09 November, 2000

G'day all....

For a few days now, I've been conscious of constant, extreme, fatigue. Which finally led to my consulting a doctor. Which in turn led, as it so often does, to a series of expensive tests. Which finally resulted in the verdict -- my blood pressure readings are, I am told, not all that they should be.

Now I am beginning to wonder -- if this were America, would I be able to sue the BCCI for causing irreparable damage to my health, never mind my state of mind?

From the emails I get, the thought is not a particularly novel one. One friend recently mailed me about how he and a few others went to extremes of trouble and expense to get hold of a satellite dish, in order to enable them to watch the Sharjah tournament. "We thought," he writes, "that after the usual suspects had been dropped, and young players inducted into the team, the India games would be worth watching again. And what we got was the fiasco in Sharjah. Can we sue the team for causing us mental distress and financial loss?"

Strikes me, one of these days, someone will do just that. What I am not optimistic about, though, is the result of any such endeavour.

Those who have been keeping current with the news will recall that two young Delhi advocates did just that -- they filed a Public Interest Litigation against the board for causing immense damage to Indian cricket. The media picked it up and gave it enormous play. With what result?

The board is yet to respond -- what it has done is used its battery of high-priced lawyers to stall things along. Meanwhile, the courts have punished the lawyers who filed the case! Apparently, by talking to the media, they had committed contempt of court.

Strangely, the comments made by various board officials about frivolous PILs and assorted other lawsuits has not been similarly punished.

So much, then, for recourse to the courts.

So then, what does one do? Another common question in emails: 'You guys in the media write reams about the goings on in Indian cricket, but what is the use? We read it, and our blood boils. But does the board read it? And even if they do, will anything change?'

A common refrain, that, and one that brings home to us in the media the sheer futility of our endeavours in unearthing, and presenting, the backstage doings of the BCCI.

All of that puts me in mind of an anecdote. Apparently, there was a debate about the merits of the various Greek orators.And the final word was spoken by a guy who said, 'Look, it is like this -- when some of those orators spoke, the listeners applauded, and went, wah, how well he speaks.

'But when Demosthenes got up on the podium and, beginning with the words delende est Carthage, spewed forth fire and fury, the listeners did not stop to applaud. Instead, they went in a body and burnt Carthage to the ground.'

That is the true test of communication. It is not enough for the writer to present his facts cogently. He succeeds, only if and when he manages to move his audience into acting on his words.

By that test, sadly, the media -- and that includes all of us writing about this game -- has failed. Signally. We regularly get plaudits for the way we dig out the facts, for the logical flow of the stories we write, for the wit and humour that sometimes laces it.

But what then? The readers debate it as they commute to and from work, they go to the nearest discussion group and dash off their comments, they email the journalists with their thoughts. And none of it touches the board, none of it impacts on the officials -- and that is why, despite years of being the focus of uncomplimentary attention, the board continues on its destructive course.

So can we, then, make a difference? Can we bring about change?

The answer is, yes. We can. But not merely through writing about things. Writing helps, in creating, increasing, awareness of the real goings on, and in fuelling the public rage. But that is all.

The only force that CAN bring about change is the public. Look at it logically: the board being autonomous, assumes it is not answerable to anyone. The fact though is that it can be brought to heel, by the government -- if it wants to, if it choses to crack the whip.

On its own, however, the government will do nothing -- governments, at least in India, are votaries at the altar of the status quo.

The only thing that will force the government to act is public outcry. Keep this in mind: the Tehelka tapes, useful enough though they were, did not change anything. What did bring about change was the protests in various parts of the country, with people taking to the streets demanding action.

When that happens, the local MLAs and MPs see a promising bandwagon, and promptly clamber abroad and make the right noises. All of which creates a groundswell -- and the government, seeing that action will increase its popularity where inaction will erode it, will act.

Remember that famous cartoon of a man in a Gandhi cap dashing along behind a crowd? Asked where he was running off to, he said, 'They are my followers, I have to catch up to them.'

That is funny. It is also symptomatic of governments everywhere -- let the crowds lead, the government will inevitably follow that lead.

So what we need are not debates in bars and restaurants, or letters to the editor. What we need is for the public to get into the act. By organising protests in their own localities. By voicing, loud enough for even deaf governments to hear, their anger, their disgust, their frustration, their demand for change.

Organise a protest in your locality, and see how soon the word spreads and others, in other parts of the country, follow suit. All it takes is for someone, somewhere, to set the example.

Remember Kargil? One group of citizens in one corner of the country decided to stand up and be counted, and organised a fund collection drive. Next thing you know, the whole country is marching in solidarity, organising candlelight vigils, attending fund-raising functions, the works.

Cricket is in worse need than Kargil, at this point in time. Cricket needs for you to stop intellectualising, and start acting.

Are you upset with the latest selection exercise? Protest before the homes of the selectors. Do you think the board needs a bit of arm-twisting? March to the board office, to the homes and offices of the board functionaries.

Badly chosen teams representing this country have lost, miserably, at venues at home and abroad. Often, disgusted crowds have shown their anger by chucking things at the teams. I am yet to hear, though, of one instance when enraged fans targetted the selectors, the board officials, for their acts of omission and commission.

The board has made Indian cricket its own private kitchen. Maybe it is time they started feeling the heat.

And when they do feel the heat of your anger, your disgust, things will change. Not before.

So what are you waiting for?

Prem

Mail Cricket Editor