'Midas' or 'Made As'?

The origin of the word 'Midas' can be traced back to ancient times when a certain king of Phrygia named Midas possessed the ability to transform into gold, whatever he touched. And soon after this myth was revealed several disambiguations of the word 'Midas' started pouring in from all corners. From asteroids and formulas to companies and dramas - the word Midas has been extensively used throughout the past century or so.

So is it true - the fact that Mahendra Singh Dhoni, the captain of the Indian cricket team is indeed the man with the 'Midas' touch? Or was it just sheer brilliance and a little bit of luck? When results were coming in, the Midas of Indian cricket was all hailed and now that things have seemed to get a bit nervy, I have no doubt to state that perhaps everything was bit of an eyewash, there was always a difference between the terms - 'lucky' and 'made as lucky'.

How did the 'lucky guy' of Indian cricket help in winning the World T20 in 2007 and also help in disgracing the nation at the 2009 edition of the same event? A bit of questions answered here.

WORLD T20 2007, South Africa:

A team haunted by the ghosts of the Fifty over World Cup in West Indies early that year had been rejuvenated with a new boost of confidence. The tour of the United Kingdoms had proved to be quite fruitful under the captaincy of Rahul Dravid where India managed to win the tri series involving South Africa and Ireland as well as the Test Series against England. Although they narrowly missed out of the 7 match ODI series (losing it 4-3) - it was surely a commendable performance by the team which was chucked out of the World Cup by minnows Bangladesh. As another World Cup approached in South Africa (T20) - concerns were being raised all over again. Our stars - Ganguly, Dravid and Tendulkar were in the 'tiresome thirties' and question marks arose regarding the statuses of their fitness levels. As wisdom alone prevails, all three opted out of the tournament and this saw the rise of a captain who had never ever captained a team even at district level, MS Dhoni.

Expectations were less on a team where the average age was 27 and the senior most player by age was Sehwag. A raw batting line up and a young bowling line up high on potential made their way into the team bus. What followed was a fantastic show of the exuberance of youth and the madness of Indian cricket. The 'boys' of Ganguly and Dravid had fully matured and there they were jumping on to every ball that passed them and sending every loose delivery to the stands. They humiliated the English, Proteas and the Australians and then silenced the mighty Pakistanis. The entire tournament was one of those plays at the end of which you see the resurrection of the Good. A year started by a disaster was actually having a nice end. Dhoni lifted the World T20 and made the nation of a billion proud. But why did India actually win the World Cup? It was not because Dhoni was lucky neither was it because our boys batted, bowled and fielded like maniacs - there was more to this.

Why India won the World T20?

1. Once the trio of Dravid, Tendulkar and Ganguly opted out, a lot of breathing space was created for the juniors in the dressing room. For a new captain this was the ideal atmosphere to prove his mettle without any one to question his decisions.
2. Irfan Pathan, Virender Sehwag and Harbhajan Singh - all were making a come-back into the Indian team. They had a lot to prove, so the T20 world cup was the only arena for them.
3. Yuvraj Singh wanted to establish himself as a player of repute in a middle order dominated by the likes of Laxman, Dravid, Tendulkar and Ganguly.
4. People like Uthappa and Yusuf Pathan were relatively young at the International stage and as a result they had little to lose but everything to gain. As a result they grasped the opportunities.
5. Yuvraj's one man efforts against England and Australia and Gambhir's heroic single handed effort against Pakistan in the finals hogged more of the limelight from their counter parts. It would not be wrong to say that yes, India were poor in some of the matches where individual brilliance helped in lifting the team. Collective team efforts were lacking.
6. In the case (5), Dhoni cannot be given the credit for doing something out of the box to ensure the team's victory. Certain elements and factors had gone India's way that helped in making India the world T20 champs.

WORLD T20 2009, England:

Like the appearance of the Haley's comet - the Indian Cricket team were actually entering a tournament with the favourites tag. A bunch of jaded, jet lagged and fatigued players were selected for the tournament right after the completion of the much so hyped INDIAN PREMIER LEAGUE. A cash filled tournament had drained out the energy from every cricketer. More or less the same team that won the world cup in 2007 was retained, but the only difference was that they were established players. None had much to prove in the World Stage and most of them were carrying niggles from the IPL. Another factor that led to their complacency was that they were in a group consisting of Ireland and Bangladesh, which many considered to be a cake walk. They went on to the Super 8s and suffered a drubbing of a large scale at the hands of West Indies, England and South Africa. Surprisingly, the champs of 2007 did not manage to win any game against a team of significance. The West Indians had exposed the incapabilities of the line up against the short ball while the English showed how bad the Indians were in fielding and restricting the extras. Against South Africa, the bowling was commendable but the much famed spin masters were all entangled by the spin bowling of Joan Botha of South Africa. A poor outing marked by a few controversies, on and off the field left the Indian team stranded. They were far away from redemption.

Why India lost the T20 World Cup in England?

1. The fitness factor which was always supposed to be a bit of a concern exposed the teams weaknesses.
2. Tactical errors by the 'famed' Indian captain led to the downfall of the team in many occasions.
3. Controversy related to the injury of Virender Sehwag indicated that the team was no longer a well knit unit as it used to be.
4. The defensive tactics employed by sending Jadeja ahead of himself were not at all appreciated. It cost India a crucial match and MS Dhoni was more or less accountable.
5. Players casually stepped on to the field with their pot belly and triple chins and the signs were ominous regarding their commitment towards the game. There was a lack of assertiveness on the field and most of the times, the players appeared confused of what they were supposed to do.
6. The team members had achieved a lot of fame in the just concluded IPL 2. They no longer found it good enough to perform at world stage for their country. The lackadaisical and complacent attitude and over confidence about their abilities with a psychophysically tired captain made matters worse. India were not even 10% of what they were a couple of years back.

And hence, it is not always that luck matters. MS Dhoni cannot be called the man with the 'Midas' touch as he is far from it. Comparing the greatest and the worst tournament of his career would expose certain prevalent facts turned a blind eye towards. If at all, Dhoni was a lucky man and it was only because of his captaincy for which India has ascertained itself in the rankings then the recent World T20 would not have been a disaster as it had been. Dhoni's captaincy skills should never be questioned but one should always remember that it was because the right men were present at the right time in his team that Dhoni went on to become a very successful captain.

While taking up captaincy, he had the best available team which none of the previous captains had. Kapil Dev had a team that lacked killer instincts while Sourav Ganguly got a young, unpolished and a meek team suspected of match fixing. None of the two greatest captains of Indian cricket had established stars like Dhoni got when he ascended captaincy.

To declare Dhoni to be the best Indian captain would be a bit dodgy as he has a lot more to prove. And his litmus test will begin when the Dravids, Tendulkars and Laxmans start retiring. Will Dhoni prevail then? Only time can tell.

Help Remove Poverty

This ad won the 1st Prize at Vishwa Bharti, Noida for the Ad Making Competition on 9th September, 2009. The scripting of the ad has been done by Piyush Kumar, from shooting to direction and editing - all has been done by me.

Poverty in India is still rampant despite an impressive economic growth. An estimated 250 million people are below the poverty line and approximately 75 per cent of them are in the rural areas.

In general, poverty can be defined as a situation when people are unable to satisfy the basic needs of life. The definition and methods of measuring poverty differs from country to country. According to the definition by Planning Commission of India, poverty line is drawn with an intake of 2400 calories in rural areas and 2100 calories in urban areas. If a person is unable to get that much minimum level of calories, then he/she is considered as being below poverty line.

Why Does Poverty Still Exist?

Despite various steps taken by the government, poverty still exists all oweing to the following facts:-

• High level of dependence on primitive methods of agriculture
• High population growth rate
• High Illiteracy (about 35% of adult population)
• Regional inequalities
• Protectionist policies pursued till 1991 that prevented high foreign investment

We making this ad believe that if every lends his support towards the upliftment of these people will help us eradicate this evil of our society, we will not only be good citizens but also good humans.

Each One Help One

This is not some saintly act, but probably a slightly altruistic act, in which we as the privileged ones in the society, give away things not needed by us to the ones more needy.

This simple step is enough to combat poverty.

"Who more poor than one who does not share"

the Prince of Calcutta

Some called him the Maharaja, while others called him Lord Snooty. He was referred to as the God on off side at times while at other times he was the pompous, arrogant and spoilt child making the administration dance to his tunes. Sourav Ganguly had been synonymous with words like aggression, determination, grit, counter attack and comeback - but what defined the man who revolutionised Indian Cricket was the tiger who would never give in without a fight. A man who brought the Aussies down and showed the world, his bare chest at the Mecca of Cricket...Sourav Ganguly is and will always be the PRINCE OF CALCUTTA!

"Hi, mera naam Sourav Ganguly hai.Bhoole toh nahi? Jo hua, kyun hua, kaise hua - yeh sab soch ke dukh bhi hota tha, gussa bhi aata tha par ab nahi..."

A man who once gave the nation dreams of lifting the World Cup was sitting in an empty stadium. He was shooting for an ad which was aimed at evoking millions of sentiments. I, being one of Ganguly's greatest fans was watery eyed on seeing this ad. It seemed funny how things could change for a man; exactly a couple of years back when he had stepped onto the very same Wankhade Stadium clad in Blue, there was a crowd of half a lakh supporting his every move, cheering his every shot, dancing to his every six but now they were there no more.

There was a furore over this ad and many former and present cricketers hit at him saying that he was trying to bank on the emotions of the public. Many rubbished this ad to be just a gimmick and added that he was gone for good. Dada was silent on the entire issue. Silence was the way he chose to reply his detractors.

The Indian team captained by Rahul Dravid had been announced. Noone expected any surprises, when once again Ganguly was ommitted from the final list. Although he had his name in the list of probables - Guru Greg and Kiran More had their last say.

I sat in my drawing room and saw the fragile, raw and young Indian batting line up collapse against the West Indies and then a loss against Australia followed. India did not manage to enter the semis in an ICC Tournament in home conditions.

Now, after three years, I can sport a smirk and say that the last time - the Champions Trophy was held in the subcontinent in 2002 - India under the able leadership of Sourav Ganguly were the joint winners of the tournament alongwith Sri Lanka .

Calls of change were growing louder as the present Selection Committee's term was about to end. The team for the ODI Series in South Africa was announced and as usual Ganguly was conspicuous by his absence. What followed in South Africa was a drubbing and to add insult to the injury, Team India in shadows of it's glorious past could not manage to secure a win in a single game even though they had the opposition at the score 0/2 in one of the matches. India lost the series 4 - 0 and the Dravid - Chappel duo faced a lot of flak.

The nation of a billion was not used to losing when cricket meant so much for them.

In the meanwhile, under the November heat in Calcutta; the former captain of Team India was taking laps in the Eden Gardens with two parachutes tied across his waist. A training method quite regular with footballers and athletes was actually being implemented by a cricketer who was glorified to be lazy & unfit by an Australian coach who had a record of bringing the game to disrepute by asking his brother to bowl an underarm delivery.

The Prince of Calcutta would not give in without a fight. He would endure the heat, the agony, the taste of sweat, the humiliation of losing your captaincy, the insult of having black spots on your character and then, one expected the revenge to be sweet.

The selection panel headed by Dilip Vengsarkar had had enough of the 'youth business'. Greg Chappel was given an ultimatum of perform or perish, he gift wrapped the 'repeated failures' and with it opened up a chance for the Prince to stage the comeback of all times...

He was the top scorer in the Test matches in South Africa and then won himself an ODI berth. He scored 98 in his first ODI in 16 months and with it he firmly placed a foot into the team which was more of his creation than anyone elses. Soonafter, scoring became more of a habit as the Ganguly we saw then was stronger, meaner and fitter. Hundred against Bangladesh and a terrific show in England ensured that no longer was he a misfit. He leapt in joy as he celebrated his first century at the EDEN GARDENS and followed it up with a 239 and 91 in Bengaluroo against Pakistan. He amassed the most runs in ODIs and Tests in 2007 amongst Indians and in days to come, the Ganguly-Chappel spat or even the "email" was more of a history.

In 1991/92, when the gawky, lean teenager played his only ODI for India against West Indies in Brisbane, little did anyone know that he was the future monarch of INDIAN CRICKET. The statement that he refused to carry drinks and shoes to the field saying that it was "not his job", was sensationalised. His poor outing of scoring 8 in his debut ODI resulted in his ousting and he was then sent into oblivion for 4 years...

In June, 1996 - Sourav Chandidas Ganguly became one of the very few to score a century on debut. He backed it up with another in the next test match. Hence, the Tour of England in 1996 would become the stepping stone of his success story in years to come. All those who suggested that he bought his way into the team or maybe he entered via quota were silenced with the most effective weapon - his bat.

Ganguly belonged to one of the most affluent Bengali families of Calcutta. He had enough money to last him his life. And a boy from a rich family was not required to toil in the Sun, running a field with parachutes around his waist. But he did. It was not because he wanted to add a few more Mercs to his collection but because a very dear part of his life was removed. He could have very well taken a back seat like a Kambli or maybe a Jadeja but what made him different was that he was Sourav Ganguly. A man who had 10, 000 ODI runs and 6,000 Test runs to back.

What makes him an ideal flagbearer of India Inc. is his never-say-die attitude. If it required him to run onto the field with the groundsmen to put the covers he would. He turned a blind eye to the fact that he was the most powerful member of the team, what mattered to him was the rain and how it would affect the pitch his team would be batting on.

He took over a team enshrouded by the ghosts of match fixing and converted it into World Beaters. He gave the mighty Aussies a taste of their own medicine and rubbed Steve Waugh the wrong way. He supported his team like his family and in a country where disintegrating forces is an example of everyday life we need men who are more than just themselves.

Harbhajan Singh, an NCA trainee rusticated on grounds of misbehaviour and indiscipline was brought into the team and by this way Ganguly unearthed a magician. MS Dhoni, a young lad from the state of Jharkand rose in ranks under Ganguly. Ganguly had famously told a reporter to keep an eye on this young lad from Jharkhand and promised to field him some day. Rahul Dravid was not secure of his position in the team when Sourav went out of the way to back his contemporary who in years to come would do little to ensure Ganguly had his place in the side. On Sourav's insistence Dravid was made into a keeper and had a guranteed place in the side.

When Flintoff had run around the Wankhade top less, it had hurt the sentiments of a bengali who wore his heart on his sleeve. His nation was his pride and he payed back in the same way, when he waved his shirt in the air from the Lord's balcony at the very sacred birth place of Cricket. He sent a strong message that gone were the days when one could expect Indians to be tamed, abused and racially degraded on the Cricket field. If you abuse us, we abuse you back - you strike us on the head, we strike you at the place where it hurts the most. We have learnt how to fight fire with fire.

All of a sudden, Ganguly's attitude of selfless spirt of endurance and reflecton of aggression against the first countries of cricket started reflecting in the nation's youth. We no longer submitted meekly, we learnt the art of winning, we shed the tag of chokers abroad and amidst the ashes of a team lead by Kapil Dev; rose the phoenix of a team lead by Sourav Chandidas Ganguly.

Sourav Ganguly may not be considered to be the greatest cricketer to take the field. Or may not be regarded as an ultimate Test player with 10,000 runs or even 29 centuries. But he mastered the art of captaincy and he will surely be remembered for that. He took India to the finals of the World Cup after two decades, a feat which evaded the greats of Azhar and Tendulkar. His count of fans maybe less than that of a Tendulkar or a Gavaskar, he might be considered to be the arrogant prince in countries abroad; but I can put forward what he told the English media in 2002 when as usual he was intimidated,

"I am not here, to win popularity contests."

YOU DON'T NEED TO WIN POPULARITY CONTESTS DADA. YOU WILL ALWAYS BE KNOWN AS THE PRINCE OF CALCUTTA AND A MAN WHO NEVER GAVE UP...

Racial Segregation - neither a myth nor a taboo but a stark reality!!

Adjudged the BEST SPEAKER (for the motion) at MAYOOR SCHOOL, NOIDA.

“....a man whose father less than 60 years ago might not have been served at a local restaurant can now stand before you to take a most sacred oath."

President Barack Obama's line in his inaugural speech was short, pointed and it passed too fast. But the sentiment and the message behind it were monumental. It was not solely a mild reminder that a half century ago a poor, hard core segregated and racially isolated, Washington D.C., mocked the nation's flowery claim to be the fount of democracy.

Even today, racial discrimination survives. Racially segregated societies are present all over the world. Racial segregation is neither a myth nor a taboo but a stark reality – I agree and my views will surely be for the motion.

For centuries, the Western world has seen the subcontinent to be just a place of brown people. And they do so even now. They have justified themselves by stating the use of the Patriot’s Act to detain and torture hundreds of Asian immigrants on the basis of their surname or the religion they belong to. Somewhat ironical that a nation that has risen from the rubbles of discrimination does not spare a thought before frisking and humiliating celebrities and VVIPs just because they belong to ‘third world countries’.

Cricket is a sport accepted globally by most nations. But discrimination on the basis of race exists there too. Let me site an example, if my memory serves me right, Pakistan toured England in 2006 which was marked by the infamous Oval Test saga. The Pakistani pace attack had ripped through a formidable English line up with their swinging deliveries – but an Australian umpire termed this expertise to be ‘ball tampering’. A year back, when the English had ripped through the Australian batting line up during the Ashes – this expertise was described as ‘a classic example of reverse swing’.

Then you have the recent example of the brutal attacks on Indians in Australia. It was more than just a hate crime; it was more than pure enmity of losing your job to an inferior community called Indians. If racist mentalities did not exist in Australia then surely such an extreme manifestation of hatred and brutality would not have taken place.

One will have to agree that discrimination on the basis of caste, sex and religion gave birth to a racially segregated society in India. Such types of discriminations have materialized in the form of neglecting the minority and expressing gender inequalities – which is a proven fact. We cannot draw the exceptions of Pratibha Patil, Meira Kumar or an Aamir Khan, but the domination and power exerted by the majority in gender and religion is till date dictating the functioning of the society.

The question I wish to bring up is that haven’t we resolved to constitute India into a sovereign, socialist, secular and democratic republic and secure its citizens justice, liberty, equality, fraternity at all levels? It’s a pity that our constitution suggests something else but the present conditions state otherwise. The problem of discrimination and racism actually begins from our homes and we all are turning a blind eye to a reality which is neither a myth nor a taboo. We live in a racially segregated world, my friends…