPL has become a platform for all new and upcoming players of "all nations"!!
Therefore it seems that IPL is serving less and less the aims and purposes of Cricket as a game and serving more value to the purpose of cricket as an "entertainment" .But how far is it right to solely or largely blame the IPL for the World Cup disaster?? Whatever the advantages or disadvantages of IPL may be, ultimately the result of any game depends upon the performance of the as how they played "that" particular game... and the Indians blew it off big time... the debate over IPL will continue as long as it exixts... but what counts is all those who are in the know of things and as it looks in India there are too many people who think of themselves to be in the "know of things"... should examine the real reason for the Indian team's dismal performance in the World Cup. I m just a simple blogger who loves and roots for the Men in Blue wherever they are playing and will continue to do so but there is a humble request... please do not bargain anything at the cost of our national team...cricket is much much more to us than being just a game and when the Indian Team fails to perform at such an international forum... we are heartbroken...that's it..

Thursday, June 18, 2009

The Maoist threat: Civil War in Bengal

West Bengal is being torn by civil war affecting mainly parts of rural Bengal. As if the cyclone Aila didn't cause enough harm by uprooting livelihood of many hundreds and thousands of poor villagers, the civil war is uprooting the very fabric of rural life in Bengal, none of the existing political parties in West Bengal is really interested in actually adressing the Maoist problem and the price for such indifference is being paid by the poor villagers. For many years these same Maoists were being supported and were being shielded by the ruling Communist Govt. going to the extent of supplying them with arms and ammunition taken from Police arsenal & now the same ruling coalition is facing the brunt of it's faulty policies. After the recent Lok Sabha election debacle it has begun to sit up and take notice of it's disastrous policies of retaining political power at any cost.

The main opposition Mamata Banerjee led Trinamool Congress is playing an even dangerous game.
It has long been known that Ms. Bannerjee has long wanted to take control of the West Bengal Govt and it's one of her most cherished desire to become the Chief Minister of the State, when the recent Lok Sabha Election showed that people are ready for a change, the Trinomool Congress started using the Maoists to further their political cause of replacing the ruling Left coalition. The PCPA is supported by the Trinomool Cong. and the atrocities being committed by them in the name of stopping the "Red threat" is actually to further both the Trinamool's and the Maoists' cause... it's indeed shameful and horrific to say the least. And in this political one upmanship, the poor people of rural Bengal is paying the price... they neither know the Left ideology, nor the Maoists' ideology nor do they have a clue as to what Ms. Banerjee wants. They are being killed, humiliated, raped, their houses are being set fire and their fields are being devastated... is anyone out there listening?

The so called Communists, the Maoists and Ms. Banerjee all of you who declare time and again in loud voices that they are for the "People of Bengal"... are you witnessing this silent genocide or do we need more bloodshed and tears to make you hear.

Friday, June 5, 2009

After a long long break....

I m back writing my solitary posts after a gruelling examination...I cannot say with utmost honesty that it was my best,to my embarrasment, it should have been because this was my best shot yet... and after hours of reading up the History of India, I haven't been able to do justice to my hard work nor to the subject. Perhaps this is what happens when you try too hard, it's therefore better sometimes to just leave things " to be" if u can understand what I mean.
Anyways enough of my musings with my failures... what I wanted to write about to day is this book I m currently reading, it's Possession by A.S Byatt, it's a Booker winner and it's an amazing read... It's the story of these two young Post graduate scholars going through some forgotten letters written by a famous poet to a lady, also a famous poet, whom he adored... it's the story of how their relationship blossoms and how this relationship leaves a mark on their writing. For those who have an incline towards poetry may please read this wonderful work of fiction, it leaves one feeling intellectually very satisfied.

Reflection muses...

Language is the basis for recapturing experience...

- Cyhthia Selfae