Indian Cricket: Blemish face with an Aureole around

Dhiyanesh Ravichandran.

As a born Indian I'm not supposed to say that I dislike Cricket. May be not the game in itself but by the way it is played here. So, by the way, how is it played here in India? Just a play or a fair play?

What we have made is a true religion out of cricket. The new religion has millions of followers and sympathizers for various cults. They see cricket as a matter of national and regional pride; they preach, unite and fight for it. They fall victims to the bloody traps of cults created by the cricket industry, waste their life and energy for something that has always remained a mirage - means the reality is always something else unknown to masses, in the oblivion. And IPL has become a festival of such a religious affiliation! So, anyone questioning anything related to this religion is considered as infidels and frowned upon.

As a society, our memory is very short. We are not aliens to scams and scandals too. We have seen all types and forms of corrupt practices in all walks of life. So, the present-day news breakers of betting and match-fixing scandal will move off our memory very soon. Indian cricket and IPL will be untainted as ever because we have seen thousands of such issues popping out now and then and fading off in the oblivion. Anyone remember why Mr. Lalit Modi was kicked off from the IPL? Why was Mr. Dalmia a controversial figure at the BCCI?

IPL is a high-end entertainment grabbing masses, but its darker side is very less known. Nor people are interested to know more about the reality. Young students who form a huge chunk of the fan lot, never wants to know what their stars and the amusements do to them. If a movie fails to entertain and live up to its hype, we cannot say we feel cheated. But sabotaging the audience's right to a fair game free of any corrupt practices should definitely considered a case of cheating. The IPL is publicized as a fund-raising project of the BCCI. However, it has never said anything about for whom are the funds raised. The event helps the rich to become richer by exploiting the interest of cricket lovers. 

It is an utter amazement to note how things are taken for granted in India for the sake of cricket. The BCCI, ever since its foundation in 1928 has remained as a "private club consortium" or a sports association. It has its own governing body and autonomy. It has the authority to select players, umpires and officials to participate in international events and exercises total control over them. Without its recognition, no competitive cricket involving BCCI-contracted Indian players can be hosted within or outside the country. Being an apex governing body of cricket in India, there has never been an attempt to undertake it directly by the Sports ministry or to make it a constitutionally recognised body. Nor it is accountable to the constitution of India. 

The administrators of the BCCI are obviously the bigwigs from the corporate houses and politics. Mr. N.Srinivasan, the current president, is the managing director of India cements Limited. He was earlier the secretary of the board. He owns the Chennai Super Kings franchise in IPL. Incredible isn't it? Until 2008, BCCI regulation, Clause 6.2.4 stated that "no administrator of BCCI could have had, directly or indirectly, any commercial interest in the matches or events conducted by the cricket board". Later, after the start of IPL in 2007, the clause was amended to give unfavorable benefit to BCCI members such that they can own stakes in the IPL franchise. The case against Mr. Srinivasan on the grounds of conflict of interest is still pending in the Supreme Court.

His son-in-law Mr. Meiyappan, who was the Team principal of CSK, has now been arrested by the police for his alleged contacts with an actor who served as a conduit for bookies. This raises questions about both the nature of his indulgences in the betting and match-fixing scam and the extent to which the father-in-law was aware of these. Other rules are bent too. Two players charged with taking drugs in a party were allowed to take part in the IPL matches. 

This is a serious crisis of credibility that Indian cricket is facing. The world's richest cricket board BCCI is always seen as a golden duck by business tycoons, politicians and fixers who are interested only in power and money. The IPL - packaging entertainment as a sport with the ultimate aim of making money has a plenty of scope for the shady dealings of the kind being unearthed now. There is absolutely no transparency in the IPL and the BCCI, to which allegations the body responded some years back by pointing out Lalit Modi, whose brainchild the IPL was. No other actions were taken against other culprits in and outside the body. The sports ministry must push in reforms and take over plans of the BCCI to restore public confidence on the cricket in India and to save the game. Cricket fans must realise the other side of how the sport passion and the interest of the masses are exploited. Only then, cricket in India will be a fair play. The bright aureole around must not a plausible explanation to undermine the blemished face of Indian cricket.

Water. Not a commodity but our right!

Dhiyanesh Ravichandran.

Today ( March 22) is World Water Day.

     

   Drinking water is a basic necessity of human beings for a minimum survival. Since we talk about 'welfare state' policies in second millennium, it is the duty of the government to provide that basic necessity for all its subjects, with equitable accessibility to the resource. It is the right of every human beings to demand clean and safe drinking water from his government. But the sad part is that, in the present-day materialistic world, water is also considered as a commodity, which can be sold for money.  Thanks to the greedy capitalistic ideas of the western corporates, water is now sold in packed plastic bottles. The governments, both at the centre and the state level, are increasing trying to shift the responsibility of providing safe drinking water to the private sector. Yes, it is a good idea of providing safe drinking water to people amidst contaminated water sources and increase in water-borne diseases, but I would rather say it is not a sustainable idea towards water security in India and environmentally, economically and socially we are paying a heavy price.  

     Indians currently spend about $360 million a year on bottled water, analysts estimate (2010). Indian bottled water industry is a whooping Rs. 4000 - 5000 crore market (2010), with an annual growth rate of 40% (2009). India ranks in the top ten largest bottled water consumers in the world and its per capita per annum consumption of bottled water is estimated to be five litres. Today it is one of India's fastest growing industrial sectors. Between 1999 and 2004, the Indian bottled water market grew at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 25 per cent - the highest in the world. The  total annual bottled water consumption in India had tripled to 5 billion liters in 2004 from 1.5 billion liters in 1999. Global consumption of bottled water was nearing 200 billion litres in 2006. A national level study estimates that there are more than 200 bottled water brands with an equivalent share of domestic players. In fact, making bottled water is today a cottage industry in the country. Leave alone the metros, where a bottled-water manufacturer can be found even in a one-room shop, in every medium and small city and even some prosperous rural areas there are bottled water manufacturers. But, India is a land of 1.2 billion people with a huge share of poor. About 128 billion ( which, according to me is a too low estimate) lack access to safe drinking water. The World Bank estimates that 21% of communicable diseases in India are related to unsafe water. Diarrhea alone causes more than 1,600 deaths daily—the same as if eight 200-person jumbo-jets crashed to the ground each day.

     The cost that we and our mother earth pay for packing that so-called 'pure' water in plastic bottles is very high. It is said that every litre of bottled water wastes three litres of natural water for its production. "Crush the bottle after use" goes the labels, which means that about 1.5 million tons of plastic wastes annually, taking up valuable landfill space, leaking toxic additives into the groundwater and a whopping 1,000 years to biodegrade, if ever! What about the fuels used in the process of making these plastic bottles and for transporting and preserving them?? For producing these 1.5 million tons of bottles annually, we emit around 1 million tons of Co2 into the atmosphere. 

     We pay around Rs. 16 to 20 for a litre of so called 'pure' water in towns and cities. It is apparent that this trend for safe drinking water is hostile to less privileged classes both in rural and urban, forcing them to opt other sources often compromising safety. Studies claim that a very fraction of the 360 million dollars that we spend annually for bottled water is enough to improve tap water and sanitation facilities for the whole India. Yet, governments will never think about it because the revenue that they receive by various taxes on bottled water and the GDP contribution that that the industry make are far more important for it. Indian Railways took the initiative of providing clean drinking water free of cost for its customers. RO (Reverse osmosis) water purifiers were installed at various train stations and were quite successful. But the discrepancies on the part of maintenance and reliability of such facilities raised serious questions. Often the greedy shopkeepers in the station platforms damage them, in a bid to increase their profits on bottled water sales and even the IRCTC ( Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation), which takes care of catering services both in trains and stations, felt that the bottled water revenue were much higher and thus, gave no importance to tap-water facilities. 

     Water is a natural resource which is common for all and is a basic right of every human beings. For that matter, all living beings have a say in such key resources that are meant for survival. No one can take away people's right to clean and safe water, not even the government. The first thing that we need to do in this regard is rule out the notion of considering water as a commodity. It is ridiculous that we are in a situation of buying drinking water for money. It is the duty of the government to ensure that all its citizens have equitable access and opportunity to reach that very basic need for survival. Here, the people in authority must understand the importance of sustainability to water security. It is possible to improve the quality of tap water in both urban and rural areas, of course a herculian task, but it can be done effectively by the PPP (Public Private Partnership) model. And the facility should also be available free of cost. Governments can invest more on desalination projects and water purification systems at possible public places, ensuring effective mechanisms for their maintanance. Existing laws on pollution of water sources such as rivers, lakes, wells, etc. are toothless, which needs reforms. Corporates need to shoulder social responsibility in protecting the public welfare and the environment wholeheartedly, giving less preference to profit maximisation. Common people also share responsibility in conserving water and protecting water sources from contamination. Unless until a collective effort involving everyone - governments, corporates and the people - is taken, drinking water for all at equal access and free of cost will be a distant dream. Once a policy plan and legislations are made, certain roadblocks and implementation problems can be solved with ease. 

     The theme for World Water Day 2012 is 'Food and Security: The world is thirsty because we are hungry.' The main aim is to spread awareness of the amount of water that is consumed on cooking food. UN-Water's website says that cooking around one kilo of wheat 'drinks' upto 1500 litres of water, leading to scarcity is a plentiful planet!