Hi Amitabhji, I agree with you 100%. I do not wath cricket for long. Though in my college and school days, I have spent lots of time.
As you have said, ignoring it and concentrating on other real issues is the best thing to do. Rakesh --- On Tue, 4/27/10, Amitabh Thakur <[email protected]> wrote: > From: Amitabh Thakur <[email protected]> > Subject: [bm] dangers of cricket > To: [email protected] > Date: Tuesday, April 27, 2010, 7:54 PM > Friends, > > When I was a young boy, I used to listen to cricket matches > and generally loved it. Also used to read magazines like > Sportstar etc. for additional information. The same must be > the case for the youngsters today. With time, my interest in > the game waned down and a time came when I completely > stopped watching it. > So far, it was all right. But now the problem with me is > that I have started hating the game and many of its players. > I get extremely irritated when I see many a young players on > the TV screens or on the cover page of the newspapers. > I have very solid reasons for this. I know, as all of u, > that a games and sports are necessary ingredients of a > socio-cultural milieu. One can't take it away. For variety > of reasons cricket has taken an advantageous position > vis-à-vis other games in this country. Hence, it is now > part of our national psyche. > So far so good. But the Question is- "Is cricket the most > important issue of our life? Can we eat, drink and sleep > cricket? Are cricketing players so big entities that their > personal affairs and escapades become the defining moments > of our life? Are these cricketers God? What exactly is this > game giving to the Nation? And finally isn't it coming in a > big way in pushing back all kinds of important issues > concerning our nation?" > I think it was a player called Yuvraj Singh who had a brief > get-together with daughter of Prakash Padukone, possibly in > Australia. To make it the prime-time news article is not > only unethical and unjustified, it is also criminal and > malicious. Similarly, there is a cricketer who often has > brief skirmishes of all kinds. Whether he is slapped a fine > by BCCI or CCCI or ICC shall not be a matter of national > concern. These and many such issues make me think that we > are living in Fool's paradise where the real facts of life > are being overtaken and overpowered by escapist and hypnotic > illusions. > This could be allowed in developed countries of the West > where they can afford it. But in a country like India with > so many pressing problems, when we immerse ourselves in > these pleasures, it seems no different from the way we > behaved during the early 18th century paving way for foreign > rule. > I really feel pained when even senior ministers and > bureaucrats are found immersing themselves in such > nonsensical talks as Dhoni's strategy and its implications. > Let Dhoni take it. He is being paid exactly for that and is > being paid hugely, much-much more than he or any of these > cricketers deserve. A worker struggling all through the day > gets 100 rupees in our country. And these people get > millions for fooling u and me. > If one adds things like BCCI and IPL to this, the story > turns much more darker and murkier. I strongly believe that > this is nothing but a huge conspiracy- to sway the public > thought from all the Dantewadas, Kashmir, simmering > North-easts, poverty, flood, draught, illiteracy and so on. > A nation that can not distinguish between its true greats > and the false ones is bound to pay thru its nose. We do not > have dearth of people like Nanaji Deshmukh, Anna Hazare, > Baba Amte and thousands more who are doing much-much > important service to the Nation. Let us give them their due > and let us stop treating these fake ones like Demi-gods. For > all that they are, they are cricketers and entertainers and > no more. > The day this sense of proportion dawns on us, things will > certainly start turning for the best. Otherwise, this > narcotic substance will sink the entire country. I think we > need to come in a big way to spread this message around. > > Amitabh Thakur, > An IPS officer presently on study leave at IIM Lucknow > # 94155-34526 > [email protected] > > > > > ------------------------------------ > > www.bharatudaymission.orgYahoo! Groups Links > > > [email protected] > > >
