All Cricket and No Politics is not a Bad Idea...

Okay, so the much acclaimed and revered Sachin Tendulkar got nominated for the Rajya Sabha a few days ago. Big Deal, is what one would like to say! This piece of news is not supposed to be more important and engaging than, say, kidnapping of officers, murders, corruption, economy and the like. But considering that this is just not ANY trivia related to Cricket, this one is actually worth pondering upon since it concerns our Parliament as well.

While people come up with varied threads on this topic ranging from how there are other more "deserving" sports persons for this honor, right down to how it's a poll gimmick by Congress considering the huge fan following that Sachin has; I think we should stop for a moment and look at the issue from the perspective of the election to the highest law making body in the country.

To be among those who would be instrumental in drafting the destiny of our beloved land, one must at least have demonstrated a good degree of concern and understanding for one or the other issues plaguing our society. After all, how can one be expected to solve a problem when one does not even understand it. And no matter how well you have performed in your chosen profession, you need to have a vision for the country when you decide to join this field.

While I really admire Sachin for being a cricketer par excellence, I would think twice before applauding this particular decision regarding his RS nomination, for this is not about electing somebody to chair a sports body. This is about giving somebody the right to take decisions on our collective behalf; it's about placing our collective destiny in someone's hands. For this reason one must not get swayed by Sachin's sports achievements alone. There is a lot more which needs to be pondered upon.

To be honest, I frankly don't remember the last time when I heard about Sachin getting involved with some social cause. Unlike, say, someone like Aamir Khan, he has not been around to engage in any activity meant to generate public opinion on any matter of national interest. This is when even he would know about the sort of much-needed attention which his presence would generate. And as for the claims related to him being the flag-bearer of Indian Cricket in the world, well, all I know is that he chose to remain mum when BCCI decided not to send any team to the Asian Games in 2010, citing the tour of New Zealand as an excuse. This was clearly a time when he could have taken up the chance to represent "India" and not BCCI. In this case, even if the main team could not have gone to the games, a second team could have been sent. It's just that the "God" chose to simply see and not speak out.

When I say all this, I don't mean to belittle his cricketing achievements in any way. I just want us to think whether he is the person whom we really want to be taking decisions on our behalf in the Parliament, decisions that could have far-reaching impact on our fate...      

Starting Afresh

It feels really weird, you know, this writing a fresh post after such a long time. But don't worry; I'm not going to go on a full-on recap mode or something along those lines. In fact, you'd be quite glad to know that I acknowledge the fact, without even the slightest trace of acrimony, that you people wouldn't really be super anxious to know about the absolutely regular and sort-of-everyday affairs of my not-too-exciting life while I was Missing-in-Action. Nevertheless, it IS a different kind of feeling.

It is so very different from the excitement which I had felt coursing through me when I had first attempted a shot at blogging sometime during July 2010; or when I had posted a piece after a long gap of some 4 months, when it was merely about having to choose from such a long list of things to talk about, for the talkative bird in me was fighting against her prime instinct to talk about everything on her mind right there in a single post (now THAT would have, like, made it in the record books as one of the longest posts ever!).

But this time it's like meeting some very old and dear friend after a very long time, when you want to talk about so many things, but you don't know whether you should be saying it all out because the other person may not be able to keep up with you; it's like wanting to bare your soul in front of her but not being able to do that because you think that it may shatter some notions (good ones, of course) about you which she might be carrying around in her head; it's like not being able to look her in her eyes while admitting to something really cheesy which you did, and then being relieved and smiling broadly when you finally look up and don't catch even the slightest hints of disapproval.

Hell, it's like looking at your own reflection in some clear pool with no shadows, after a long time...

And so, here was me, starting afresh and trying to reconnect with you guys after a long hiatus. I'll be back with my regular chatter, really soon this time! Cheerio!