0.4 Escape

March 27, 2011 (Sunday) : Escape

The quarter final cricket match between India and Australia in International Cricket Council (ICC) World Cup last thursday was nail biting. Almost after a decade, Australia was shunned out of a place in the ICC World cup final. Morning newspaper next day announced the news with the biggest possible headline (a font size of probably 156 or more). And wait, what is coming? A semifinal match between India and Pakistan on the following Wednesday! No one could have asked for anything more. The storyline of 2011 world cup is unfolding in a brilliant theatrical episode, even crispier and juicier than the Saas – Bahu (mother in law – daughter in law) TV sagas. The advertizing rates on TV channels covering cricket zoomed.

The frenzy of cricket has finally arrived in the sub-continent and hopefully going to last through most part of the year as the Indian Premier League (IPL) is just around the corner. Actually, the advertisement announcing IPL is quite blunt. It said that everything (including sexual advances) would come to a standstill as the Country (India) would be closed during IPL. A statement of fact!

Cricket suits all. Families get hooked up for the best of time. There is a common national debate going on at every ‘nukkad’ (corner). This time however, cricket is becoming the greatest benefactor to the political class. News covering the Shunglu penal report indicting Sheila Dikshit (Chief Minister of Delhi) and Tajendra Khanna (Lt. Governor of Delhi) for Commonwealth Games misdeeds was relegated secondary or tertiary or even non consequential - to cricket news. Indeed India’s win in the quarterfinal against Australia had come at a very crucial time when the Government was facing humiliating charges made out through WikiLeaks on bribing MPs. Just few days ago, Government appointed Chief Vigilance Commissioner (CVC) was forced to resign at the instance of Supreme Court of India in the face of the charge that the incumbent himself was involved in the Palmolein oil scam.

The Government managers did a real good job out of the situation. The Prime Minister (PM) invited his counterparts (Zardari and Gilani) in Pakistan who were also embroiled in numerous charges of misrule. Newspapers made the headlines : “Gilani agrees to play ball with PM”, “All roads lead to Mohali (venue of the game)” ; “No-fly zone, Indian Air Force (IAF) on standby at Fortress Mohali”. The catch phrase “No-fly zone” was probably derived from the Libyan crisis and used here to describe the cricket ground.

The people, who think they run the country, made a conscious decision : relieve the people from the ongoing saga of sordid misdeeds and corruption. History is dug in. It is recalled that then Pakistan President Musharraf was also invited in a similar fashion by Manmohan Singh in 2006. Surely enough, if the PM is losing goodwill in his own country, then at least he will make up the loss in the neighboring country!