All that Glitters..

The current direction in which the Indian cricket is heading is in a way indicative of the countries collective psyche.We are inclined towards individuals or phenomenons which dazzle,rather than the substance. We celebrate talent but fail to recognize qualities like gut,determination and hard work.

Invariably our news makers are prodigies like Yuvraj Singhs,Sania Mirzas or Vinod Kamblis. No doubt these are tremendous talents. But somehow lack the application or adaptability to sustain at the highest level. A Sania Mirza marriage gets 10 days of extensive media coverage. Where as Vishwantahan Anands world championship victory will just be a footnote. Part of the reason could be the game of Chess itself,which requires some intellect to follow. But for the larger part it is to do with the individual,Vishy. He is not media savvy like a Tendulkar or a Dhoni.Nor he is a page 3 regular known for his nocturnal activities.

Watching current crop of cricketers playing in the World T20 it was hard not to notice lack of commitment and preparation. Its even harder to fathom the skills that they lacked in facing a short ball. For they knew it was coming ,well in advance. Dropping catches and missed stops was a norm. This was supposed to be the much hyped Youngistan with fielding coaches and drills. Some senior cricketers were chastised and abandoned for the apparent lack of skills in fielding and running between the wickets. And these youngsters fell woefully short in both the areas.

Even a movie like 3 Idiots brazenly attempts to put the natural talent aspect ahead of hard work.In a nutshell it claims that you have to be born gifted to achieve something.We embraced the genius of Rancho,the protagonist who tops the class without putting a hard yard. The concept suited us so well that the qualities like commitment,determination seemed to be almost outlandish.

Einstein said "Genius is 10% Inspiration and 90% Perspiration.". But looks like the Indian thought process is in exact opposite direction. The rationale behind putting talent ahead of other qualities could be because it presents a very convenient defense against failure. And that will be fatal.

Action..Cut..

Finally we are through the week of Actions and Cuts .There were lots of cuts,little Action and many retakes. Who cut what, who were acting and the final outcome of the drama is awaited yet.And the results will be announced in next IPL awards.

There are still no confirmed reports on what did Cut Motion cut. There are some speculations that proposers of this cacophonous Cut Motion,got cuts in some sensitive places. Shibu Sorens mistaken Cut left BJP leaders deeply scarred.As a result of this mis-Cut , there are Actions and Retakes going on in Jharkand over the state government. Mayawati cuts a deal with Congrees for 200 th time in 10 years.SP,RJD leaders forgot that they are part of the Cut and cut out themselves from the parliament.Some goons (who also happen to be MPs from these two parties) were seen Cutting the power cables and Axles of some public transport buses outside the parliament.

There was one more high profile Cut elsewhere in the country. Ubiquitous Lalit Modi was cut out from the Chairmanship of IPL. He was last heard on twitter claiming that he will Cut BCCI out from IPL. And this cut seem to have left him delirious. He still firmly believes that he is the Chairman of IPL (Imaginary Premier League ??). This Cut was a Citi Moment of Success to BCCI and was sponsored by-7'O Clock : Long lasting smooth Cut...!!

Other Cut was made by Bangalore cops by arresting Swamy Nityananda . This Swamy forgot to say Cut and camera recorded stuff well beyond its limits. Poor guy must be kicking himself for not learning this three letter word. Final Cut of the week is from actress Khushboo. After Supreme Court acquitted her from pre-marital sex statement charges,actress was heard saying:"Youngsters should open up more..". What?? Cut..Cut..