Lalit Modi with his never say die attitude is battling forsurvival within the murky world of BCCI politics. He is now beingtargeted in N Srinivasan's crosshairs. As reported by sportzpower lastweek, Modi is now going to be targeted this week as a powerful cabalplots his removal from the IPL commissioner's post. The crucialmeeting of the IPL Governing Council on December 17 is going to beused by the board secretary N Srinivasan led cabal to dethrone Modi.
Modi considered a marketing whiz because of architecting innovationslike IPL and T 20 Champions League has been in the doghouse ever sincehis benefactor Sharad Pawar demitted office as board president andmore importantly he is on thin ice since he has lost two elections inRCA. Board politics runs on votes and without a vote Modi will findthe going tough has been emphasised earlier by sportzpower.
As such there is a move within the BCCI to remove Modi as IPL chairmanand commissioner. The argument is that the IPL is a BCCI event andlogically the BCCI president should head it as an ex officio member.The plan is to appoint Shashank Manohar as IPL chairman andCommissioner and take Modi out of the equation. This is aSrinivasan-Manohar masterstroke. "It does not mean that Modi will haveno role at all in the running of the IPL but it is only that he shouldnot be heading the show," an insider pointed out. Top board officialsare unhappy with Modi's clout with franchise owners and othersponsors. In fact, the recent Bangkok offsite even had the franchiseowners planning a welfare body to get more out of the BCCI in anydialogue. N Srinivasan while being BCCI secretary is also a franchiseowner (Chennai Super Kings).
The move has not yet come up for formal discussion in the WorkingCommittee meetings but is being pursued privately to garner support."These things are not discussed in Working Committee meetings whereonly items listed in the agenda are taken up for deliberation. Butyes, behind the scene, it is discussed," the source added on conditionof annoymity.
Attempts to clip Modi's wings began in earnest when the board tried toterminate IMG's contract. Further tournament director DheerajMalhotra, a Modi appointee was packed off. Modi however, smartlymanoeuvred the franchises and fornmer BCCI president Pawar to supportIMG and IMG was reinstated but on new terms and conditions. Seven ofthe franchise owners wrote to the board, but CSK did not. Clearly,Srinivasan has been leading the fight against Modi.
Pawar himself was critical of the decision and it was a letter fromhim that tilted the scale in Modi's favour and BCCI subsequentlyrenegotiated the deal with IMG in which the event management company'sfee was reduced from Rs 33 crore to Rs 27 crore.
Meanwhile as sportzpower reported Modi, aware of the changingmechanics within the BCCI top brass, is learnt to have extended theolive branch to his one time nemesis Jagmohan Dalmiya.
About Me
Sunday, December 13, 2009
IPL team auctions
Even as the one day series against Sri Lanka gets underwayin Rajkot, more material decisions pertaining to IPL III will takeplace during the IPL Governing Council meeting on December 17. IPLCommissioner Lalit Modi told sportzpower that he is taking a proposalto increase the eight team city franchise to 10 in season 4 to thegoverning council for their approval. Once approved the meeting willthen take a view on the dates for the auction. A tender process willbe implemented and as Modi said, 'we hope to close it in the first fewmonths of 2010.'
Modi had earlier told sportzpower that the two new franchises wouldhave a base price of anything over $200 million. Moreover, the IPLteam is now preparing for the player auction on January 19. At Goaduring the IPL 2.0 auction, it had been decided that there will be noplayer auction for season three, but as Modi explained, "Becauseearlier we thought there will be not enough spots for an auction. Butit seems many franchises have freed spots by buyouts. Thus an auctionis imperative."
This opens the doors for the entry of new players in season 3. Allthese important decisions will be taken at the crucial IPL GoverningCouncil meeting. This comes at a time when Modi himself is on slightlyshaky ground given that he has lost the RCA elections for the secondtime in a year.
Modi had earlier told sportzpower that the two new franchises wouldhave a base price of anything over $200 million. Moreover, the IPLteam is now preparing for the player auction on January 19. At Goaduring the IPL 2.0 auction, it had been decided that there will be noplayer auction for season three, but as Modi explained, "Becauseearlier we thought there will be not enough spots for an auction. Butit seems many franchises have freed spots by buyouts. Thus an auctionis imperative."
This opens the doors for the entry of new players in season 3. Allthese important decisions will be taken at the crucial IPL GoverningCouncil meeting. This comes at a time when Modi himself is on slightlyshaky ground given that he has lost the RCA elections for the secondtime in a year.
Friday, December 11, 2009
Just desserts for Mr Nerdball
GROUND ZERO
WHEN THE BELL TOLLED FOR AKSHAY
It is an amazing turnaround in fortunes. In fact, it can be described
as stunning. Akshay Kumar practically defied gravity for two years
notching up hit after hit. Suddenly he was the Golden Boy, a man who
could do no wrong at the box office (B.O). Anything and everything
that he touched turned to gold almost instantaneously. Since he was
delivering in spades, he not only hiked his price, but
started charging commission on box office profits. It was a golden run
and Akshay was a mega star giving B Town gangbuster returns. Yet, he
wasn't given the necessary recognition as the new superstar, though
trade did accept his money making ability at the B.O in no uncertain
terms. Charging exorbitant and unheard sums of Rs 20 crore per film,
Akshay had arrived. Or had he? In 2008, Akshay was Mr hit factory
personified - Hey Babyy, Namaste London, Bhool Bhulayian and Welcome.
Then talk surfaced that for a Venus project presumably De Dana Dan,
Akshay was charging Rs 22 crore plus a sizeable share of the profits.
These eye popping sums of money and his hit machine run of 2007 was
compared to his father in law Rajesh Khanna and subsequently Amitabh
Bachchan's phenomenal run at the box office in the early and mid
1970s. Hit guaranteed was what trade began to describe Akshay as. His
goofy act was pulling in people - the classes and the masses
- everyone was applauding. Almost overnight he was being described as
bigger than Shahrukh Khan and Aamir Khan. Producers were happy since
they were getting serious returns on their investments. And unlike SRK
and Aamir Khan, he was delivering much more than one film every year.
In 2009 alone, six of his films have been released, each a bigger dud
than the other leading to overexposure.
After the great run in 2007, Akshay made his first mistake. Returning
to the Yashraj fold for the first time since 1997 when he made a
special appearance in
commercial blockbuster Dil Toh Pagal Hai, he agreed to act in a
complete no brainer - Tashan. It sank without a trace and the critics
were out with their knives. It made a huge impact on Akshay himself
for he had done a movie which went against the Akshay grain. It was at
complete odds with his recent persona. Even before he delivered all
the big hits in 2007, Akshay had specialised in his own brand of
comedy - Bhagam Bhagg, Phir Hera Pheri, Garam Masala, the delightful
Champu in Jaan e Maan (though the movie flopped miserably), Deewane
Huye Pagal, Mujshe Shaadi Karogi and Hera Pheri. Though Akshay
delievered in serious roles as well in Andaaz, Ankhen, Aitraaz,
Dhadkan, Khakee, Ajnabee, Waqt et al; he realised very quickly that he
was best accepted in goofy roles. His
role as Raju in the seminal Hera Pheri must have compelled him to
adopt this tack in his cinema. And it worked for him. Tashan was
neither here nor there, it was nothing but a typical old style B Town
pot boiler and it plummeted. So did his stock on the BSE - Bollywood
Stock Exchange.
Yeah, but stars can also fail if the scripting and storyline aren't up
to scratch. Akshay said as much at an awards function where he said in
a lighter vein - meri galti nahin, picture achchi thi, main hi kharab
tha - referring to Tashan. Akshay with his antics brought joy, mirth and
merriment to the audience and this worked like clockwork. Though
critics panned Tashan and the Emperor's new clothes were stripped off
in a hurry, Akshay was back soon after with Singh is Kinng. It was
vintage Akshay as he cavorted around Australia as Happy Singh. His hit
pairing with Katrina Kaif had delivered a kayo punch at the B O all
over again. Yes, Akshay was back and seen pretty much as infallible.
The critics had eaten crow and Akshay was preening like a peacock once
again. But Tashan should have been a warning for Akshay. Bachchan
Pande was rejected by the audience, but Akshay refused to wake up and
smell the coffee. Though Singh made a colossal Rs 120 crore, 2008 was
a year best remembered for the SRK vs Ak rivalry. If Rab Ne Bana Di
Jodi was a blockbuster, Ghajini was a monster hit hitherto not seen in
the Indian box office. Meanwhile Akshay was planning his 2009
meticulously. A mix of comedy, a return to action and a serious
avatar awaited audiences this year.
Ambition is good, but over ambition is dangerous. More so when you
start believing that you can walk on water. The box office doesn't
tolerate fools, nor does it tolerate egos. Take SRK for instance.
Every time he has tried his hand at buffonery - Badshah, Duplicate,
Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani, the audinece has given him a resounding
thumbs down. Whenever he has stuck to the knitting, a combination of
emotion and romance, he has hit paydirt. So with Akshay, who has got
typecast as a goofy sort of guy who is loved for his straight faced
comedy. One can always turn around and ask then why is it that De Dana
Dan didn't work. Well for starters you cannot keep your hero locked up
for half the movie and have a 100 charcters running around like
madmen. But let us go back to the beginning of 2009 when Akshay's
first big release - Chandini Chowk to China was released. It was a
turkey, a dead loss. I saw the movie and the first thing that crossed
my mind was how could Akshay do such rubbish, particularly after doing
a series of winners. Mail Today did a double spread recently on
Akshay's waning charm at the B.O. The kicker read like this - His new
film De Dana Dan saw disappointing initials last week and has been
steadily losing ground. This comes after Akshay recorded five straight
duds over the past 12 months. Insanely high fees, his love for lavish
shoots and his penchant for silly projects have worked against the
superstar. How true.
Chandini Chowk was a wake call which Akshay didn't pay heed to. Nagesh
Kuknoor's Tasveer 8 x 10, Jumbo, the crazily hyped Blue, the utterly
ridiculous Kambakht Ishq followed. Each one failing to make its tryst
with the box office. Akshay and B Town were suddenly both in disarray.
Akshay defended the crude Kambakht Ishq replete with offensive gaalis,
but the writing was on the wall. Only Akshay was not prepared to see
it. Blinded by his superstardom and a long line of hits, he made
mistakes galore in 2009. How did B Town's most saleable and bankable
star collapse in such a heap? These movies have cost B Town Rs 400
crore. Akshay worked because he dumbed down to reach the LCM.
Strangely this brand of craziness worked with LCM as also the classes.
There was a patented formula. As Mail Today wrote, "It has no
substance. The audience is clever nowadays...Advertising guru Prahlad
Kakkar added, "Stars like Akshay forget that they are merely audience
pullers. They cannot run a bad film. Akshay can draw audiences just
because he is popular but his stardom cannot convert bad scripts into
sensible ones."
During the time that he ruled the box office, Akshay was at pains to
explain that he was a self made star who didn't belong to any camp.
Moreover, he reiterated that he was a star despite the camps. Mail
Today also quoted director Ravi Chopra as saying, "Akshay needs to
redefine himself with a fresh attitude towards acting and choosing
films. He has proved himself already as a saleable superstar but he
must take up the challenge to experiment in the real sense. Else the
filmworld is very ruthless and he will soon be out of work. I am sure
he is learning his lessons now." I doubt very much. The Khiladi has a
big ego and egos often trip people in their quest for greater glory.
Akshay was known to edit his fellow actors's roles, he was known to
interfere in the scripting and direction of his films. He has to grow
out of the goofy, nerdball character. That has brought him this far,
he now has to seek the next level and grow out of the rehash and
amalgam of Welcome and Singh is Kinng type of cinema. Khatron Ke
Khiladi on Colors proved that his popularity is intact. He has to rise
above the ordinariness and shallowness that he has trapped himself in.
Straitjacketed as Mr Nerdball, he now needs to climb out of it to show
that he has the mettle to survive in a heartless B Town. Fridays are
cruel in B Town. For all of 2009, Akshay has learnt that it is all
'fall down' on Fridays. You can run in B Town, but you can't hide.
The campwallahs who he has spawned are still sticking by him - Nikhil
Advani (Chandini Chowk where even Warner Bros must have had no clue at
the sheer ferocity of the fall) helmed Patiala House, Priyadarshan's
Khatta Meetha, Vipul Shah (Namaste London) who is doing Action Replay
with him and Aishwarya and Sajid Khan (Heyy Baby) who is doing
Housefull. The only new banner that he has signed in recent times is
Farah Khan (Tees Mar Khan), but remember she too is married too
Shirish Kunder who made Jaan e Maan with Akshay. If this clutch of
films also fails, then epitaphs and obits will be written of a star
who gave Bollywood its biggest cumulative hits in 2007 and 2008.Can
Akshay rise above what Mail Today described as - Akshay starrers have
similar trappings: Crazy situations, lots of prop charcaters, chase
sequences, cheesy dialogues, innumerable slaps, foreign locales and
beautiful girls?
B Town is not against you Akshay, you are a victim of your own hype
and a casualty of your own stereotypes. He gave Bollywood close to Rs
600 crore in 2007 and 2008 and helped B Town lose Rs 400 crore in
2009. Is this end of the road for the superstar or does he have it in
him to deliver yet another screamer to shut the mouths of his
detractors? Over to 2010.
WHEN THE BELL TOLLED FOR AKSHAY
It is an amazing turnaround in fortunes. In fact, it can be described
as stunning. Akshay Kumar practically defied gravity for two years
notching up hit after hit. Suddenly he was the Golden Boy, a man who
could do no wrong at the box office (B.O). Anything and everything
that he touched turned to gold almost instantaneously. Since he was
delivering in spades, he not only hiked his price, but
started charging commission on box office profits. It was a golden run
and Akshay was a mega star giving B Town gangbuster returns. Yet, he
wasn't given the necessary recognition as the new superstar, though
trade did accept his money making ability at the B.O in no uncertain
terms. Charging exorbitant and unheard sums of Rs 20 crore per film,
Akshay had arrived. Or had he? In 2008, Akshay was Mr hit factory
personified - Hey Babyy, Namaste London, Bhool Bhulayian and Welcome.
Then talk surfaced that for a Venus project presumably De Dana Dan,
Akshay was charging Rs 22 crore plus a sizeable share of the profits.
These eye popping sums of money and his hit machine run of 2007 was
compared to his father in law Rajesh Khanna and subsequently Amitabh
Bachchan's phenomenal run at the box office in the early and mid
1970s. Hit guaranteed was what trade began to describe Akshay as. His
goofy act was pulling in people - the classes and the masses
- everyone was applauding. Almost overnight he was being described as
bigger than Shahrukh Khan and Aamir Khan. Producers were happy since
they were getting serious returns on their investments. And unlike SRK
and Aamir Khan, he was delivering much more than one film every year.
In 2009 alone, six of his films have been released, each a bigger dud
than the other leading to overexposure.
After the great run in 2007, Akshay made his first mistake. Returning
to the Yashraj fold for the first time since 1997 when he made a
special appearance in
commercial blockbuster Dil Toh Pagal Hai, he agreed to act in a
complete no brainer - Tashan. It sank without a trace and the critics
were out with their knives. It made a huge impact on Akshay himself
for he had done a movie which went against the Akshay grain. It was at
complete odds with his recent persona. Even before he delivered all
the big hits in 2007, Akshay had specialised in his own brand of
comedy - Bhagam Bhagg, Phir Hera Pheri, Garam Masala, the delightful
Champu in Jaan e Maan (though the movie flopped miserably), Deewane
Huye Pagal, Mujshe Shaadi Karogi and Hera Pheri. Though Akshay
delievered in serious roles as well in Andaaz, Ankhen, Aitraaz,
Dhadkan, Khakee, Ajnabee, Waqt et al; he realised very quickly that he
was best accepted in goofy roles. His
role as Raju in the seminal Hera Pheri must have compelled him to
adopt this tack in his cinema. And it worked for him. Tashan was
neither here nor there, it was nothing but a typical old style B Town
pot boiler and it plummeted. So did his stock on the BSE - Bollywood
Stock Exchange.
Yeah, but stars can also fail if the scripting and storyline aren't up
to scratch. Akshay said as much at an awards function where he said in
a lighter vein - meri galti nahin, picture achchi thi, main hi kharab
tha - referring to Tashan. Akshay with his antics brought joy, mirth and
merriment to the audience and this worked like clockwork. Though
critics panned Tashan and the Emperor's new clothes were stripped off
in a hurry, Akshay was back soon after with Singh is Kinng. It was
vintage Akshay as he cavorted around Australia as Happy Singh. His hit
pairing with Katrina Kaif had delivered a kayo punch at the B O all
over again. Yes, Akshay was back and seen pretty much as infallible.
The critics had eaten crow and Akshay was preening like a peacock once
again. But Tashan should have been a warning for Akshay. Bachchan
Pande was rejected by the audience, but Akshay refused to wake up and
smell the coffee. Though Singh made a colossal Rs 120 crore, 2008 was
a year best remembered for the SRK vs Ak rivalry. If Rab Ne Bana Di
Jodi was a blockbuster, Ghajini was a monster hit hitherto not seen in
the Indian box office. Meanwhile Akshay was planning his 2009
meticulously. A mix of comedy, a return to action and a serious
avatar awaited audiences this year.
Ambition is good, but over ambition is dangerous. More so when you
start believing that you can walk on water. The box office doesn't
tolerate fools, nor does it tolerate egos. Take SRK for instance.
Every time he has tried his hand at buffonery - Badshah, Duplicate,
Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani, the audinece has given him a resounding
thumbs down. Whenever he has stuck to the knitting, a combination of
emotion and romance, he has hit paydirt. So with Akshay, who has got
typecast as a goofy sort of guy who is loved for his straight faced
comedy. One can always turn around and ask then why is it that De Dana
Dan didn't work. Well for starters you cannot keep your hero locked up
for half the movie and have a 100 charcters running around like
madmen. But let us go back to the beginning of 2009 when Akshay's
first big release - Chandini Chowk to China was released. It was a
turkey, a dead loss. I saw the movie and the first thing that crossed
my mind was how could Akshay do such rubbish, particularly after doing
a series of winners. Mail Today did a double spread recently on
Akshay's waning charm at the B.O. The kicker read like this - His new
film De Dana Dan saw disappointing initials last week and has been
steadily losing ground. This comes after Akshay recorded five straight
duds over the past 12 months. Insanely high fees, his love for lavish
shoots and his penchant for silly projects have worked against the
superstar. How true.
Chandini Chowk was a wake call which Akshay didn't pay heed to. Nagesh
Kuknoor's Tasveer 8 x 10, Jumbo, the crazily hyped Blue, the utterly
ridiculous Kambakht Ishq followed. Each one failing to make its tryst
with the box office. Akshay and B Town were suddenly both in disarray.
Akshay defended the crude Kambakht Ishq replete with offensive gaalis,
but the writing was on the wall. Only Akshay was not prepared to see
it. Blinded by his superstardom and a long line of hits, he made
mistakes galore in 2009. How did B Town's most saleable and bankable
star collapse in such a heap? These movies have cost B Town Rs 400
crore. Akshay worked because he dumbed down to reach the LCM.
Strangely this brand of craziness worked with LCM as also the classes.
There was a patented formula. As Mail Today wrote, "It has no
substance. The audience is clever nowadays...Advertising guru Prahlad
Kakkar added, "Stars like Akshay forget that they are merely audience
pullers. They cannot run a bad film. Akshay can draw audiences just
because he is popular but his stardom cannot convert bad scripts into
sensible ones."
During the time that he ruled the box office, Akshay was at pains to
explain that he was a self made star who didn't belong to any camp.
Moreover, he reiterated that he was a star despite the camps. Mail
Today also quoted director Ravi Chopra as saying, "Akshay needs to
redefine himself with a fresh attitude towards acting and choosing
films. He has proved himself already as a saleable superstar but he
must take up the challenge to experiment in the real sense. Else the
filmworld is very ruthless and he will soon be out of work. I am sure
he is learning his lessons now." I doubt very much. The Khiladi has a
big ego and egos often trip people in their quest for greater glory.
Akshay was known to edit his fellow actors's roles, he was known to
interfere in the scripting and direction of his films. He has to grow
out of the goofy, nerdball character. That has brought him this far,
he now has to seek the next level and grow out of the rehash and
amalgam of Welcome and Singh is Kinng type of cinema. Khatron Ke
Khiladi on Colors proved that his popularity is intact. He has to rise
above the ordinariness and shallowness that he has trapped himself in.
Straitjacketed as Mr Nerdball, he now needs to climb out of it to show
that he has the mettle to survive in a heartless B Town. Fridays are
cruel in B Town. For all of 2009, Akshay has learnt that it is all
'fall down' on Fridays. You can run in B Town, but you can't hide.
The campwallahs who he has spawned are still sticking by him - Nikhil
Advani (Chandini Chowk where even Warner Bros must have had no clue at
the sheer ferocity of the fall) helmed Patiala House, Priyadarshan's
Khatta Meetha, Vipul Shah (Namaste London) who is doing Action Replay
with him and Aishwarya and Sajid Khan (Heyy Baby) who is doing
Housefull. The only new banner that he has signed in recent times is
Farah Khan (Tees Mar Khan), but remember she too is married too
Shirish Kunder who made Jaan e Maan with Akshay. If this clutch of
films also fails, then epitaphs and obits will be written of a star
who gave Bollywood its biggest cumulative hits in 2007 and 2008.Can
Akshay rise above what Mail Today described as - Akshay starrers have
similar trappings: Crazy situations, lots of prop charcaters, chase
sequences, cheesy dialogues, innumerable slaps, foreign locales and
beautiful girls?
B Town is not against you Akshay, you are a victim of your own hype
and a casualty of your own stereotypes. He gave Bollywood close to Rs
600 crore in 2007 and 2008 and helped B Town lose Rs 400 crore in
2009. Is this end of the road for the superstar or does he have it in
him to deliver yet another screamer to shut the mouths of his
detractors? Over to 2010.
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Lalit Modi's next move?
BEHIND THE NEWS
Two exasperating losses in the Rajasthan CricketAssociation elections within a short span of a year have left thecanny Lalit Modi looking for a fresh toehold in board politics.Without a vote, you are pretty much persona non grata in the murkyworld of BCCI politics. Moreover, Modi's tenure as BCCI vice presidentcomes to an end next year. While he remains IPL Commissioner andPunjab Cricket Association president, he finds that BCCI secretary NSrinivasan is increasingly applying pressure on him. As such, Modineeds to enlarge the sphere of his influence in board politics. Hisbenefactors Sharad Pawar and Inderjit Singh Bindra are no longeractive within the board and while they have clout in the ICC, Modi isfinding it difficult to manoeuvre. The recent RCA fiasco turned into aCongress vs BJP election as Ashok Gehlot sympathiser Shiv Charan Malipulled out in favour of Union rural development minister C P Joshi.Modi's proximity to former BJP chief minister Vasundhra Raje has lefthim with few friends in the Congress fold.
Will Modi's wings as IPL Commissioner also be clipped after thestaging of the third season. While he has managed to create a gingergroup to bring pressure to bear on the cricket board by activelyencouraging the seven franchise owners, this has not gone down wellwith the board secretary Srinivasan who is also the owner of theeighth franchise - Chennai Super Kings. Srinivasan is an industrialistand promoter of India Cements. He too fancies himself as acommercially savvy entrepreneur. The fact that Modi and Co failed tohawk the Team jersey has also not gone down well within the board. Atan asking price of Rs 3 crore per game, nobody even came forward orevinced any interest in it. THis left the board red faced and itultimately had to plead with Sahara to continue as the sponsor tillJune, 2010.
Buit Modi is not just savvy, but a survivor. When the UPA Governmentrefused him permission to stage IPL 2.0 in India, he along with IMGarchitected the holding of the tournament in South Africa and that tooat very short notice. His recent trip to Kolkata, ostensibly toinspect the Eden Gardens has once again triggered speculation on hisnext move. Modi himself knows that without a vote, he cannot play anactive role in BCCI's affairs. Board insiders reckon that newalliances may well be forged in board politics. With BJP top guns ArunJaitley (DDCA), Anurag Thakur (HPCA) and Narender Modi (GCA) nowfirmly ensconced in the board, the next round may well be interesting.Modi's visit to Kolkata and his cordiality with CAB president JagmohanDalmiya, a past master in board intrigue may well result in a new rumpbeing created.
Dalmiya who was practically consigned to the rubbish heap of historyhas fought back to re-take his bastion - the CAB and with that votemake an impression in the board. When Sharad Pawar vanquished Dalmiyafor the BCCI presidentship, it was Modi who played a pivotal role inshaping the victory. This left Dalmiya and Modi at daggers drawn. Butcricket board politics is such that foes become friends in no time, aslong as it results in riches for both protagonists. Dalmiya hasn'tforgotten his defeat first for the BCCI presidentship and then the CABpresidentship. He is all set to play an important role in boardpolitics once again. The battlelines may well be drawn on Congress vsBJP lines in the BCCI. Modi, a Marwari may well be seeking fellowMarwari Dalmiya's support to strike back at his detractors within theboard led by president Shashank Manohar and Srinivasan. Modi has toensure some sort of position in the board, and once his tenure as vicepresident ends, he needs to make a statement. Board insiders claimthat with the north, west and south opposed to him, there is only theeast to strive for.
The Look East policy may pay dividends as it is East Zone's turn toelect the BCCI chief in 2014. The BCCI presidentship which runs on arotational system may well find Modi making a play for an importantposition from the East with Dalmiya's support. The dogged Modi mayeven be contemplating contesting for the presidentship of the BCCIfrom the East through one of Dalmiya's affliates in the Zone. Thewires quoted Modi full of praise for Dalmiya on Tuesday. "Dalmiya is avery experienced administrator. He has been there for a long longtime. We are all learning from him," he told mediapersons. ForDalmiya, an alliance with Modi could be an avenue for hisreinstatement in the centre-stage of BCCI politics. Modi is one of thefive vice presidents in the board, representing the central Zonecurrently. By virtue of being a player in BCCI politics, Modi ischairman of the tour and fixtures committee, as also a member of themarketing committee and chairman of the IPL Governing Council whereanother old BCCI hand Niranjan Shah is the vice chairman..
Two exasperating losses in the Rajasthan CricketAssociation elections within a short span of a year have left thecanny Lalit Modi looking for a fresh toehold in board politics.Without a vote, you are pretty much persona non grata in the murkyworld of BCCI politics. Moreover, Modi's tenure as BCCI vice presidentcomes to an end next year. While he remains IPL Commissioner andPunjab Cricket Association president, he finds that BCCI secretary NSrinivasan is increasingly applying pressure on him. As such, Modineeds to enlarge the sphere of his influence in board politics. Hisbenefactors Sharad Pawar and Inderjit Singh Bindra are no longeractive within the board and while they have clout in the ICC, Modi isfinding it difficult to manoeuvre. The recent RCA fiasco turned into aCongress vs BJP election as Ashok Gehlot sympathiser Shiv Charan Malipulled out in favour of Union rural development minister C P Joshi.Modi's proximity to former BJP chief minister Vasundhra Raje has lefthim with few friends in the Congress fold.
Will Modi's wings as IPL Commissioner also be clipped after thestaging of the third season. While he has managed to create a gingergroup to bring pressure to bear on the cricket board by activelyencouraging the seven franchise owners, this has not gone down wellwith the board secretary Srinivasan who is also the owner of theeighth franchise - Chennai Super Kings. Srinivasan is an industrialistand promoter of India Cements. He too fancies himself as acommercially savvy entrepreneur. The fact that Modi and Co failed tohawk the Team jersey has also not gone down well within the board. Atan asking price of Rs 3 crore per game, nobody even came forward orevinced any interest in it. THis left the board red faced and itultimately had to plead with Sahara to continue as the sponsor tillJune, 2010.
Buit Modi is not just savvy, but a survivor. When the UPA Governmentrefused him permission to stage IPL 2.0 in India, he along with IMGarchitected the holding of the tournament in South Africa and that tooat very short notice. His recent trip to Kolkata, ostensibly toinspect the Eden Gardens has once again triggered speculation on hisnext move. Modi himself knows that without a vote, he cannot play anactive role in BCCI's affairs. Board insiders reckon that newalliances may well be forged in board politics. With BJP top guns ArunJaitley (DDCA), Anurag Thakur (HPCA) and Narender Modi (GCA) nowfirmly ensconced in the board, the next round may well be interesting.Modi's visit to Kolkata and his cordiality with CAB president JagmohanDalmiya, a past master in board intrigue may well result in a new rumpbeing created.
Dalmiya who was practically consigned to the rubbish heap of historyhas fought back to re-take his bastion - the CAB and with that votemake an impression in the board. When Sharad Pawar vanquished Dalmiyafor the BCCI presidentship, it was Modi who played a pivotal role inshaping the victory. This left Dalmiya and Modi at daggers drawn. Butcricket board politics is such that foes become friends in no time, aslong as it results in riches for both protagonists. Dalmiya hasn'tforgotten his defeat first for the BCCI presidentship and then the CABpresidentship. He is all set to play an important role in boardpolitics once again. The battlelines may well be drawn on Congress vsBJP lines in the BCCI. Modi, a Marwari may well be seeking fellowMarwari Dalmiya's support to strike back at his detractors within theboard led by president Shashank Manohar and Srinivasan. Modi has toensure some sort of position in the board, and once his tenure as vicepresident ends, he needs to make a statement. Board insiders claimthat with the north, west and south opposed to him, there is only theeast to strive for.
The Look East policy may pay dividends as it is East Zone's turn toelect the BCCI chief in 2014. The BCCI presidentship which runs on arotational system may well find Modi making a play for an importantposition from the East with Dalmiya's support. The dogged Modi mayeven be contemplating contesting for the presidentship of the BCCIfrom the East through one of Dalmiya's affliates in the Zone. Thewires quoted Modi full of praise for Dalmiya on Tuesday. "Dalmiya is avery experienced administrator. He has been there for a long longtime. We are all learning from him," he told mediapersons. ForDalmiya, an alliance with Modi could be an avenue for hisreinstatement in the centre-stage of BCCI politics. Modi is one of thefive vice presidents in the board, representing the central Zonecurrently. By virtue of being a player in BCCI politics, Modi ischairman of the tour and fixtures committee, as also a member of themarketing committee and chairman of the IPL Governing Council whereanother old BCCI hand Niranjan Shah is the vice chairman..
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Kalmadi's Republic vs Union of India
NAKED EYE
My worst fears have come true. In a clear case of the SovereignRepublic of Suresh Kalmadi (SRSK) versus the Union of India, SRSKis busy cocking a snook at the Government of India. While everyattempt has been made to paper over all the travails and shortcomingsof the Commonwealth games Organising Committee despite two major runins ; first with Commonwealth games Federation president Mike Fennelland then with OC CEO Mike Hooper, Suresh Kalmadi has managed tosurvive. While the Government of India has tried its level best tocircumvent all financial powers and authority from Kalmadi and Co byinstalling its people in the OC, the ludicrous amount of money beingplopuighed into the Games has become a bit of an elephant and camel,it cannot be hidden under the carpet anymore. At a subterranean level,this internecine war has been fought relentlessly after CAG firstouted the size and scale of the debacle. By not being able to meetdeadlines, the OC is not embarrassing itself, but the nation. Anyhowpromises have been made, commitments given and an uneasy trucebrokered between the warring chieftains. But now news comes that acourt battle is being fought in the Delhi High Court over financialtransparency vis a vis the 2010 Games.
It is a shocking tale of woe. The Games Organising Committee needs tomake its accounts public. It is as simple as that. After all it istaxpayers money which is being used to build out the stadia and otherinfrastructure. The Sovereign Republic of Kalmadi refuses to playball. He is keen to punch above his weight. The OC reckons that is anindepndent body and therefore does not need to keep the UnionGovernment informed of where it is spending these bucks. The verdicthas been reserved by the Delhi High Courtafter hearing both sides. Imagine, the Kalmadi led OC has filed a caseagainst the Union Government saying that it is not a public body andcan keep its accounts private. Are we living in a banana Republic? Howcan Kalmadi and Co refuse to give us the financial details.
In a Mail Today hard hitting front page scoop, it has been revealedthat the OC writ petition before the Delhi High Court has snubbed theCentre claiming there was no direct or indirect control over it by thegovernment and there was no funding by it to manage its day- to- dayaffairs or to run its office. The Centre, on the other hand, allegedthat the claims had no basis asthe CGOC had received substantial funds from it and owed its birth toit. The committee had admitted in its 2005- 06 audit report that it hadreceived Rs 52.58 crore of its receipts of Rs 52.72 crore fromgovernment sources, it pointed out.
I am reproducing this important story from the Delhi based paper forgreater and wider dispersal:Responding to the contention that the government was merely actinglike a financier to the committee, the Centre said it could not betreated as a lender because it had provided a loan of Rs 272.72 crorewithout any security to an organisation without any assets. Thegovernment was committed to provide Rs 767 crore but the committeeitself had later requested for around Rs 1,780 crore, it said.In this year's Budget, the government sanctioned an enhanced provisionof Rs 1,820 crore for the 2010 Games. The government also pointed outthat though it had no share inprofits, it had to bear the loss if the committee failed to generateenough revenue from the 2010 Games. " In this scenario, it is themoral as well as the statutory duty of the petitioner (the CGOC) touse public funds judiciously and be open for scrutiny at all times,"the Centre said in its affidavit before the Delhi High Court.
Refuting the charge that it was encroaching upon the role andresponsibility of the committee, the government said it only intendedto ensure accountability of the committee to the public exchequer.The Centre also contested the claim of the committee that it was notunder the control of the government or a public authority accountableto answer queries under the Right to Information (RTI) Act. It pointedout that it was a signatory to the November 13, 2003, host citycontract with the Commonwealth Games Federation and the birth of thecommittee arose out of that contract. After execution of the contract,the chairman and composition of thecommittee was decided by the government's core Group of Ministers(GoM) in its meeting on January 29, 2005. The executive board of thecommittee had four government officials as members and two as specialinvitees.
On the claim of the CGOC that it would generate funds on its own, theCentre pointed out that the Delhi government, the Sports Authority ofIndia, the DDA, etc, would provide infrastructure without any usercharges for the Games, but that will generate revenue for thecommittee. Besides, the staff of the committee is paid from its account which isentirely funded by the government, the Centre said.The controversy erupted after a person filed an RTI application beforethe sports ministry seeking to know the details of payments made toactors Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Saif Ali Khan among others fortaking them to the Commonwealth Games closing ceremony in Melbourne in2006.
The CGOC refused a request by the ministry to share details andapproached the high court after the law ministry said in 2007 that itwas a public authority. The Central Information Commission ( CIC) hadin November 2006 heldthat the Indian Olympic Association ( IOA) was a public authority andhad directed it to share with the RTI applicant the particulars ofexpenses incurred by it on tours in connection with the CommonwealthGames. An appeal by the IOA against the CIC order had been clubbed with thecommittee's petition before the high court and was heard together.
The sports ministry, which had been neutral before the CIC, hadsupported the RTI applicant before the high court. It gave details offunds sanctioned by it to the IOA and maintained that it was a publicauthority and was bound to share information under the RTI law.The Delhi High Court, which clubbed both the matters in January thisyear, has reserved its verdicts on both the petitions raising thesimilar questions of law to be decided. Until the pronouncement of theverdict, the operation of the November2007 government order would remain suspended as the court had stayedit while issuing notice to the government on the committee's petitionin February 2008.
In parliament only the other day, the minister of state for sports P P Patil hasstated categorically that the 2010 Commonwealth games will cost Rs10,550 crore. Arten't we as Indians eligible to know how the OC isspending this money. If the Jawahar Lal Nehru staidum alone is costingRs 962 crore, the Indira gandhi stadium is costing Rs 669 crore whilethe Games Village an additional Rs 828 crore; then we certainly needto get into the innards of the financials to know what exactly isgoing on at the OC. Mr Patil also revealed in parliament that the OCwill generate revenues of Rs 1708 crore from broadcasting rights,sponsorships, ticketing et al. The deficit is an astronomical Rs 8842crore.
Something is seriously amiss. The nature of the beast is such that hedoesn't want this financial detail to come out in the open. Thesurmise is clear - it is hiding something. That is simply unacceptablein a democracy. This is a travesty.
My worst fears have come true. In a clear case of the SovereignRepublic of Suresh Kalmadi (SRSK) versus the Union of India, SRSKis busy cocking a snook at the Government of India. While everyattempt has been made to paper over all the travails and shortcomingsof the Commonwealth games Organising Committee despite two major runins ; first with Commonwealth games Federation president Mike Fennelland then with OC CEO Mike Hooper, Suresh Kalmadi has managed tosurvive. While the Government of India has tried its level best tocircumvent all financial powers and authority from Kalmadi and Co byinstalling its people in the OC, the ludicrous amount of money beingplopuighed into the Games has become a bit of an elephant and camel,it cannot be hidden under the carpet anymore. At a subterranean level,this internecine war has been fought relentlessly after CAG firstouted the size and scale of the debacle. By not being able to meetdeadlines, the OC is not embarrassing itself, but the nation. Anyhowpromises have been made, commitments given and an uneasy trucebrokered between the warring chieftains. But now news comes that acourt battle is being fought in the Delhi High Court over financialtransparency vis a vis the 2010 Games.
It is a shocking tale of woe. The Games Organising Committee needs tomake its accounts public. It is as simple as that. After all it istaxpayers money which is being used to build out the stadia and otherinfrastructure. The Sovereign Republic of Kalmadi refuses to playball. He is keen to punch above his weight. The OC reckons that is anindepndent body and therefore does not need to keep the UnionGovernment informed of where it is spending these bucks. The verdicthas been reserved by the Delhi High Courtafter hearing both sides. Imagine, the Kalmadi led OC has filed a caseagainst the Union Government saying that it is not a public body andcan keep its accounts private. Are we living in a banana Republic? Howcan Kalmadi and Co refuse to give us the financial details.
In a Mail Today hard hitting front page scoop, it has been revealedthat the OC writ petition before the Delhi High Court has snubbed theCentre claiming there was no direct or indirect control over it by thegovernment and there was no funding by it to manage its day- to- dayaffairs or to run its office. The Centre, on the other hand, allegedthat the claims had no basis asthe CGOC had received substantial funds from it and owed its birth toit. The committee had admitted in its 2005- 06 audit report that it hadreceived Rs 52.58 crore of its receipts of Rs 52.72 crore fromgovernment sources, it pointed out.
I am reproducing this important story from the Delhi based paper forgreater and wider dispersal:Responding to the contention that the government was merely actinglike a financier to the committee, the Centre said it could not betreated as a lender because it had provided a loan of Rs 272.72 crorewithout any security to an organisation without any assets. Thegovernment was committed to provide Rs 767 crore but the committeeitself had later requested for around Rs 1,780 crore, it said.In this year's Budget, the government sanctioned an enhanced provisionof Rs 1,820 crore for the 2010 Games. The government also pointed outthat though it had no share inprofits, it had to bear the loss if the committee failed to generateenough revenue from the 2010 Games. " In this scenario, it is themoral as well as the statutory duty of the petitioner (the CGOC) touse public funds judiciously and be open for scrutiny at all times,"the Centre said in its affidavit before the Delhi High Court.
Refuting the charge that it was encroaching upon the role andresponsibility of the committee, the government said it only intendedto ensure accountability of the committee to the public exchequer.The Centre also contested the claim of the committee that it was notunder the control of the government or a public authority accountableto answer queries under the Right to Information (RTI) Act. It pointedout that it was a signatory to the November 13, 2003, host citycontract with the Commonwealth Games Federation and the birth of thecommittee arose out of that contract. After execution of the contract,the chairman and composition of thecommittee was decided by the government's core Group of Ministers(GoM) in its meeting on January 29, 2005. The executive board of thecommittee had four government officials as members and two as specialinvitees.
On the claim of the CGOC that it would generate funds on its own, theCentre pointed out that the Delhi government, the Sports Authority ofIndia, the DDA, etc, would provide infrastructure without any usercharges for the Games, but that will generate revenue for thecommittee. Besides, the staff of the committee is paid from its account which isentirely funded by the government, the Centre said.The controversy erupted after a person filed an RTI application beforethe sports ministry seeking to know the details of payments made toactors Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Saif Ali Khan among others fortaking them to the Commonwealth Games closing ceremony in Melbourne in2006.
The CGOC refused a request by the ministry to share details andapproached the high court after the law ministry said in 2007 that itwas a public authority. The Central Information Commission ( CIC) hadin November 2006 heldthat the Indian Olympic Association ( IOA) was a public authority andhad directed it to share with the RTI applicant the particulars ofexpenses incurred by it on tours in connection with the CommonwealthGames. An appeal by the IOA against the CIC order had been clubbed with thecommittee's petition before the high court and was heard together.
The sports ministry, which had been neutral before the CIC, hadsupported the RTI applicant before the high court. It gave details offunds sanctioned by it to the IOA and maintained that it was a publicauthority and was bound to share information under the RTI law.The Delhi High Court, which clubbed both the matters in January thisyear, has reserved its verdicts on both the petitions raising thesimilar questions of law to be decided. Until the pronouncement of theverdict, the operation of the November2007 government order would remain suspended as the court had stayedit while issuing notice to the government on the committee's petitionin February 2008.
In parliament only the other day, the minister of state for sports P P Patil hasstated categorically that the 2010 Commonwealth games will cost Rs10,550 crore. Arten't we as Indians eligible to know how the OC isspending this money. If the Jawahar Lal Nehru staidum alone is costingRs 962 crore, the Indira gandhi stadium is costing Rs 669 crore whilethe Games Village an additional Rs 828 crore; then we certainly needto get into the innards of the financials to know what exactly isgoing on at the OC. Mr Patil also revealed in parliament that the OCwill generate revenues of Rs 1708 crore from broadcasting rights,sponsorships, ticketing et al. The deficit is an astronomical Rs 8842crore.
Something is seriously amiss. The nature of the beast is such that hedoesn't want this financial detail to come out in the open. Thesurmise is clear - it is hiding something. That is simply unacceptablein a democracy. This is a travesty.
BCCI's past is catching up with its players
SPECIAL COMMENT
Is the IPL proving to be party pooper? Is BCCI's highhandedness and strong arm tactics by crassly using its commercialpower finally costing Indian cricket? Are the reverberations going tobe felt by Indian cricketers? India has justascended the top of Test cricket's pyramid. And believe me, if thingsdon't work out, India will be at the top of this pile for a very shortwhile. With Cricket South Africa refusing to play Tests in Indiaduring its forthcoming tour, a heavy blow has been dealt to India'sgrowing aspirations to remain firmly ensconced at the top. On January2, India leaves for Bangladesh for a tri series featuring Sri Lankaalong with thehosts followed by two Tests - on January 17 at Chittagong and Dhaka onJanuary 24. Thereafter India has no Test matches to play for a long,long time. The next round of Test cricket was against South Africa - athree Test serieswhen South Africa began its tour on March 20. However, with CSA chiefGerald Majola saying that SA is scrapping the Test matches, India willhave no Test cricket for close to a year. Instead it will have the IPLseason 3 followed in rapid succession by the ICC T 20 World Cup inWest indies which gets underway on April 30, 2010. Other leadingteams, meanwhile will be playing a lot of Test cricket. Look at SouthAfrica, they will be engaged in a four Test match series againstEngland starting December 16, while Australia which is playing WestIndies in a three test series will then play another three Testsagainst Pakistan.
England travels to Bangladesh to play two Tests againstBangladesh while the Kiwis go across to play a Test series againstAustralia. Even Bangladesh and Pakistan play more Test cricket than usnext year. Bangladesh visit England for two Tests while Pakistancurrently playing in New Zealand will travel to England to play twoTests against Australia on neutral turf followed by four Tests againstEngland. Pakistan's tour of England to play Australia and the hostsends in late September. Pertinently, India's scheduling stinks for ithas no Testcricket whatsoever till next winter. Perhaps that is why theBCCI is desperately trying to get the New Zealanders to visit Indiabefore the World Cup. India is also scheduled to visit South Africa forthree tests and five one dayers next winter. But I wonder whether theBCCI will now opt for a tit for tat approach in the light of SouthAfrica pulling out of its Test commitments. More importantly, it isCSA which broke the news about its plan to scrap the Tests rather thanthe BCCI. Think of the revenue implications to the stagingassociations. In any case with the IPL dates having been broughtforward, how could the Test matches against SA have been squeezed in?And, what pray will Indian cricketers do in the meantime - playtiddlywinks.
As part of the Future Tours Program, India is scheduled to visitZimbabwe for two Tests and three one dayers next May. But as witheverything related to Zimbabwe cricket, there is no clarity on whetherthe tour will go ahead. Will India finally visit Zimbabwe or not, thatremains to be seen but according to the ICC cricket calender, there isalso a one day series which is scheduled to be played. Remains to beseen whether the tour, truncated or otherwise will go ahead. Thatleaves some of our ageing cricketers, most notably our batsmen in adilemma. Men like Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman and Sachin Tendulkar whoare all battling age will have no opportunities for close to ninemonths. There will be the odd one day series, maybe an Asia Cup, butno Test cricket till the Kiwis land in India. That too is uncertain.Of course, Indian cricketers will be busy with the IPL in March-Apriland then again some of them will be playing in next year's T 20Champions League, but that is just about it.
No cricket for our cricketers, sounds quaint for a team which normallyplays non stop cricket. Majola has stated that cramped scheduling isone of the reasons for CSA scrapping the Tests since the series was tobe followed by the IPL and then immediately by the T 20 World Cup. TheBCCI sins have caught up with it. With administrators - both in theBCCI and ICC - keen to monetise every opportunity through a surfeit ofT 20 cricket, it is Indian cricketers who will be starved of the reallitmus test - Tests. Dravid, Laxman, Tendulkar, Gautam Gambhir,Virender Sehwag, Yuvraj, Dhoni, Zaheer, Harbhajan all in fine formwill yearn to play a Test match. More so when they find that evenBangladesh and Pakistan are playing all the time.
The ICC Test rankings works on the principle of points accumulatedover a Test series. Australia and South Africa have enoughopportunities in the near future to retain their grasp on the numerouno ranking. Of course India vanquishing Bangladesh will help, butonly for a short while as beyond February, there is no Test cricket insight. Nature abhors a vacuum and so the sides playing Test cricketwill remain in contention, while Indian cricketers will simply justclamour to get back on a Test pitch. I cannot comprehend how the BCCIhas agreed to such itineraries. Or maybe it is so besotted and fixatedwith one dayers and T 20 torunaments that it forgot to schedule Testmatches for its cricketers. Anyway I feel sorry for our batsmen whoare in the form of their lives, they cannot add to their Test tallies.In the main Tendulkar, Dravid and Laxman who are in the twilight ofgreat careers. IPL wins over Tests for now...
Is the IPL proving to be party pooper? Is BCCI's highhandedness and strong arm tactics by crassly using its commercialpower finally costing Indian cricket? Are the reverberations going tobe felt by Indian cricketers? India has justascended the top of Test cricket's pyramid. And believe me, if thingsdon't work out, India will be at the top of this pile for a very shortwhile. With Cricket South Africa refusing to play Tests in Indiaduring its forthcoming tour, a heavy blow has been dealt to India'sgrowing aspirations to remain firmly ensconced at the top. On January2, India leaves for Bangladesh for a tri series featuring Sri Lankaalong with thehosts followed by two Tests - on January 17 at Chittagong and Dhaka onJanuary 24. Thereafter India has no Test matches to play for a long,long time. The next round of Test cricket was against South Africa - athree Test serieswhen South Africa began its tour on March 20. However, with CSA chiefGerald Majola saying that SA is scrapping the Test matches, India willhave no Test cricket for close to a year. Instead it will have the IPLseason 3 followed in rapid succession by the ICC T 20 World Cup inWest indies which gets underway on April 30, 2010. Other leadingteams, meanwhile will be playing a lot of Test cricket. Look at SouthAfrica, they will be engaged in a four Test match series againstEngland starting December 16, while Australia which is playing WestIndies in a three test series will then play another three Testsagainst Pakistan.
England travels to Bangladesh to play two Tests againstBangladesh while the Kiwis go across to play a Test series againstAustralia. Even Bangladesh and Pakistan play more Test cricket than usnext year. Bangladesh visit England for two Tests while Pakistancurrently playing in New Zealand will travel to England to play twoTests against Australia on neutral turf followed by four Tests againstEngland. Pakistan's tour of England to play Australia and the hostsends in late September. Pertinently, India's scheduling stinks for ithas no Testcricket whatsoever till next winter. Perhaps that is why theBCCI is desperately trying to get the New Zealanders to visit Indiabefore the World Cup. India is also scheduled to visit South Africa forthree tests and five one dayers next winter. But I wonder whether theBCCI will now opt for a tit for tat approach in the light of SouthAfrica pulling out of its Test commitments. More importantly, it isCSA which broke the news about its plan to scrap the Tests rather thanthe BCCI. Think of the revenue implications to the stagingassociations. In any case with the IPL dates having been broughtforward, how could the Test matches against SA have been squeezed in?And, what pray will Indian cricketers do in the meantime - playtiddlywinks.
As part of the Future Tours Program, India is scheduled to visitZimbabwe for two Tests and three one dayers next May. But as witheverything related to Zimbabwe cricket, there is no clarity on whetherthe tour will go ahead. Will India finally visit Zimbabwe or not, thatremains to be seen but according to the ICC cricket calender, there isalso a one day series which is scheduled to be played. Remains to beseen whether the tour, truncated or otherwise will go ahead. Thatleaves some of our ageing cricketers, most notably our batsmen in adilemma. Men like Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman and Sachin Tendulkar whoare all battling age will have no opportunities for close to ninemonths. There will be the odd one day series, maybe an Asia Cup, butno Test cricket till the Kiwis land in India. That too is uncertain.Of course, Indian cricketers will be busy with the IPL in March-Apriland then again some of them will be playing in next year's T 20Champions League, but that is just about it.
No cricket for our cricketers, sounds quaint for a team which normallyplays non stop cricket. Majola has stated that cramped scheduling isone of the reasons for CSA scrapping the Tests since the series was tobe followed by the IPL and then immediately by the T 20 World Cup. TheBCCI sins have caught up with it. With administrators - both in theBCCI and ICC - keen to monetise every opportunity through a surfeit ofT 20 cricket, it is Indian cricketers who will be starved of the reallitmus test - Tests. Dravid, Laxman, Tendulkar, Gautam Gambhir,Virender Sehwag, Yuvraj, Dhoni, Zaheer, Harbhajan all in fine formwill yearn to play a Test match. More so when they find that evenBangladesh and Pakistan are playing all the time.
The ICC Test rankings works on the principle of points accumulatedover a Test series. Australia and South Africa have enoughopportunities in the near future to retain their grasp on the numerouno ranking. Of course India vanquishing Bangladesh will help, butonly for a short while as beyond February, there is no Test cricket insight. Nature abhors a vacuum and so the sides playing Test cricketwill remain in contention, while Indian cricketers will simply justclamour to get back on a Test pitch. I cannot comprehend how the BCCIhas agreed to such itineraries. Or maybe it is so besotted and fixatedwith one dayers and T 20 torunaments that it forgot to schedule Testmatches for its cricketers. Anyway I feel sorry for our batsmen whoare in the form of their lives, they cannot add to their Test tallies.In the main Tendulkar, Dravid and Laxman who are in the twilight ofgreat careers. IPL wins over Tests for now...
Yeh Commonwealth Games kya cheez hai?
RETROFIT
Too much knowledge and too little knowledge are both dangerous. Sometimes, thearrogance of foreign media when they cover Indian eventsis most galling. In the past, I have highlighted how foreign media hasliterally translated UPA Government's draw card - aam aadmi as MangoMan, but last week I read an interesting and insightful piece in a Kiwi paper.Yes, a New Zealand paper called NZ Herald. Now, why would NewZealanders be interested in India, one may ask? Well, the CEO of theCommonwealth Games Federation is a New Zealander. His name is MikeHooper. The same Hooper who was caught in an ugly maelstrom when CWGOrganising Committee boss SureshKalmadi tried to evict him from the Games Headquarters saying that hewas an imepdiment. It all got out of hand till a rapprochement waseffected In London during the Queen's Baton relay function.
Now Hooper is a brave man for he has to weather the visiccitudes ofDelhi and India. Isn't it tough to survive in a city where his dailydiary reads like this - anti-terrorism (tick), security (tick),politics (tick), telling it like it is (tick), maintaining theCommonwealth Games status (tick) and of course eating fiery curries(postponed). In the hurly burly of a developing Delhi, Kiwi Hooper isstruggling to come to terms with all its many splendoured vagaries. Itis typical of a White Man to categorise India in such small andcliched compartments. Snakecharmers and elephants seem to be missing though. When will the whiteman understand that India despite its acute poverty is changingrapidly? Unfortunately the crisis over the Games infrastructure isn'thelping our image. Nor is Kalmadi and Lalit Bhanot's boorish behaviourabsolving us of our inefficiency.
But back to NZ Herald which reckons that as far as global sportsadministration jobs are concerned, Hooper has one with levels ofstress that bring a firein the belly unrelated to anything accompanied by the word 'vindaloo'.Incidentally vindaloo is not a north Indian curry, but has its originsin Goa. Once again throwing into stark relief the role that cluelessforeign media play in distorting things 'Indian.' To the Herald'scredit, they have not painted the rest of the Commonwealth Gamescompletion schedule in dark hues. In fact, they have shown Hooper as ago getter who is trying to adjust to the Indian pace of things. Hooperis also quoted as saying that even at Melbourne in 2006 some of thestadia were behind schedule. An attempt to humanise Hooper, even atthe limited cost of demonising the rest of Delhi. It portrays thepicture of an accommodative individual who is simply doing his job.
The Herald writes: For the next 10 months, up until and after theopening on October 3, Hooper's job as chief executive of theCommonwealth Games Federation (CGF) will be a challenge. The50-year-old has held the role since December 2000, after moving on asboss of the New Zealand Olympic Committee. Most days he negotiates hisway through the organised chaos of Delhi into the cacophony of theConnaught Place business district as it whirs into mayhem.
It's a long way from growing up as part of a family of nine childrenin the Manawatu. Recently his quality control role has been riddledwith controversy as Hooper, renowned for being a straight shooter,comes up against local political power. Suresh Kalmadi, the chairmanof the Games' organising committee, demanded his sacking for what heclaimed was incompetence and delaying tactics. That's after Hooperhelped set up an independent monitoring committee - at the CGF's cost- to oversee the slow pace ofpreparations. Hooper says they have reached a practical peace, fornow.
"My response is that, quite simply we're going to focus on the issues,get on with the work and continue to assist - because the reality isthere's a lot to be done. It's no secret we're behind schedule." Itstems from early October when the completion date for a number ofvenues such as the cycling velodrome, aquatics centre and rugby sevensground was extended by three months to March 31."
Is it a real cause for concern? Not really, says Hooper: "So long asthey can demonstrate a degree of readiness when we come throughformally with the co-ordination commission on December 14. "The timeframe from the start of April to the end of September still gives ussix months, so we're not panicking. If you go back to Melbourne, [theCommonwealth Games there in 2006] even some of their venues weren'tready until three or four months before.
"The MCG, for example, underwent hundreds of millions of dollars worthof renovations but we only had a month or two before that was ready.The village is something else we'll get an update on. It's importantwe keep monitoring and querying. To be fair, there's been a lot ofIndian government funding, including an increase of Rs 16.2 billion ($500 million) added to the budget recently for operational delivery,broadcasting, venue construction and infrastructuralprogrammes."Hooper's had the backing of the CGF chairman and presidentMike Fennell during the time of crisis. The president of the NZOC,Mike Stanley, has also waded in on his behalf after his October visitto Delhi for the General Assembly.
"He's known for speaking his mind and he's done that. He hasn't shiedaway from asking the hard questions to make sure the event isdelivered on time and to a certain standard," said Stanley. "That hasupset some people but he was in a difficult position and needed topush and prod to make sure athletes get the best Games possible.
"It's a situation that shouldn't have presented itself to the CGF tostart with." Hooper acknowledges one of the biggest concerns is thesecurity riskfollowing the March gunmen attacks on the Sri Lankan cricket team busin Pakistan and the Mumbai terrorism episode just over a year ago."We're all aware we live in a crazy world and these issues receive alot of attention. But the Delhi police have done an excellent jobmoving people between venues thus far.
"With terrorism, you also have to look at London being awarded theOlympics in 2005 and the day afterwards suffering the [July 7]bombings. It can happen anywhere. "While there are a lot of crazies,there's been a lot of information-sharing with the other agencies atthe highest level, like London's Metropolitan police and New Zealand'sforce. "There are four tiers of security to pass through at venues andthe manpower is significant - 85,000 sworn officers and 30,000paramilitary types."
Connected to the same Commonwealth Games was an equally fascinatingfront paged expose in Mail Today on how the Organising Committee isfighting the Union of India in the Delhi High Court. The storyrevealed that the OC writ petition before the Delhi High Court hassnubbed the Centre claiming there was no direct or indirect controlover it by the government and there was no funding by it to manage itsday- to- day affairs or to run its office. The Centre, on the otherhand, allegedthat the claims had no basis as the CWGOC had received substantialfunds from it and owed its birth to it. The committee had admitted inits 2005- 06 audit report that it had received Rs 52.58 crore of itsreceipts of Rs 52.72 crore fromgovernment sources, it pointed out.
I am reproducing parts of this important story from the Delhi based paper forgreater and wider dispersal: Responding to the contention that thegovernment was merely acting like a financier to the committee, theCentre said it could not betreated as a lender because it had provided a loan of Rs 272.72 crorewithout any security to an organisation without any assets. Thegovernment was committed to provide Rs 767 crore but the committeeitself had later requested for around Rs 1,780 crore, it said.In this year's Budget, the government sanctioned an enhanced provisionof Rs 1,820 crore for the 2010 Games. The government also pointed outthat though it had no share in profits, it had to bear the loss if thecommittee failed to generate enough revenue from the 2010 Games. " Inthis scenario, it is themoral as well as the statutory duty of the petitioner (the CGOC) touse public funds judiciously and be open for scrutiny at all times,"the Centre said in its affidavit before the Delhi High Court.
Refuting the charge that it was encroaching upon the role andresponsibility of the committee, the government said it only intendedto ensure accountability of the committee to the public exchequer.The Centre also contested the claim of the committee that it was notunder the control of the government or a public authority accountableto answer queries under the Right to Information (RTI) Act. It pointedout that it was a signatory to the November 13, 2003, host citycontract with the Commonwealth Games Federation and the birth of thecommittee arose out of that contract. After execution of the contract,the chairman and composition of the committee was decided by thegovernment's core Group of Ministers (GoM) in its meeting on January29, 2005. The executive board of the committee had four governmentofficials as members and two as special invitees.
On the claim of the CGOC that it would generate funds on its own, theCentre pointed out that the Delhi government, the Sports Authority ofIndia, the DDA, etc, would provide infrastructure without any usercharges for the Games, but that will generate revenue for thecommittee. Besides, the staff of the committee is paid from its account which isentirely funded by the government, the Centre said.The controversy erupted after a person filed an RTI application beforethe sports ministry seeking to know the details of payments made toactors Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Saif Ali Khan among others fortaking them to the Commonwealth Games closing ceremony in Melbourne in2006.
Even as I write this, I am reading details of BJP leader Vijay Goel'spresser where he has fulminated against OC chairman Suresh Kalmadi,calling him corrupt and inefficient. I am amazed that the governmentcannot exercise any control over Kalmadi and his shenanigans. I cannotbelieve that the OC is refusing to share financial details of itsspend on stadia etc with the Government. After all the OC wasempowered by the Government and all the projects which have seen timeand cost overruns are being financed by the same Government. It is atravesty.
Too much knowledge and too little knowledge are both dangerous. Sometimes, thearrogance of foreign media when they cover Indian eventsis most galling. In the past, I have highlighted how foreign media hasliterally translated UPA Government's draw card - aam aadmi as MangoMan, but last week I read an interesting and insightful piece in a Kiwi paper.Yes, a New Zealand paper called NZ Herald. Now, why would NewZealanders be interested in India, one may ask? Well, the CEO of theCommonwealth Games Federation is a New Zealander. His name is MikeHooper. The same Hooper who was caught in an ugly maelstrom when CWGOrganising Committee boss SureshKalmadi tried to evict him from the Games Headquarters saying that hewas an imepdiment. It all got out of hand till a rapprochement waseffected In London during the Queen's Baton relay function.
Now Hooper is a brave man for he has to weather the visiccitudes ofDelhi and India. Isn't it tough to survive in a city where his dailydiary reads like this - anti-terrorism (tick), security (tick),politics (tick), telling it like it is (tick), maintaining theCommonwealth Games status (tick) and of course eating fiery curries(postponed). In the hurly burly of a developing Delhi, Kiwi Hooper isstruggling to come to terms with all its many splendoured vagaries. Itis typical of a White Man to categorise India in such small andcliched compartments. Snakecharmers and elephants seem to be missing though. When will the whiteman understand that India despite its acute poverty is changingrapidly? Unfortunately the crisis over the Games infrastructure isn'thelping our image. Nor is Kalmadi and Lalit Bhanot's boorish behaviourabsolving us of our inefficiency.
But back to NZ Herald which reckons that as far as global sportsadministration jobs are concerned, Hooper has one with levels ofstress that bring a firein the belly unrelated to anything accompanied by the word 'vindaloo'.Incidentally vindaloo is not a north Indian curry, but has its originsin Goa. Once again throwing into stark relief the role that cluelessforeign media play in distorting things 'Indian.' To the Herald'scredit, they have not painted the rest of the Commonwealth Gamescompletion schedule in dark hues. In fact, they have shown Hooper as ago getter who is trying to adjust to the Indian pace of things. Hooperis also quoted as saying that even at Melbourne in 2006 some of thestadia were behind schedule. An attempt to humanise Hooper, even atthe limited cost of demonising the rest of Delhi. It portrays thepicture of an accommodative individual who is simply doing his job.
The Herald writes: For the next 10 months, up until and after theopening on October 3, Hooper's job as chief executive of theCommonwealth Games Federation (CGF) will be a challenge. The50-year-old has held the role since December 2000, after moving on asboss of the New Zealand Olympic Committee. Most days he negotiates hisway through the organised chaos of Delhi into the cacophony of theConnaught Place business district as it whirs into mayhem.
It's a long way from growing up as part of a family of nine childrenin the Manawatu. Recently his quality control role has been riddledwith controversy as Hooper, renowned for being a straight shooter,comes up against local political power. Suresh Kalmadi, the chairmanof the Games' organising committee, demanded his sacking for what heclaimed was incompetence and delaying tactics. That's after Hooperhelped set up an independent monitoring committee - at the CGF's cost- to oversee the slow pace ofpreparations. Hooper says they have reached a practical peace, fornow.
"My response is that, quite simply we're going to focus on the issues,get on with the work and continue to assist - because the reality isthere's a lot to be done. It's no secret we're behind schedule." Itstems from early October when the completion date for a number ofvenues such as the cycling velodrome, aquatics centre and rugby sevensground was extended by three months to March 31."
Is it a real cause for concern? Not really, says Hooper: "So long asthey can demonstrate a degree of readiness when we come throughformally with the co-ordination commission on December 14. "The timeframe from the start of April to the end of September still gives ussix months, so we're not panicking. If you go back to Melbourne, [theCommonwealth Games there in 2006] even some of their venues weren'tready until three or four months before.
"The MCG, for example, underwent hundreds of millions of dollars worthof renovations but we only had a month or two before that was ready.The village is something else we'll get an update on. It's importantwe keep monitoring and querying. To be fair, there's been a lot ofIndian government funding, including an increase of Rs 16.2 billion ($500 million) added to the budget recently for operational delivery,broadcasting, venue construction and infrastructuralprogrammes."Hooper's had the backing of the CGF chairman and presidentMike Fennell during the time of crisis. The president of the NZOC,Mike Stanley, has also waded in on his behalf after his October visitto Delhi for the General Assembly.
"He's known for speaking his mind and he's done that. He hasn't shiedaway from asking the hard questions to make sure the event isdelivered on time and to a certain standard," said Stanley. "That hasupset some people but he was in a difficult position and needed topush and prod to make sure athletes get the best Games possible.
"It's a situation that shouldn't have presented itself to the CGF tostart with." Hooper acknowledges one of the biggest concerns is thesecurity riskfollowing the March gunmen attacks on the Sri Lankan cricket team busin Pakistan and the Mumbai terrorism episode just over a year ago."We're all aware we live in a crazy world and these issues receive alot of attention. But the Delhi police have done an excellent jobmoving people between venues thus far.
"With terrorism, you also have to look at London being awarded theOlympics in 2005 and the day afterwards suffering the [July 7]bombings. It can happen anywhere. "While there are a lot of crazies,there's been a lot of information-sharing with the other agencies atthe highest level, like London's Metropolitan police and New Zealand'sforce. "There are four tiers of security to pass through at venues andthe manpower is significant - 85,000 sworn officers and 30,000paramilitary types."
Connected to the same Commonwealth Games was an equally fascinatingfront paged expose in Mail Today on how the Organising Committee isfighting the Union of India in the Delhi High Court. The storyrevealed that the OC writ petition before the Delhi High Court hassnubbed the Centre claiming there was no direct or indirect controlover it by the government and there was no funding by it to manage itsday- to- day affairs or to run its office. The Centre, on the otherhand, allegedthat the claims had no basis as the CWGOC had received substantialfunds from it and owed its birth to it. The committee had admitted inits 2005- 06 audit report that it had received Rs 52.58 crore of itsreceipts of Rs 52.72 crore fromgovernment sources, it pointed out.
I am reproducing parts of this important story from the Delhi based paper forgreater and wider dispersal: Responding to the contention that thegovernment was merely acting like a financier to the committee, theCentre said it could not betreated as a lender because it had provided a loan of Rs 272.72 crorewithout any security to an organisation without any assets. Thegovernment was committed to provide Rs 767 crore but the committeeitself had later requested for around Rs 1,780 crore, it said.In this year's Budget, the government sanctioned an enhanced provisionof Rs 1,820 crore for the 2010 Games. The government also pointed outthat though it had no share in profits, it had to bear the loss if thecommittee failed to generate enough revenue from the 2010 Games. " Inthis scenario, it is themoral as well as the statutory duty of the petitioner (the CGOC) touse public funds judiciously and be open for scrutiny at all times,"the Centre said in its affidavit before the Delhi High Court.
Refuting the charge that it was encroaching upon the role andresponsibility of the committee, the government said it only intendedto ensure accountability of the committee to the public exchequer.The Centre also contested the claim of the committee that it was notunder the control of the government or a public authority accountableto answer queries under the Right to Information (RTI) Act. It pointedout that it was a signatory to the November 13, 2003, host citycontract with the Commonwealth Games Federation and the birth of thecommittee arose out of that contract. After execution of the contract,the chairman and composition of the committee was decided by thegovernment's core Group of Ministers (GoM) in its meeting on January29, 2005. The executive board of the committee had four governmentofficials as members and two as special invitees.
On the claim of the CGOC that it would generate funds on its own, theCentre pointed out that the Delhi government, the Sports Authority ofIndia, the DDA, etc, would provide infrastructure without any usercharges for the Games, but that will generate revenue for thecommittee. Besides, the staff of the committee is paid from its account which isentirely funded by the government, the Centre said.The controversy erupted after a person filed an RTI application beforethe sports ministry seeking to know the details of payments made toactors Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Saif Ali Khan among others fortaking them to the Commonwealth Games closing ceremony in Melbourne in2006.
Even as I write this, I am reading details of BJP leader Vijay Goel'spresser where he has fulminated against OC chairman Suresh Kalmadi,calling him corrupt and inefficient. I am amazed that the governmentcannot exercise any control over Kalmadi and his shenanigans. I cannotbelieve that the OC is refusing to share financial details of itsspend on stadia etc with the Government. After all the OC wasempowered by the Government and all the projects which have seen timeand cost overruns are being financed by the same Government. It is atravesty.
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