THE GREAT INDIAN MADNESS...

What are you thinking??? Again, it's obvious. It's Cricket!!.

I would like to call it that way. We, Indians attach a lot of importance to glitz and glamour. That has become a way of life. Bollywood stands as a testimony to this fact.

'Cricket-craze' can also be attriburted to this very basic fact. Cricket players instatly become celebrities as soon as they are selected in the Indian team squad. They start endorsing scores of brands from day one. Cricket in India is more of a celebrity rendezvous and less of a game. And as Indians love to worship celebrities, it is quite obvious that Indians would go crazy about cricket.

Not only the 'aam janta', but everyone right from politicians to film actors, like to be associated with cricket in some or the other way. Let's take the case of the IPL. It was such an unimportant issue, which was hyped to such an extent that it seemed to be a national issue at some point. And again, Bollywood actors are associated with IPL.

It is not to say that 'stop worshipping cricket. Worship the national game, hockey'. I don't mean to say that from any angle. Hockey may not be worshipped; hockey may be neglected; but, then again, I would like to ask the same question, Why cricket???.

Even the government is ready to shed heavy sums of money on cricketers. Never would someone be able to read a news in the newspapers or hear from some news channel about a hocket player, or an athlete receiving huge sums of money as a cricket player receives.

I recently read an article on the plight of aspiring cricketers. It was really shocking and disheartening to learn the reality. If am not wrong with the statistics, it is said that every year, near about 2,00,000 aspiring cricketers compete at various levels of domestic cricket out of which 300~400 end up playing in some national level trophy. The rest are left behind. Of course, those who get on to the top are talented and would be capable enough to take India to victory in the next T20 World Cup. But, those who are left behind are left behind forever.

The article said that those taking cricket as a profession and those who dream of playing in the Indian team, spend the precious time of their youth and career practicing cricket and playing in some district or state level teams. Ultimately, when they are not selected for playing any national level matches, they are left with few or no options to fall back on. For most of them, it marks the end of their career.

This situaiton is totally different from a candidate failing in an entrance examination. For him, there are alternate courses and he can carefully choose some career which suits him. But, for the former, the case is different. The article also talked about suicides resulting from disappoinment in not getting selected into some match or team, people who have lost their mental balance due to the shock resulting from grave disappoinment when they do not make it finally to the prestigious squad.

The numbers are alarming. Imagine, people who, otherwise would have lead a normal life, ending up committing suicides and losing mental balance!!!. Terrible...simply, terrible.

Apart from a handful, for the rest its all nothing other than the insatiable hunger for becoming famous, attaining celebrity status and what not.

This is precisely the reason why I call cricket as the 'Great Indian Madness'.

ABSOLUT FAD!!!!

Sorry, I am not talking about my fad for Absolut Vodka (of course, I don't drink).

I am talking about the plethora of fads that has gripped our very own nation, India. First, I shall discuss about that particular fad which has the ability to drive an entire nation crazy, motionless and jobless. Yes of course!!, it is none other than Cricket!!!

I am not against this game as you might think. In fact, I have many favourite players in cricket ranging from Sachin, Gibbs, Rhodes to name a few. I also watch matches with high degree of interest and enthusiasm. I also get excited while watching close chases, bowled, dives, sixes and so on. I experience adrenaline rush during these events. Like every other normal Indian citizen, I also watch, talk and get excited about cricket.

But there is one and only one difference. I do and experience the above mentioned activities only once in a while and NOT ALWAYS!!!!. And that is the only difference according to me.

But we can see a lot of people around us who do not miss even a single cricket match and follow the statistics very religiously. In fact, that 'lot of people' mean a lot when we talk about our nation. Every small kid knows what yesterday's target was, statistics of various individuals and team records.

Again, we all are crazy about one thing or the other, ranging from food, clothes, watches, bikes, cars and what not. Craze of one kind or the other is embedded in the innate nature of human beings, only the degree and the subject differs. Let us not exclude other games such as soccer, tennis, F1, basketball etc. etc....

But, whatever it might be, nothing can beat India's craze for this particular game called 'cricket'. I always wonder what's so special about is game. If it just a couple of individuals, a particular state where the game is popular, it is very well understood. But, an entire nation going crazy about a game??? Tough to believe and accept when looked on from a neutral perspective. Cricket may one such thing that surpasses and shatters all boundries of state, north-south-east-west India, caste, religion, sex (boys would be more crazy for that matter), social status, economic status, rich & poor - all the possible divisions and classes that we can think of.

At this point in time, nothing unites India as strong as cricket. Indians can be proud of this fact.

I often think of the psychology behind this mad craze for this game. What I can think of are a few reasons to justify it. Let us start from the very obvious. It might be because of the fact that the game is too interesting. But, then again there are lot of games that are much intersting than cricket. If we look at tennis, there are at least some supermodels to watch out for, who have been the dreamgirls of too many a gentlemen.

ABCD.............

'ABCD-American Born Confused Desi'. Even though this acronym is referred to as a joke, I lately realised that there is a lot of truth attached to this joke.

The reason being nothing else but the very innate confused nature of ABCDs. ABCD need not necessarily be from America, but can be from anywhere outside India. All of them share the aforementioned common trait.

Hey, for those of you who are NRIs or who are very closely related to NRIs, there is no offence intended. And it is not to say those born and brought up outside India are 'confused'. I shall explain what I mean to say.

This is what happens. Mr X along with Mrs. X go abroad to work there as Mr.X has got a very good offer. And since Mr. X thinks that there is no point staying in India and since he is getting better package and better facilities abroad, the reasons for moving out are quite obvious. Fine.

Later, at some point in time, junior X marks his presence on the earth. Now what? Mr. X is all prepared to meet the challenges. Mr. X enrols junior X in a good Indian school where he can comfortably study C.B.S.E or I.C.S.E syllabus. In some cases, Mr. X may enrol junior X in a British School, Irish School, Scottish School or whatever school he feels like enroling junior X in. Hey, its not because Indian schools are bad as you are thinking, its just that Mr. X is a bit more ambitious.

Junior X completes his boards in due course of time. In his summer vacation, Mr. X decides to visit India.

After coming to India, during his visits to various places and relatives, junior X marks his observations about his Indian counterparts. Junior X notices that the Indian kids do not speak English in the right accent, at least he thinks that what he uses is the right accent. Junior X observes that his Indian counterparts do not use computer as frequently as he does. Their typing speed is far less as compared to his typing speed. They do not eat pizza and burger daily. They dress up in a very modest manner. Junior X is feeling extremely shitty about his Indian counterparts.

Junior X decides once and for all that this is not the place for him. His 'country' is far better than India. He is afraid that if he stays in India, his kids would become like his Indian counterparts not knowing what a pizza and burger tastes like.

He would rather prefer to stay as an ABCD who 'visits' India once in a year or two. He would rather prefer to pass on the legacy of an ABCD down the generation ladder, so that super junior X's would become better ABCDs.