IPL

I read a comment this morning, while travelling to work, in a news article titled "Mamta Banerjee riding on Knight Riders Victory" that raised my eyebrow . The seemingly insignificant comment was  - "Today is the true poribartan(change) that our chief minister promised a year ago." by Bengal Governor M K Narayanan, said in the backdrop of recent victory of Kolkata club team against rivals Chennai in the finals of IPL 2012.

Politicians have always been exploiting situational changes to their benefit regardless of their contributions, for a long time. This attitude of Bengal Government does not really spring any surprise. Indian politics is quintessentially a parody where famines and droughts are to be blamed on opposition and timely monsoon is direct result of efficient incumbent party.

My objection lies in the extent to which common man is being projected to a dishonest picture painted in rosy colors to leverage upon his emotions. Connections are being forged between his loyalty to a club and his loyalty to a region which in my opinion is grossly inaccurate.

Mamta Banerjee has no significant role to play in Knight Riders Victory; I am sure, someone would have noticed. KKR is not team representing Bengal in true sense. It’s a franchise owned by Shah Rukh Khan, with majority players coming from outside Bengal.

For some reason, this blatant disregard to common known facts seemed too hard to ignore. Here is a chief minister masquerading a franchise's achievement as her own that barely shares its name with Kolkata, parading it as her own laurels in front of 70,000 crowd at Eden Garden without considerations to actuality.

This whole situation just stood in my face while I tried to distract myself by reading titles of the books fellow passengers were reading. But just like a song that gets stuck in your head, I could not shrug this feeling of contempt. I kept wondering if common man has become exceptionally numb to such shenanigans that it no longer bothers him. Her being able to do so appears to be a scathing indictment upon our bourgeoisie mentality alluding that we may have stopped holding our leaders accountable. More so, the Governor hails KKR victory almost as if it were a promise made in manifesto of the ruling party.

Someone should ask the CM, the way she have come out in support of KKR, should she not extend such grace to the teams that are truly of Bengal - for example (not quitting our obsession with cricket) West Bengal's Ranjhi Cricket Team? May be Mohan Began at soccer? May be she could perhaps actually allocate some funds for good coaches and amenities for soccer enthusiast and contribute in building Indian soccer team.

In no way do I intend to downplay KKR's achievement, I am just trying to put things in perspective. I am not sure how many people would read this article, but if you do, ponder for a moment. It’s a club victory, it holds meaning only for Shahrukh and the players involved. It does not unfurl a new dawn upon the horizon. It is good TV, good entertainment but it certainly is not Bengal's victory or country's victory. Associating it with patriotism is like calling excellent TRP ratings of certain TV show as an achievement for the nation.

IPL is nothing more than entertainment, exhibition of all the skill and talent team owners can afford during auctions. It is glorified gambling in which everyone from the elitist - team owners, BCCI to the criminals - bookies are all involved. If at all, the whole IPL is a victory of capitalism, commercialism and cronyism.

- Shivank Kaul

Ref: http://www.ndtv.com/article/india/mamata-banerjee-riding-on-knight-riders-victory-219876