Come, let’s do the ‘post-mortem’!

Vikram Vishal

(Chief Sports Editor)

So it’s all over now (at least for Tendulkar, Dravid, Ganguly and Kumble), and it’s time to play the country’s second most participated sport-- the blame game. And the nominees to be targeted are: the Men in Blue, the Captain, the Coach, the five ‘wise men’, the Media, we the people, and last but not the least, the ‘owner’ of Indian cricket-- the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).

I am going for the last one. You can also pick your own choice, and go ahead to perform its, his or their ‘last rite’ or erect barricades to stop the ‘culprits’ from entering their homes.

With the team crashing out of the World Cup in the very first round after having flown to the Caribbeans as one of the favorites, it goes without saying that some heads are set to roll down. But what needed to be said or rather asked is that what has necessitated the ‘would be’ changes?

Is it for improving standard of the game? Is it for sending a strong message to the upcoming ‘Gods’ that don’t take your places for granted? Is it for punishing the public’s culprits? Or just to save their (BCCI) skin?

Well, with the BCCI president Sharad Pawar making the statement-- the time has come “to start encouraging younger players”, just after India’s ouster, it appears more as if the time has come for the Board to look for the scapegoats.

“Our team has disappointed me and the nation. BCCI provided maximum facilities to the players… It (Cricket Board) will decide on the future course of action,” is how Mr. Pawar reacted, indicating that all the efforts put in by the BCCI Pvt. Ltd. went in vain, so they must be castigated.

But if we are talking about some modifications for the betterment of cricket, isn’t it the high time now to look beyond players and the selectors. For, those at the helm of affairs also have some accountability that goes further than sacking and replacing players, captains, coaches and selectors.

Ask any board official if the BCCI is a cricketing body, then why no cricketer is heading it, and he would be off in a flash, saying it needs administration. If it needs administration, then why it has no CEO? It won’t be surprising if he comes up with an answer saying-- because it’s India.

But the easiest question, which unfortunately none of the board members would answer or rather would not want to answer, is that why a political heavyweight of the country having a Union Minister’s portfolio is running the world’s richest cricket governing body?

We “the people of India” fancy our team winning consistently, defeating all others at their homes, massacre minnows as if they are ‘minnows’, never lose to weaker teams, and if it’s some of those bad days, then at least show some resistance.

To be precise-- play like Australia or South Africa. And, if it’s not happening, then we “the people of India” are always ready to hit the roads.

But much to the disappointment of the players, we “the people of India” prefer minding our own business, when the BCCI fails to provide the team with their official uniform ahead of a foreign tour; when all cricketing nations concur with the ICC’s marketing policies, but for some obvious reasons, the Indian cricket board doesn’t, when broadcasters airing Indian matches have to bear loses.

No doubt, Indian game in the West Indies was one of the most humiliating performances in the Indian history of the World Cup, and players are more accountable for this than anyone else. But it would be even more shameful for us “the people of India” if the board tries to absolve it from the team’s early exit from cricket’s most coveted tournament.

After all, it’s a “collective responsibility”, isn’t it Mr. Chappell*?
*Greg Chappell is BCCI’s most loyal employee.

निठारी पर भारी निठल्ली व्यवस्था

Team GNBI

कई हिन्दी फिल्मों में ऐसा होता है कि बड़े विलेन को बचाने के लिए छोटे विलेन या फिर किसी मासूम को बलि का बकरा बना दिया जाता है। कहते है कि फिल्मों की कहानी भी रियल लाइफ से ही प्रेरित होती है। या फिर कभी रियल लाइफ रील लाइफ से सीख लेती है। लगता है निठारी कांड में भी ऐसा ही कुछ हो रहा है। मानवता को शर्मसार करने वाले निठारी कांड में पहले तो समाज के पहरेदार निठल्ले बने रहे और अब क्लाइमेक्स में स्टोरी ही बदल देने पर आमादा हैं। 22 मार्च 2007 को सीबीआई ने प्रेस कॉफ्रेस के जरिए जो बताया उससे तो यही लगता है कि बड़े विलेन को छोड़ छोटे विलेन पर ही गाज गिरने वाली है। सुरेन्द्र कोली कह रहा है कि सारी हत्याएं उसने ही की हैं और उसके मालिक मोनिंदर सिंह को इनकी कोई जानकारी ही नहीं थी। ये सरासर फिल्मी लग रहा है। मानो किसी ने पटकथा लिख दी हो और सुरेंद्र डॉयलॉग की तरह बयान दे रहा है।

क्या ये संभव है कि आपके घर में ही एक नहीं दो नहीं पूरे 19 मासूमों के कत्ल हो जा रहे हैं और आपको भनक तक न लगे। भले ही आप घर से बाहर हों तब भी। मान भी लिया जाए कि सुरेंद्र मानसिक तौर पर विकृत हैं तो क्या मोनिंदर को कभी इसका आभास नहीं हुआ। ये तो समझ से परे है। जिस तरह मोनिंदर सुरेंद्र पर रुपए लुटाता था उससे ये मालिक-नौकर का रिश्ता कम हमराज़ का रिश्ता ज्यादा लगता है। सुरेंद्र उत्तराखंड कि किसी दूर-दराज के गांव का है। जब वो अपने गांव जाता था तो मोनिंदर की गाड़ी उसे छोड़ने जाती थी और गाड़ी ही लेने भी आती थी। क्या हाई-फाई मोनिंदर सिर्फ एक नौकर के लिए ऐसा करता होगा। वैसे भी इतना बड़ा कांड हो जाने पर जिस पुलिस को भनक नहीं लगी या फिर भनक न लगने का नाटक किया गया हो उस पर यकीन करना मुश्किल है। हमारे यहां सच्चाई हर स्तर पर पैसे, सत्ता और रुतबे के नीचे दम तोड़ती रहती है। अगर लोग इतने उग्र नहीं हुए होते तो मुमकिन था कि निठारी कांड भी पुलिस की फाइलों में धूल खा रहा होता। लोगों की सक्रियता की वजह से ही मामला सामने आया और सीबीआई जांच की घोषणा हुई। पर फिर सच्चाई का गला घोंटने की कोशिश हो रही है।

इससे इनकार नहीं किया जा सकता मोनिंदर रुतबे और पहुंच वाला शख्स है। पैसों की उसे कोई कमी नहीं। कहीं ऐसा तो नहीं कि मोनिंदर को और उसी कड़ी में और भी सफेदपोशों को बचाने का अभियान चल रहा है।

निठारी कांड के बाद जिस तरह लोगों का गुस्सा फूटा उससे इस मामले को दबाना तो लगभग नामुमकिन हो गया था। इसलिए किसी न किसी को तो सज़ा देनी ही है। ताकि हमारे रखवाले या कहें कानून के रखवाले लोगों के गुस्से को शांत कर सकें कि देखो..हमने तो मुजरिम को खोज निकाला और सज़ा भी दे दी। पर इस संभावना से इनकार नहीं किया जा सकता कि बड़े लोगों को बचाने के लिए सुरेंद्र कोली को बलि का बकरा बनाया जा रहा है। मतलब ये कतई नहीं है कि सुरेन्द्र कोली बेगुनाह है...ये कहने का बस इतना मकसद है कि सुरेंद्र कोली के साथ बड़े दोषियों पर शिकंजा क्यों नहीं कसा जा रहा है? कोली के साथ बाकियों को सज़ा देने की कोशिश क्यों नहीं हो रही है? क्यों बड़े दरिंदों को बचाया जा रहा है? क्यों मासूमों के सफेदपोश हत्यारों पर मामूली धाराएं लगाई जा रही हैं?

जैसा कि फिल्मों में होता है...मालिक अपने नौकर से कहता है कि मेरे गुनाह भी अपने सर पर ले ले। तुझे तो वैसे भी मरना ही है...मेरे गुनाहों की सज़ा भी तू ही भुगत ले तो मैं तेरे परिवार की लाइफ बना दूंगा...। कहीं रील लाइफ की पटकथा ही रियल लाइफ में तो नहीं चल रही .... सतर्क रहें...

We Killed Bob Woolmer!

Sudhakar Jagdish

(pic: courtesy --cricinfo.com)

Shocked, startled and provoked were the initial reactions to find the Pakistan cricket team coach Bob Woolmer dead in Jamaica, where his team of three years and the 1992 champions had to make a 'humiliating' exit from the World Cup.

The reactions then changed to grief and then to remorse for we- a subcontinent of cricket frenzied nation have killed the person with whom we even never had any physical contact.

As Bob is dead, people of the two countries of this part of the world have to realise that we have pushed the excitement of cricket to a much farther limit, where it is no more a sport but an obsession in all wrong connotations.

Cricket in India and Pakistan has transformed from a national sporting passion to an individual violent psychotropic obsession that fails to differentiate between a game and a war.

As you read this, some light on Bob's death may have been already shed. It could be anything – a drug overdose, to Bob's failure to withstand the agony of defeat (or fear of public humiliation in Pakistan) or it could be even a conspired murder to prevent him from exposing the 'dirty politics' of Pakistan Cricket Board.

Whatever it may be, there is only one underlying fact that it points to –Cricket is no more a holy grail, but has changed to an unholy one.

If hours before bob's death or we could say it like this: Hours after Pakistan's defeat at the hands of Ireland, if a former Pakistan player tells an Indian news channel, "knives are out in Pakistan against Inzamam (Pakistan skipper) and Woolmer", one could realise , where the murderers besieged.


Within us

Bob's death is a tragic reminder and a wake up call for everyone to realise: Lets play the game of cricket.

Not the likes of hoarse cries that our Hindi news channels shout – Zimmedar kaun? (Who is Responsible?), after they found India lose its opening match against Bangladesh.

Media, however deflect criticisms against it saying, "People are passionate to know about cricket and cricketers, and hence they hog our frontpage and prime time".

They knowingly do not recognise their own role in whipping up the frenzy by writing and telecasting all stupid things and creating a mania, which finally turns a fan into a fanatic.

Finally, we are caught in a vicious circle of whipping up the bitter frenzied cricket cream and then getting served with it.

The degree of our fanaticism can be gauged from the fact that a news channel runs programme titled 'Cricket Controversies', that shows how we each one of us love to analyse, criticise, gossip and also give advise about all 'wrong things' that happen in the cricketing world.

Players in media have still to realise that media carries a double-edged dagger whenever they come close to you.

If it could shower pleasantries outnumbering your contributions and holding you in high esteem, the next moment it could brutally shred you in piece; little realizing the harm it has already done to the sport.

Cricket, like any other sport, began with a simple objective of infusing amusement and happiness in our life and taking a time off from regular monotony.

No one even in his or her wildest dreams would have ever thought of a game becoming 'larger than life' – a fact that has surfaced with the unfortunate demise of Bob.

This madness now has become a potent drug for people of the two warring nations to turn them impotent.

Keeping the cricket bat in hour hands would be a better idea than keeping it on our head. Playing cricket, rather than discussing it, would be far better idea to spend a Sunday afternoon.

Having written that, just watch our hands; it's already red with Bob's blood.