Mr. Mani Ratnam and his Commercial Flick

The post is not about Ravana!! Definitely not..... :)

So, if not totally, to a large extent, I got bashed up for my previous post. People called it all sorts of things- an outstretched opinion, dangerously presumptuous, a miserable attempt at trying to get commercial- just like Mani Ratnam trying to direct a commercial flick- and of course.... the 'one size fits all' adjective- NICE. Cricket is indeed a touchy topic and especially so with Indians :) and I learned it the hard way. But I enjoyed all the adulation it got :). Like in 'Guru' Abhishek Bacchan says 'If people are talking about, against or for you, assume that you are making progress :)'- Okay too much melo drama, I agree..... but hey it's true you know.......does it occur to you, yet again that I'm giving credit to Abhishek here and had to Google out Vijay Krishna Acharya's name?!!(one who wrote the Hindi dialouges for the movie)

But for all the conversations and emotions it stirred up over the last week, I would say that the purpose was met. After all blogging is a genre of expression. If I had people listen to me talk all day would I still feel the necessity to blog. Oh Yes!! Each conversation has a take away, at times applicable to the world at large...so yes...... why not document it. I am late to this agenda and there are better writers out there. But hey, intimidation and trepidation is common is it not? Neophytes would definitely fear a Sachin or an Amitabh. Their persona is indeed larger than life. But if Sachin or Amitabh gave up on their skills feeling the same about Gavaskar or Dilip Kumar respectively, would we have a master blaster or a superstar, today?

Consider this scenario. You have known a few people for sometime and are comfortable enough to narrate to them, in excruciatingly painful detail, the deepest thoughts and the most silliest of the occurrences on a daily basis. After a few years the reactions, advices and opinions you get from them become predictable. It's like you know what's coming next in a conversation. Is this point in a relationship a sort of dead end? But most people strive to have such a comfort zone with others, right? If 'comfort level' is what gives people the sense of security, then why does familiarity breed contempt? And out of no where, strangers appear more attractive and interesting, it's like we have something new, a change from the routine.... Do we forget that best friends and close ones were also strangers once? Do we also forget that at the end of the day predictability perhaps is comforting?

All these thoughts are probably a result of missing familiar faces or a result of accepting and instantly adapting to changed settings. Yes...a few of us here chose to change the 'default' setting we came with...(could you get any more geeky Kriths!! :))...But it's also essential to experiment....and while in the thick of things....the soul searching seems never ending....

Lagaan

Brilliant movie!!! Even if the love story between Gracy Sing and Aamir Khan was superfluous....but then what's Bollywood without its romances.... Again, the way cricket is woven in to the script is a laudable effort indeed... Ashutosh Gowariker is a good script writer... But some how it ended up being 'Aamir Khan's Lagaan'..... The guy with the big bucks gets all the fame eh!

Nothing unites or divides India like cricket, it's ironic don't you think? Cricket gives all Indians a sort of cult status that is almost peculiar only to India and yes that is something to be proud of! Apparently the sport originated in Northern Europe after the end of the Roman Empire but nothing is confirmed. But I still believe that it is indigenous to India and that it spawned out of Gilli Danda. No one knows if it came from Europe to India or went the other way round. Somethings in history have left no traces, sadly this is also up for speculative grabs.

Countless reasons make it a 'good for health' sport.

It's easily accessible to anyone who wants to play and provides enough scope for innovation, in the event of being equipment-handicapped- how else would you explain turning a racket ball bat in to a cricket bat.

You do not need a well kept turf or a perfectly flat floor. It can be played just about any where. Kitchen of the house, veranda, classroom, you just occupy and play!

Absolutely anyone can play. This is the only game in which the highly learned will entertain the underdogs and will be ever so glad to provide valuable lessons for free!

You do not need to posses any gadget at all to witness this game. Absolutely anyone- shop keeper, neighbor, stranger will let you watch it and all media of communication will be more than glad to bring the game closer to you in whichever language you prefer.

All the terminologies have a regional equivalent.

On a larger picture:
It brought home the concept of cheer leading squads (hardly a head turner) and leagues. Creates a very pro-active economy for those months of any major season. Eg: IPL (needless to mention..but hey....deserves one right?!).
Creates enough scandal and news to keep everyone up and running during those months.
Brings in enough money to make BCCI one of the richest sporting organizations in the world.
Takes the ad-making industry to a different height, churning out some of the best ads.
Leaves the citizens feeling absolutely entertained and happy :)

Cricket is also the reason sites like Cricinfo and true to the word blogs like 'Cricket with Balls' exist.

And all this is only about the sport at large...imagine if I had started getting in to the nitty gritty's of the players and their stances. I till date do not understand the rules of a test match and I'm not a cricket fanatic either. I still feel that the bat making any sort of connection with the ball is serendipity. Of course, the batsmen does aim at the gaps and makes sure he strikes the ball to a good velocity, but still it's all a big mind boggling game of probability.

The game in it's early years had a certain regal look about it with the lush green stadiums and the players dressed in white. It did look like a gentleman's game and probably was. But now with all the cacophony and theatrical moves all the gentleness is left behind :)

Albeit it never fails to grab the nation's attention, stir up the economy and feed people's imaginations.... So if people out there think cricket is overrated you might want to re-consider.

PS: This is the second blog in the 'you asked for it' series.......Dhiraj hopefully is a happier person now :)