Saturday, March 29, 2008

The Grey Area

If someone has the answer to this please tell me. I can't understand how an entire system colludes to save a few criminals. How can a system, by omission and commission, save criminals who are accused of the worst possible crimes? How do these people get entire systems to connive with them to twist processes, procedures and justice around? You'd think someone in the system would put a spoke but no, it seems heavily loaded in favor of the people who want to operate in the grey area. Twisting and turning, hiding and shielding, blocking and threatening. Jessical Lal, Scarlett Keeling, Ayesha Meera, Shibani Bhatnagar, the tandoor case, Prof. Sabharwal, Gujarat riots, Mumbai riots...it could be anyone.
One feels helpless when watching from the outside.
But its heartening to hear news of the mothers. sisters, fathers and brothers standing up to a system, braving threats, fighting an unsympathetic system that is doing all it can to victimise the victims and punish them, and doing all in its power to save the perpetrators. I do wish there was one forum where such injustices could be brought out systematically, where people can pour in their support and where truth can be shown as it is. Something better than the one time SMS outrage. I would like to see if most of us also side with the people in the grey area or if the conscience is clear.
But till then, we must take inspiration from these mother's and sister's and father's and brother's and son's and daughter's for being the conscience keeprs of the nation. For telling us that the offenders cannot hide forever behind the system...that one strong will is enough to expose it. That justice will prevail.

Monday, March 10, 2008

Why We Won In Australia

The Australian series taught much. We can learn lessons or choose to ignore them.
First, that we don't need a great side, we need a bunch of players who have the hunger to win. Not players who are in the side because they played reasonably well last time. Pick players on hunger. Full points to the selectors on that.
Second, pick a captain who is clear headed, intuitive and can get the best out of every member in the team. One can spot the Kumbles and Dhonis easily if one meets them, sees them in action with the team, in the dressing room. The team is only as good as the captain. Remember the famous quote - I'd prefer a lion leading an army of sheep to a sheep leading an army of lions? Full points again for the selectors for picking two lions.
Third, we always had the talent. Much better teams have gone before to foreign shores. But they needed a Sydney to buck them up. They needed a Symonds, a Clarke, a Hayden, a Ponting to pull up their socks. Wcan beat the best if we enter each match with the same frame of mind. Instead of waiting to be ruffled and then taking it personal.
Fourth, the preparation. I assume that the preparation had much to do with the team's success. The support staff was brilliant-Venkatesh Prasad, Robin Singh, Chetan Chauhan, M.V.Sridhar, Gloster and all those other wonderful men. Truly a team effort.
That then is what it takes to win. Go get em now boys!