Cricket, Government and National interest!!

A few weeks back, Nimbus, which had bagged the four-year BCCI, telecast rights last year for $612 million, was asked to share cricket telecast with national broadcaster in the ‘interest of the nation’.

I couldn’t decide whether to be feel happy that the common man with no cable connection at home would be able to watch the men in blue playing World Cup or to question the decision of the government which is forcing a private company, who bought the rights to telecast the matches ‘exclusively’ in a multi-million bidding!

How fair it is on the part of the government in this open economy to force a private player that too by the way of an ordinance to share its business with government?

While surfing got hold of this article by Karan Thapar. A thought provoking conversation there.

An excerpt:

“And what about the right to food, education and healthcare? No one can deny that they are more important than cricket. So, now, is the government going to force restaurants to provide free food, hospitals to admit patients without charge and schools to waive their fees? In terms of the government’s logic that should have happened first!”

Cheers!!

My brush with Jade Goody...

Thursday was just another day for me. I started from the office to the bus stop from where I usually take route 66 bus. It was already dark and as soon as I boarded the bus I sank on my favorite last seat of the bus and immersed myself in the music filled in my ears by my mp3 player. 15 minutes later the bus stopped at one of its numerous stops along the route and a bunch of 5 boys aged not more than 14 got down from the bus. Nothing unusual! As the bus was about to leave from the stop, one of those boys came to the back of the bus and knocked the window to grab my attention. And what he did? I got the middle finger! Before I could react, the bus was on its way. This is just one of the milder incident with an Indian but my first brush with so called ‘racism’.


Not the gesture but the thing that baffled me was the age of the boy. I am sure, given a chance, he could not have pointed out where India is on the world map and surely he would not have any idea whether Asia is a continent or a Russian actress. But he somehow concluded that we (read Indians or Asians) are there on his land and are responsible for depriving some of the things that could have been his or his elder brother’s or for that matter his father’s!


The organization in which I am working here employ around 1000 Indians, all from different IT majors from India and at a place where total no. of employees is not more than 3000, it’s a big number. Since the time I have landed here, there have been two drives when the English contractors were laid off and were replaced by Indians. They are loosing their jobs with alarming regularity. Same is happening in other organizations too and in large numbers. This is the other side of the coin which we tend to miss while assessing their behavior towards us. In my view, their frustration is not entirely unjustified.


The buses here are crowed with Indians. Almost every day, they get packed at the first stop itself from where most of us board it. That leaves no option for the English guys to stand all along the route.


Think of the same scenario in Mumbai or Delhi. Foreigners all around you. Snatching your jobs overnight leaving you or your father jobless (Hunting for a new job at the age of 40 is not a feel which everybody look forward to). DTC or best buses full of them with you barely finding a place to stand. So, hows the thought?


I remember the time when I was a kid, a large no. of students from Africa (mainly Nigeria) flocked Gwalior (my home town). They were there to do some degree courses. And I remember each one from our colony used to see all of them with great suspicion.

So we should not be surprised when we are being watched by the same spects now in this alien land. More than the racism, I guess this is the sense of insecurity they have developed against us. A feeling that the hard working, weekend slogging breed of Indians will slowly throw them out of their jobs and would slowly stand with them on the podium of economic growth.

Cheers

Timepass...

A little cloudy day with the temperature hovering between a minimum of 3 and a maximum of 8 degrees. A perfect setting for sipping a ginger tea while watching a Chashme Buddoor or a Katha. Sadly, this 25 year old moron is sitting in his office supposedly giving support to some other teams in their testing. The fact that not a single representative of those teams have turned up till now to ask for support completes the misery. Mind you, it’s a Sunday!!

Welcome to the corporate world. The world in which you earn more than you deserve, you sleep less than you need, you save more than you think and in a nutshell, you live less than you wish. You will realise this when you miss the marriage of your close friends coz you are 4500 miles away from them.

(4th Feb. This is somebody’s anniversary in my family. Trying to recollect the couple’s name but failing. Murphy is playing with me again and I know as soon as the clock would strike 12 midnight and it would be 5th, I would have the names!)

Okie...4th Feb. Today I completed my 4 months stay in UK. Not comparing the life here with India, admittedly, its been easier here. Easier to the extent of being monotonous. Roads are so smooth and straight that you can actually finish a novel while driving before taking another turn. The gas cylinder would never finish at the odd time coz you have electric stove at your disposal. Even the trucks and buses would stop near the zebra crossing pleading you to cross the road first and there is no need to go to vegetable market after finishing you grocery shopping coz you have the ‘you-name-it-we-have-it stores’ like Sainsbury and TESCO!

Still the country is alien (no, I am not sympathising with Shilpa Shetty and I have not watched any of the Big Brother episodes). I mean, something is missing. Where is the excitement of penetrating the crowd all the way from platform 1 to platform 7 at Andheri station to catch 8:57 local? Where are those bumpy rides in Pune’s non existing roads? Where is the fun of running to neighbour’s house asking for the spare gas cylinder when yours is finished with half cooked curry on the burner? Where is the feeling of achievement when you bargain successfully and get kilo potatoes in Rs 9.50 instead of 10! What is the use of taste buds when you have all but tasty food in English restaurants! (My taste buds are all packed and locked in the drawer. Asking for the taste in English food is like demanding a six from Courtney Walsh).

All things are not bad either. Weather is something to die for. Although it’s a little fickle and too cold at times but personally I like winters no matter you are all packed with two sweaters and 3 jackets giving competition to Shammi Kapoor. And the place is just too beautiful to ignore. The folks are extra courteous and start the sentence with please and then stuff it with 253 sorrys and 562 thankus.

The analysis will continue…