Shame Shame

Shameful events have surrounded us it seems. Personal opinions I have about some topics might not align with yours. In fact, my thoughts are probably more baseless than anyone else's. I don't get newspapers in my room, nor do I watch TV. On the internet, I don't visit the news websites. So, consider these to be opinions of a passerby, oblivious to every major event around him.

It just doesn't seem to fit. The anti-corruption bill doesn't look all that promising. I don't know the finer details about the bill, but from what I have read and heard, its draconian, unrealistic and too radical. India needs change in the attitude, not in the structure. His methods also seem to be undemocratic. Maybe, the hullaballoo about it wouldn't last very long. After eavesdropping on some conversations, the only names I have gotten till now are: Tihar,Siddhi, Arundhati, Irom Sharmila and Rahul Gandhi. Put it all together, and it sounds like a shameless and pointless protest. Compared to the ones in Tripoli, Egypt and the US, this one looks like its feeding on the fact that the government might have its hands tied with too many ropes. Its not that the ropes are tied too tight. They're just too many.

News channels are probably running full steam. Just like demand for metal during World War 2 got every single factory out of England's industrial revolution up and running at double capacity, the news channels are probably trying to fit in so much nonsense about the bill and our cricket. If I critique too much, I'd be called a cynic. If I be optimistic, I'd be a dreamer. Whatever the case may be, we'd do ourselves a world of good by remembering the 38-year old warrior who defied the English like Bhuvan. He stood there when everyone slipped. I remember a chance meeting with him in Mumbai a few years ago in a promotional cricket match between Rahul Dravid and the employees of my dad's bank. It was then that I realised that he is even more humble and magical than he seems on a television set. For a little kid who probably dreamed of joining an academy in the closest town, watching Rahul bat in London would have been like a song playing in his head and as it reaches the crescendo, he would get up, break the clutches of his family, his upbringing and start running into the fields, screaming "I am free! I can take on the world!"

We, lesser mortals in this world who take interest and till a few months back, took pride in the game, would admit to our shameless performance. Even as Sehwag, Gambhir and VVS had troubles of even settling down, we saw Amit Mishra play the innings that would define his otherwise hopeless tour. But, I still think there might be a ray of hope out of this. This setback gives a jolt that winning the World Cup doesn't mean the end of the story. Regroup, train and win! We'll get back to our winning ways soon enough. As for Tendulkar's 100th, his innings today was flawed. Like a sine wave, he went from smashing Swann twice in an over to getting multiple lifelines because of missed catches and lbw decisions. I'd want the 100th ton to be like a serene painting of a freck-less face, a gentle smile and the spark of the child's excitement in the eyes.