[Assam] From Outlook India

[Chan Mahanta]

Enjoyed this piece by Rajinder Puri. He says it like it oughta be. :-).

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Bull's Eye

RAJINDER PURI

Versatility is a great attribute. It creates men for all seasons. 
India has many versatile men. Take K.P.S. Gill. He is hailed as the 
nation's foremost expert on terrorist insurgency. He is advisor to 
the Chhattisgarh state for fighting terrorism. Chhattisgarh is the 
heart of Maoist activity. With a third of the districts of rural 
India under Maoist control, terrorist insurgency poses a huge threat. 
But this 24-hour responsibility does not prevent the versatile Gill 
from pursuing his other passion: hockey.

  Though president of IHF, one isn't sure if Gill ever held a hockey 
stick except when clobbering someone on the head. But one cant 
question his passion. Alas, he loves hockey too well, but not too 
wisely. After he took over, India's hockey team has slid down to 
last-but-one in world rankings. Meanwhile, terrorist insurgency 
escalates unchecked.

  Consider another versatile genius, Sharad Pawar. He is among India's 
shrewdest politicians. He is the agriculture minister. He must look 
after farmers. Farmers, unfortunately, are committing suicide in 
hundreds across the nation due to debt. Pawar's hands are full, but 
not so full as to prevent him from grabbing a cricket bat. Using his 
formidable political skills, Pawar got elected as the BCCI president. 
It was a magnificent achievement. The BCCI chief is not ranked as 
high as the president of India. But he is considerably richer. 
Cricket has become a lucrative commercial pursuit. Indeed, one is 
unsure whether Pawar's passion is aroused by the game or by its 
riches.

  Unfortunately, as Indian cricket grows richer, its quality tends to 
become poorer. After Pawar's ascendancy it has sunk to its lowest 
ebb. However, until now neither cricketers nor cricket fans have 
committed suicide. One is sure Pawar will prevent them from 
undergoing the fate that befell the unfortunate farmers who were 
beyond his help. Cricket, after all, is a priority issue. It feeds 
entertainment to the entire nation.

  Or does it? Last week, an NDTV-Hindi opinion poll discovered that 96 
per cent thought the national attention paid to cricket was 
ridiculous and insane. Only four per cent justified cricket's 
equation with religion. But this was a Hindi TV channel. Does its 
audience matter? An opinion poll in an English channel would give us 
a correct picture-- such as was projected by our honourable MPs. 
Cutting across parties they demanded the expulsion of our cricket 
team's coach, Greg Chappell.

Foreigners, quit our cricket! Inquilab zindabad!