I love cricket both as a player and a spectator. T:20 as a concept and a highly successful experiment that is reaping rich rewards for the ICC, BCCI, Subash Chandra's Zee Group and the players and their respective boards. My question is something to do with the so called supplementary attractions-half-naked cheer-girls dancing to loud music, stunts by bikers and actors, music shows etc..

Cricket is a game that can sustain interest in the viewer on its own. If I wanted to see ridiculously costumed women dance I would as well watch a porn movie or go to a strip bar. Why do we need such unnecessary aping of the American concept of cheer leading, that has its roots in basketball and baseball tournaments.

The Hindustan Times has published an interview with some of the cheerleaders performing in the IPL, all of them feel insecure and are afraid that someone might harm them. They say everyone from a seventy year old grandpa to a 15 year old teenager makes lewd passes and comments at them.

The following is taken from the same article and are thoughts echoed by noted cricket historian Ramchandra Guha-"India’s leading socio-historian and writer, Ramchandra Guha, dubbed the phenomenon of cheerleaders despicable and degrading for the game of cricket.

“All the organisers are doing by making scantily-clad white women dance in front of huge crowds is to stoke the base, voyeuristic and sexual insecurities of the Indian male. It is revolting, appalling and shows the game in very poor light,” a disturbed Guha told HT.

“Why we always have to borrow the worst of the western world is beyond me. I have nothing against the cheerleaders, they are only doing their jobs, but I'm against the very concept,” he added. “It's revolting and crude. I hope people are watching cricket rather than the cheerleaders.”

The obscene amounts of money that has exchanged hands is many times more than the GDP of many African countries. Think of the situation in India, inflation, rising prices of all essential commodities, suicide of farmers.....I know I am moving off-track, but I am just pouring out my frustration on the system. You keep spending so much money on one game and keep crying that the nation cannot produce a single Olympic gold medallist. Look at the sad state of affairs of Indian hockey. Jothikumaran accepting a bribe, K.P.S. Gill's dictatorial control, India's failure to qualify for the Olympics, when are we going to see proper utilization of money earmarked by the government or banks for the sustainable development of the country. Should not the BCCI donate a share of its revenues for national growth of its own free will. Do not these stars have a role to play in the upliftment of the country, many have struggled to reach the heights of wealth, fame and power that they currently reside in; but can't they work for a better tomorrow for the nation.

The bitter truth is that we are least bothered about what happens to others. As long as I am not affected, my family and friends are fine, my job is there, I still get my pay-check-"Sab thik thak hai."(Everything is fine) Unless this attitude changes nothing is going to change. Politicians will continue to fool us with fall promises, scams will keep happening, the dollar will rise and fall, we will continue to be bossed around by China, the USA and Russia, the list goes on......

Unless the change happens from within we are doomed.

Everywhere the situation is the same I meet my friends, ex-colleagues, college mates, all of them have the same glum look. The reason "Matchaan appraisal la aap vechutanga da." (They screwed me in my appraisal.)

"The falling dollar, recession, inflation, hazaar reasons to hit my pocket."

Everyday the prices of essential commodities are rising. The price of milk, oil, cereals.. everything is hitting the aam aadmi.

Things are not rosy.

What to do?

The government both at the centre and the state will have to change their stance. They might actually lose the forthcoming elections if the current trend continues.

In all this tamasha the obsene amount of money that the players in the Indian Premier League make drives me and the economists nuts.

God save me, God save you, and God save this country.

Musings...

The admit-card for the Civil Services Prelims came by post yesterday. The exam is to be held on May 18. Hardly a month left for D-day. Preparations are going on at a moderate speed. Have to hit on the accelerator and focus on my optional subject-Indian History.

There will be two exams. The optional subject in the morning and the general studies paper in the afternoon.

Strange things are happening at work. Everyday it is like a guessing game and one finds out that one more colleague has resigned. Do not know what is going to happen.

The IPL tamasha started yesterday and after lot of babes, glitter, laser lights, stilt dances and stuff, the actual match ended up as a dampener with Brendon Mc Cullum destroying the inflated ego of Vijay Mallya's Royal Challengers with a pulsating knock of 158 runs of just 73 balls.

The Knightriders won by a margin of 142 runs.

Dravid has to do a lot of thinking. Perhaps if the team switches to Mc Dowells from Kingfisher they might win J

THE RED DRAGON AND THE WHITE LOTUS

The atrocities committed by the Chinese in Tibet and the chain of events that have disrupted the Olympic torch rally across London, Paris and other parts of the world continues to mystify me. China claiming Tibet and accusing the Dalai Lama of being a serial liar, claims of a foiled terror attack on athletes, it is almost like reading a Robert Ludlum novel.

Coming to the point the Beijing Olympics is becoming more and more like the infamous Nazi Berlin Olympics. The world has to open up and realize that Tibet may not have oil or uranium resources for America to launch a war on terror, but Tibet is still a land and has millions of ethnic Tibetans living there while over the years millions have migrated to other parts of the world.

Mere condemnation and holding press meetings do not solve the problem. China's attitude is of grave concern to India. Already the Chinese have made inroads into various parts of Arunachal Pradesh, which the Indian government shamelessly denies. Now they are eyeing parts of Mizoram and Nagaland. There was a news on many channels that the website of the Ministry of External Affairs was hacked by a Chinese, who knows what data was stolen or what virus/malicious program was left.

India has to stop behaving like a soft cushion on which every foreign power can step and rest, we need to take issues of security seriously. Pakistan is not our only threat, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka(LTTE) and China are big threats to the country's security. If the Defence Ministry and the government are yet to wake up from their self-induced slumber, well be prepared for a long and bitter war.

RESERVATION FOR OBCs

The curse continues, in the name of creating a better India, with more qualified students, the reservation of 27% seats for OBCs has once again opened another Pandora's box. Reservation on the basis of caste is not going to help. Let there be only merit to decide the future of a student, not his/her religion or caste.

The Supreme Court has done one good thing by keeping the creamy layer(well off/rich) out of this 27% quota. We need a system in place where the income certificate of the student's parents/guardians and the student's marks in the qualifying exams become the sole criteria for his/her selection and admission to a proper educational course in college.

Or we can go for a policy where in the government should assume complete responsibility of a child's education from nursery till college(graduation) and the student should work for at least five years as a government employee to meet the costs of his/her education borne by the government. If this happens there will be one best model of education, private colleges will cease to charge obscene amounts in the name of fees and we will get intellects not mass produced factory-made robots who will only be fit to write exams and will be failures when they come out in the competitive professional battlefield where only the fittest can survive.

The timing of the ruling, the forthcoming elections and one land of citizens who get conned into voting each time expecting a better tomorrow. God knows what is going to happen......

HAPPY VISHU AND TAMIL NEW YEAR 2008 TO EVERYONE.

Wishing everyone good health, joy, success and prosperity.

Om Shanthi!

SHOPPING FOR THE NEW YEAR...

April 14, is Vishu or the Malayalam New Year. A day of great importance for all Malayalees, it signifies a new beginning, prosperity and joy.

Shopped for new dresses for ma and pa. Got a couple of sarees for ma and a set of trousers for pa. Got myself a shirt and set of trousers too.

Seem to have lost the flair for writing and am blogging about mundane stuff here.

Hope to be back with some great book and movie reviews soon.

Wish me luck folks.

MUSINGS

Life goes on, one more night at work comes to a close. Another 20 odd days of night shift and then it will be time to go into the morning shift. The exam date is approaching and studies are going on, am awaiting the examination hall ticket. I will be more secure and comfortable once I get it.

Once the exams are over I will have to take decisions regarding the road ahead. Lots of things to do.

Waiting for things to happen....

Hoping to speak and convey my feelings.....

Waiting for the best moment......

Will I lose the moment itself?

Time alone knows the answer.

India was comprehensively beaten by South Africa in the second test match at Ahmedabad.

The highlight was India being bowled out for 76 runs in 20 overs.

Let us see what happens in the Kanpur test.

The first test match between India and South Africa ended in a tame draw. The match was a run feast as the bowlers from both teams were punished mercilessly by the batsmen. Sehwag plundered the Proteas to notch up 319 runs. Dravid labored and frustrated the audience, Graeme Smith, and Sehwag to score 111 and cross the landmark of 10000 runs in test cricket.

Neil McKenzie, Hashim Amla and Smith got runs and Harbhajan bowled expensively but got a five wicket haul.

The second test will start in Ahmedabad in a few hours from now. Sachin is not playing, Kumble is likely to miss the game too.

Let us see what happens.