Each time I am asked to either speak about my country INDIA or write about it, the one thing that effortlessly flows out of me is “….It is a country where Cricket is a religion…” And very truly it is. Gone are the days when people in India were fanatic about our National game Hockey and would proudly say “Saare medals ek taraf, Hockey ka medal ek taraf” Today, cricket is the new craze & rage!

Though I am not myself a very fanatic & ardent cricket fan, everybody around me is! Though I do still watch cricket matches regularly! I might not have a thorough depth & knowledge about cricket, what has forced me to pick up my pen & write this piece is all the sleaze & murk about cricket that is making the headlines! I am not going to talk about what is happening, what is moral or what is legal and the role of everybody being questioned & otherwise. Enough has been spoken & written about it. I am going to talk about we Indians, and our role as I believe we are being cheated immensely. 

What has made Cricket or rather who has made Cricket what it really is today! It is WE, undoubtedly. For a fanatic Indian fan, like it is said, a soldier fighting for the country and a cricketer fighting to make his team declared victorious would be comparable. We would not bunk office even if we are seriously ill but would definitely to watch an India-Pakistan match! An outsider could sense a curfew if he happened to visit an Indian town on the day of an India-Pakistan match. It is that passion for cricket which not just the players have but every Indian cricket fan shares it. A young Indian today buys a home theater and a couch so that he and his friends could comfortably watch a cricket match! It is a dream for every cricket fan to get clicked with Sachin, Dravid, Ganguly or Dhoni! It is this high pedestal we place them on. It is not just the Indian common man, that follows cricket but people from every profession, from a rickshaw wala to a politician, people from every state from Kashmir to Kanyakumari & from Gujarat to Kolkata, people of all age-groups, from a kid to an adolescent to an adult, males & females (though I am not too sure of the latter) who do! Pick up an Indian randomly from a crowd and there are 90% chances that he would be a huge cricket fan!  A child would be ready to put in an hour of study more just so that his mom allows him to watch / play cricket for some time more. An ardent Indian cricket fan could write volumes of books on cricket irrespective of his / her writing or speaking skills & ability. That is how much we as Indians are fervent about the game.  It is this zeal & intensity with which we associate ourselves to the sport. Truly the game of cricket for us is of eminence and of supposed superiority. We literally worship our cricket players and for us Cricket is the most glorified and dignified game in the whole of world. It is correctly, in our opinion, a gentleman’s game, as it is called.

The recent sleaze in the game of Cricket spread all across the newspapers hitting headlines & televisions running debates is highly deplorable. Aren't we being cheated? The answer is YES, Big Time! We are being deceived & tricked in a game we watch with all earnestness, with true seriousness, solemnity & sincerity. It is this Indian Common man who is willing to pay a thousand bucks or more just to be able to watch a cricket match in the stadium, just be able to see the cricketer he worships. This money that he earns and spends to watch a pure & true game of cricket is being abused. What are we supposed to do about it? Sit silent and watch on just like we do all the other time such a headline hits the country. Talk about it, discuss & get used to it the very next day, as if nothing happened! It is we who need to make everyone who is trying to deceive us and play with our emotions that is in true sense passionate about the real game of cricket realize that we have made them! Yes, it is we, the people; the public who has made the game of cricket what it is today! Huge, Big, Magnificent!

And now as we head towards the Finals of IPL at the Eden Gardens, a genuinely iconic place, it is up to us if we are able to tell them that enough is enough; and we won’t let fraudulence, corruption & immorality take over this ethical game. If we have the power & strength to shun the game at the Eden Gardens this time, by not turning up and leaving the stadium empty to show our resentment; and turn off the television screens to show our wrath, we might do our bit! But would we? That is a big question. It is also our responsibility to take a plunge to throw the rotten eggs off the basket. And help let the gentleman’s game remain truly and eternally gentlemanly! 

I have grown up watching Bollywood movies and I call myself a self confessed Bollywood lover. If I were asked to ever choose between Bollywood and Hollywood, I would undoubtedly choose the former. The generation today would react to the above statement in a state of shock! I know, because the generation today is a wild admirer of Hollywood, a few of them for reasons which are valid and acceptable and a few to just follow the style quotient! Well, for the former reason I do admire Hollywood Movies, for the substance, the spunk, the meaning and the effects but I deny to be a part of the latter group. Of course, there is no denying that Hollywood movies are class apart but I still love Bollywood movies for what they are! I love to see Shah Rukh Khan, an exemplary romanticist romancing our Bollywood ladies. I love to see the actors/actresses romancing in the rain and running around the trees, that is what the essence of Indian Romance is! I wonder if any Indian couple has never imagined themselves that ways! We do, but we are shy to express, or probably we take the easy path of going with the majority by criticizing the so called “stupid stuff” in Bollywood movies! There also can be no denying that Bollywood makes movies with substance, movies for a cause. Movies like Rang De Basanti, Chak De India, Taare Zameen Par, A Wednesday and the list is endless. I am one Indian who is a fan of all three Khans, all for different reasons, SRK for his wit, spontaneity and for being the maestro of acting, Salman for his individualistic and impeccable style quotient and Aamir for his spunk and substance. Just like people describe themselves to be an avid reader; I would call myself an avid Bollywood movie watcher. I must have watched a few of them for a dozen times and can still bring it on. I love the idea of a perfect couple, perfect marriage, the hero-can-do-all-possible-stuff-on-earth and the happy endings etc exhibited in movies.  Being a Bollywood lover, when asked a favourite, I stumble upon the question. I have no favourites. I admire and even revere a lot of them. As a youngster, I look up to Mr. Bachchan, there is so much that a person like me can learn from him. The diverse genre played by Ranbir Kapoor just at the start of his career reinstates the fact that he has a long way to go. The impishness, flair and flamboyance of Saif Ali Khan and the aphrodisiacal John Abraham would also top the popularity chart.  And not to forget our lovely ladies, from Madhuri Dixit to Parineeti Chopra, each of them has an individualistic appeal. The classic Hum Aapke Hai Kaun and the “Didi Tera Dewar Deewana” song are perennially immortal. The grace, poise and elegance of Madhuri Dixit which is hard to match, the institutional classics of the vivacious Sridevi, the full of beans and perky – Kareena Kapoor, the sassy and classy Priyanka Chopra, the queen of charts – Katrina Kaif, the self assured player of “Wake Up Sid” with the stark nuances of a brilliant “Life in a Metro”– Konkona Sen Sharma, the actress for all seasons – Kajol, the fashionista – Sonam Kapoor, the charismatic and the dynamic – Deepika Padukone and the pretty pastel and raw recruit of Ishaqzaade – Parineeti Chopra. The list would go on and on…It is therefore such an onerous task picking up a favourite! Bollywood offers us such a rich basket of diversity, which compel me to reinstate therefore that I have no favourites…I am a Bollywood Fan!

The word BRUTAL, HEINOUS, HORRIFIC, INHUMAN… All of them will just remind every informed Indian about that one tragic incidence that happened recently. The barbaric act is unthinkable of, in a democratic society, also when it is the capital of the country and is not even midnight. Ironically, all this happened in a city that boasts of a 75000 strong police force. If one happens to check the statistics, there are two molestations and one reported rape case everyday in the capital city! Shocking, isn’t it? The incidence urges every Indian woman of ask herself if she is safe anywhere and anytime. And the answer reinforces the fact – NO! The relentless attack has not just shocked and shamed India, but has scarred every household in true sense. There are approximately 19 crore households in India, and I am sure, every mother, father or brother is scarred about her daughter or sister. I witnessed it myself, when I went to watch T-20 to Wankhede Stadium with a bunch of friends. My family (far away in Delhi) could not sleep till the time I reached my hostel back safely. I even saw the wrinkle of worry on my friend’s face when I reached back. It is this perennial fear, not just in the mind of every woman, but in the minds of every family that we need to get rid of. For how long are we going to live in a constant fear of being brutally, savagely and mercilessly assaulted may be anytime, anywhere. The shocking news of rape and assault have long being dominating the TV screens and the newspapers. Ironically again in a country like India, which has a rich and diverse cultural heritage of looking up at woman as a symbol of love, sacrifice, courage and what not! What is the government, police and the citizens doing? How are we compensating for the complete security and safety of women? For how long are we going to live with grim reminders of such tragic incidences? For how long are we going to cringe, as Indians, when outsiders remind us of such incidences? Though all of us are disgusted and appalled at such incidences, we need to question as to why is it happening, the loop-holes in the system and what can we do to prevent it. It is only then that we can claim that we live in a SAFE India. Each one of us needs to question himself/herself.

I would want to salute the protester’s spirit in Delhi. At least, they are doing their bit. It is high time that the government should take up radical reforms and ensure justice to make our lives safe and secure. Though capital punishment is legal in India, since 1995 there have been only three people who have been hanged until death. Isn’t it shocking in a country like India which is plagued with such a high criminal rate? At least, the capital punishment would be a deterrent for such criminals to commit such heinous crimes. Creating a separate dedicated court, setting a minimum sentence and fine amount for non-rape offences, a minimum term even after conviction, capital punishment for the heinous crimes would surely serve as a deterrent for such crimes. Well, surely there would be a lot that the government, the police and every individual should do, to make this place a better and a secure place to stay. Till then I would just be waiting for the day when I could move around anywhere and anytime without having to worry about anything and when my family back home could relax, watch TV and have popcorn till the time I came back home!