Dadagiri Ends

D-5

Some times you feel that it's all over, but many people still come back and make you eat your own words and humiliations. Sourav Ganguly is one that kind of a person. He was done and dusted after his first international tour itself but made heroic comeback after five years of it. He was again dumped by Dravid, Chappel, More and Co, but made one of the memorable comebacks in Indian cricket for all time. Same thing again happened, his franchise took back their support and he has been dumped in to Bay of Bengal again. Twice he came back from no where, when no one expected him to come back and this time too people have given their verdict that Sourav Ganguly had played his last match in IPL against Rajasthan Royals at his home ground last summer. Many die hard Dada supporters still feel and probably urging the god above us to allow Sourav make a grand come back again. But being a die hard fan of his once upon a time, I feel there are few factors which will not allow him this time around to make a come back. These factors are age and the speed in which these T20 games are played. You can't play like test match in ODIs and you can't play like ODIs in T20s always. Simple!

He was hardly in his 20s when he was ignored after his first international tour of Ausralia, he was still 33-34 when he was dumped by so called believers and supporters  of  "Looking to the future" brigade. But now he is 38.. Kind of a player who has passed his sell date long back, probably three years back now. Plus the market factor also matters here. KKR, his ex franchise now, is part of this mambo jumbo called IPL which is purely a business and profit minded organization. KKR had very bad three seasons of IPL, out of which in two, Dada was captain. First by default and then with TINA factor (There Is No Alternative). When this format is entirely made for youngsters, though there are few like Tendulkar who always are ready to break such myths, Sourav is possibly "the best misfit" person in this format. His IPL record tells us the story and they are self explanatory. Business can't be run on emotions. If it has any thing to do with emotions, then it has the least possible space, which was already used by Shah Rukh Khan, the owner of KKR for first three seasons. Else, KKR can't be the best earned franchise of all the 8 franchise for all three years despite not been qualified for the semis at least once in last three seasons.

It's not KKR or other franchise to be blamed entirely for not "purchasing" Dada, despite being the best captain India ever had before MSD. Dada him self has to take blame for it. First of all there was no need to be part of the fourth season. He enjoyed "icon" status along with likes of Tendulkar for Mumbai, Dravid for Bangalore, Yuvraj for Punjab and Sehwag for Delhi. There was contract of him with the IPL for first three seasons and it ended last year. By taking his performance both as captain and a player he should have thought again and again that there are plenty of chances that he will go unsold this time. Had he added the age factor I said above, he would have been able to convince himself more on his participation in the auction. I would be forced to say here that Anil Kumble has came out more smarter and wiser during this auction. He withdrew his name two days before the auction and set along side to Dr.Mallya and helped him choosing a "young team" for the franchise. But the mentality of "I can still play and I can still do better then what I did last time around" had stopped Dada to do the same.

Dada probably was the wisest person after Sunil Gavaskar when he announced his retirement from international cricket in 2008.i.e to retire at the right time. He even outsmarted Anil Kumble that time, when Kumble was literary pushed to the brink and had to retire from tests and helm was given to Dhoni. It was very joyful to see Dhoni giving Dada captaincy for last moments of that series, a true exit was done. By taking such decision in mind, we all thought that once the third IPL is over he will take retirement from "all kinds of cricket" and will be part of CAB, BCCI and KKR in administrating job and will serve Indian cricket in that manner. But that syndrome of "I am still young and can do better" hit him again and thus found himself humiliated during the auction two days back.


On the other hand, latest bytes from various news channels are suggesting that SRK still wants him in management, which he is echoing his CEO's words last afternoon.  He even said that I can't think KKR with out Sourav. Well, to be very frank, this could have happened months back. After three bad seasons with Dada as an owner you must have thought that there is no place for him thus you can't take him as a player, hence better call him to "Mannat" and have word with him and just silent or serve his ego. But there was no signal sent even when he was not retained and now after the humiliation at the auction and chain reactions from the public in general from Kolkata and probably from parts of India are coming, he probably is feeling that he may lose the support of "home crowd" when the next season starts. The profits he made has major part of Kolkata's passion for Dada and their city. States adjacent to Bengal also has good fan base for Dada and they are as passionate as you can find in Kolkata. Hence, he has offered the "mentor ship" for Dada. Well do we all think that after earning so much from Cricket and having big family business  Dada is behind such cheap money?

All in all its perfect case of another Indian sports fiasco. No one is willing to come out of ego and spoiling the image of themselves and each others as well. The day when Indian sportsmen are respected by people in general like they respect the army men, India will get more medals and trophy home. But for that sports persons too have to have lesser or no ego!!

Dessert Storm

" One should retire when people ask Why? and not when people say Why not? "

- Sunil Gavaskar, when he retired in 1987.

Top Gun

D-4

Do the ghosts exist? Many people who believe in them will say yes and many those who don’t believe will say no. But if some one names a particular ghost, then those who don’t believe in ghosts will nod their heads in agreement. The ghost I am referring to is “Bofors. “ One of the Top Guns, which helped us to win the Kargil war in early years of this century. But the way it was allowed to come to India has produced few ghosts and above all the name itself is the biggest ghost of them all.

Till yesterday evening, there was no reference to this, even a common man like me have forgotten this in worry of few other scams which made this particular scam look very poor. Scams like Harshad Mehta Scam, Ketan Parekh Scam and more recently, Commonwealth games scam and 2G spectrum scam. If these scams were not enough to make us forgot the Bofors scam then it was onions were enough to make us forgot that age old scam. Though it seems raising price of onions it self is part of another scam!!

I was just 12 - 14 years old kid when this scam was first unearthed. Don’t remember who unearthed it, but it created kind of earthquake in those days. Due to the history I was taught till that day, for me Congress was the only party who is destined to rule this country since, they gave us independence. Anyways, history taught me few things and late Rajiv Gandhi’s extraordinary victory two years back was still fresh in mind and some how it made me convinced that yes what I was learned was true.  I was shocked enough to know that some one is pointing a finger against my beloved central government and my most favorite prime minister. I was cursing those persons who were behind Rajiv Gandhi.

V.P. Singh, another ex-prime minister and then finance minster took stand against Rajiv Gandhi and resigned from his government. He suddenly came to my “black list”. Mr. Arun Shourie the then editor of Indian Express, used to put ten questions every day on front page of the newspaper directly asking Rajiv Gandhi to answer them. Even during the elections which congress eventually lost, I was supporting congress. Rest as they say is history.

As I gradually grew up, I started to understand, what actually the “Bofors Kaand” was and how it effected our nation in a negative way. Those who were younger then me or not even born during that time, let me tell you what actually had happened in few words.

Its crime to pay commission in defense deals in India. India ordered few numbers of Bofors Gun to Sweden based company and two middlemen called Vin Chaddha and Ottavio Quattrochchi, despite being crime in India played the middle man role in the deal and it is said that even the then Prime Minister of India got some share of it. That’s what it is all about.

Now, as it happens in India, once the scam unearthed, congress government did its best to dump it or make it lingering for long. To their luck the incumbent government of V.P.Singh didn’t last long, due to Prime Ministerial expectations  of  Devi Lal and Chandrashekhar in particular. They split the Janata Dal and with the support of Congress they made their own government. As one can understand, there can be understanding between these two parties and for at least four months Bofors was all but forgotten. Then congress withdrew support from Chandrashekhar government on petty issue and during the election campaign Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated. It was thought then that since he is no more, Congress will not have to worry about it. But one question was lingering in every ones mind, that commission was paid and that was a reality.

P.V.Narasimha Rao took over and as expected for five years there was nothing happening on this front and after Mr.Rao oppositions came and went into power and few took congress’ support also. So the ghost was dead and buried for many. Then in 2001 BJP, who were one of the main protesters during mid 80s, when this scam unearthed came to power with sufficient majority, every one thought now, some thing will happen in this regard, but even BJP did nothing to speed up the investigation by the CBI. This is where it sounds or feels very fishy. Because when there was a non congress government, there should have been significant progress in such big scams, but it was as if nothing will go forward. Some times I feel, is all our politicians are friends when it comes to law of land takes it course? First slow up the investigation and then use people’s weak memory and close the case.

But for congress its like a dog who has took some ones’ leg in its mouth and a person trying hard to get rid of it and not been able to do it. Its been almost 24 years now that this issue is going up. Vin Chaddha, Rajiv Gandhi, V.P. Singh are no longer living in this world. Quattrochchi is living peacefully in Argentina. But still it was nation’s money which was paid for bribe. The recent Income Tax department’s tribunal verdict does suggest that bribe has been given. That means that current and ex congress government is lying. CBI was about to file the closure report and just 24 hours before that, tribunal gave this verdict. How embarrassing it can be for the CBI. But do CBI really cares?

It’s already over burdened and always under the ruling party’s toe. If tribunal is right then CBI is wrong, if tribunal is right then Rajiv Gandhi was wrong. Why can’t the Supreme Court intervene and takes the entire issue in it’s hand, like they are doing with 2G scam. When ever congress thinks Bofors is gone, it comes back with bigger venom. If a case which has compromised with nations security, can play in hands of politicians then what will happen with few other cases which are waiting to get justice?

I know such questions are in public’s mind but what can we do and keep on watching the circus going on.

Dessert Storm

First boy: "I bought a Laptop, A bike and a Blackberry last week"

Second boy: "Wow, how lucky you are, what your father does?"

First boy: "He sells Onions!!"