The Harbinger of a new dawn in Cricket...

ICL is all set to start this Friday... the stars have flown in. The teams, coaches, commentators have been announced. It's a huge galaxy of stars... most of them retired; all of them credible.

Just a few months back, media baron Subhash Chandra was worried about his channel Zee Sports. All his bids to acquire Cricket Broadcast rights in India had fallen short. Nimbus ran away with domestic rights, and ESPN-Star with International broadcast rights. International football, F1 and Basketball were already gone. Hell, he didn't even have the WWE wrestling matches like Ten Sports.

Subhash Chandra is a onetime rice trader turned media baron. He launched India's satellite television revolution through Zee TV. He never plunges into the market; he plunges into the darkness with his vision and creates the market. Just check out the man's other interests; packaging, theme parks, lotteries; cinema multiplexes... He believes in the first mover's advantage.

So what could he do here? He definitely couldn't afford to leave the Zee Network's umbrella without a first rate sports channel....

April 2007: India crashed out of West Indies world cup. People were angry. People were disillusioned with the players and BCCI. People were ready for a change.

Bingo... the stage was set for the arrival of this century's Kerry Packer.

The Indian Cricket League (ICL) was proposed; a private cricket league that would run parallel to the existing cricket league managed by BCCI (Yeah, BCCI is private. No connections with the government whatsoever).

The genie had been let out of the bottle. For a long time now experts of the sports business had been betting on the kind of money creation of Franchise Leagues would generate in Cricket. It had worked wonders in case of Football, Basketball, Hockey (PHL in India), Rugby and Baseball.

As expected, soon the dirt started flowing in public. BCCI cried foul. ICL was termed as 'The Rebel League'. Pakistan Cricket Board warned the players contracted to the ICL saying those who turn out for the rebel league will not be considered for selection in the National team in the future. ICL replied back. Players were signed (several Pakistaanis); debates erupted all around over the conditions of players, over BCCI methodology, its corruption and politics... the media Baron had revealed his plans with perfect timing. ICL got free publicity worth crores of rupees.

BCCI was getting kicked from all sides... Big International Stars were signing up for ICL. Promising young guns, mostly hapless victims of their respective boards now had another viable option. The Honorable HC ordered PSUs not to fire players who join ICL (IOC and Air India had threatened employees to terminate their services if they join ICL). Even the ICC had to sit up and take notice.... After all, it was the financial powerhouse of International Cricket that was under fire.

The BCCI was loosing it fast... and all because of one single thing.

IT'S LACK OF CREDIBILITY.

The ICL had delivered the knockout punch at the very beginning by making the legendry Kapil Dev the public face of ICL. The financial muscle of BCCI wielded no power against the stature of a simple hard working Haryaanvi....

The big Guns at BCCI sat back at took a realistic look at things. They rolled with the punches and waited for the opportune moment. And miraculously, The wheel of fortune turned in favor of Team India. First a good outing in England. And then the T20 world cup happened, and Team India rose like a phoenix. The men in blue became the boys in blue, enthusiastic, friendly, aggressive.... led by MSD. Ads featuring Cricket stars came back with a bang. Time was ripe for BCCI to strike back.

And BCCI got the bull by it's horns and came out with IPL, on the lines of football’s English Premier League and the National Basketball League (NBA) of the U.S.

BCCI gathered all its trump cards and opened them simultaneously.

First of all, MONEY MONEY MONEY. BCCI offered the players obscene amount of money. It offered a decent share of the pie to ICC, which bowed down. Moreover, ICC's blessings mean that players in IPL can still play for their country. Their scores and wickets will be added to International T20 statistics. So current superstars could breath easy, and continue playing for their National Teams. But still all this couldn't counter the presence of Kapil Dev... So, BCCI roped in Sunil Gavaskar as the public face of IPL. BCCI got a CREDIBLE respected personality. It followed the same policy when it appointed Vengsarkar the chairman of selectors and Ravi Shastri the head of NCA. The BCCI’s masterstroke was surely the presence of McGrath and Fleming at the launch of IPL, as they had been in talks to join ICL.

About IPL

IPL will debut in April 2008 with 59 matches spread over 44 days. The IPL will primarily be played under lights with play beginning at 5 p.m. Two matches will be scheduled each day. The IPL will initially start with eight teams and will offer $3 million in prize money, making it the richest tournament in domestic cricket. It will be a franchise-model wherein corporate and sponsors will be allowed to buy and run teams. SRK, Sachin Tendulkar, ADAG and Russel Crow are some of the high profile speculated bidders. Player buy-outs will be an added feature, something that cricket is not accustomed to. Under the franchise model, a sponsor wanting to have its team will pay a stipulated fee to the BCCI to get ownership. The franchisee will also have to share revenues with the cricket board. The franchisee will, however, collect the gate money and the income from in-stadia advertisements, and at a later stage can list the team on the stock exchange and trade.. It is rumored that the bidding price for each IPL team will start from $ 50 million. And then, throw in the broadcast rights.... as per conservative estimates, the one time financial spin-off would be $ 600 mn - $ 1 bn.

About ICL

The ICL is starting with T20 format. Tau Devi Lal stadium in Panchkula, a place near Chandigarh will be hosting the ICL for season 2007. This stadium has 20,000 seating capacity and ICL is planning to lease this stadium for 10 years. The names of the teams are Chandigarh Lions, Mumbai Champs, Kolkata Tigers, Delhi Jets, Chennai Superstars and Hyderabad Heroes. A former cricketer is involved as coach in every each of the participating team. Three former Indian cricketers- Sandeep Patil, Madan Lal and Balwinder Sandhu will serve as coach along with Australia’s Michael Bevan, South Africa’s Darryl Cullinan and Pakistan’s Moin Khan. ICL has enough galaxy of stars to start off.

So, what happens to the ICL now? Is it the end of an idea? Will ICL generate decent revenues? Or will it be crushed under the Financial and Political power of BCCI?

Well, I believe Subhash Chandra isn't looking to break even in the first year itself. ICL has Essel Group’s backing; Even Subhash Chandra has a net worth of $2.3 bn; that means truckload of money. The main purpose behind the launch of ICL was the revival of Zee Sports anyway, and the upward movement in the Stock of Zee Telefilms vindicates this. Sponsors will come, eventually if not soon, because the Indians love Cricket. Lalu Prasad Yadav has said that the ICL can use the cricket infrastructure of Indian Railways.

My bet is that there is enough room for everyone. ENOUGH. As far as the events don't clash, I don’t see any reason why ICL will collapse. The Indian market itself can sustain it all... ICL, IPL, County Cricket and the international matches. It will be analogous to how USA alone sustains Baseball. The private leagues will have the USP of mixture; like the possibility of Brett Lee and Shoaib Akhtar bowling together... International matches will provide the Nationalist flavour.

ICL and IPL will co-exist in time to come. There will be bloodbath before the eventual peace, but ultimately Cricket will grow. Players will grow. And BCCI will become more accountable, as there will always be someone else to capitalise on it's debacles.

The real debate will arise when the young Indian players perform spectacularly in ICL. How will the BCCI justify keeping them out of Team India, especially when times are bad, as in April 2007 (World Cup Exit)... or March 2000 (The match fixing scandal)

Consider this irony; Sunil Gavaskar's son Rohan Gavaskar has joined ICL.

Marketing Budget

7 ways to stretch your marketing budget
(An Economic Times Article - Nov 16, 2007)

MARKETING isn’t just an expense; it's an investment. The key is to market smarter and fully utilise your marketing budget. Marketing is an important part of any business operation. The challenge is finding cost-effective ways to get your name out without going over your allotted budget. Strategic planning is important so that you have a purpose with each marketing dollar you spend. Some people will just randomly select marketing activities, which is a huge waste of dollars. Creating a marketing plan that incorporates the above seven tips will help you have a focus and a variety of venues to reach existing and potential clients and keep your financial picture on track

Here are seven ways to stretch the marketing rupees and increase the bottom-line profits:

Use free publicity:
It costs you nothing and builds credibility and awareness. So look for opportunities to be involved with community activities.

Speak at local organisations:
Every organisation is looking for speakers for their monthly meetings, so offer to share your knowledge with them. You'll get exposure to groups as an expert and meet lots of new people who might be potential clients.

Write articles:
Contribute to newsletters, newspapers, industry journals and your own Web site. Sharing information builds name recognition, which helps bring in clients.

Create a web site:
Websites are a must. You’re missing a great opportunity if your business doesn't have a presence on the web. It’s a very cost-effective way of letting people know about you and your products and services.

Partner with others:
Look for businesses with complementary services to create cooperative advertising campaigns so that you have a pool of money.

Participate:
Look at ways that you can get more involved in the organisations you already work with. This helps build your name recognition by being involved on committees.

Connect:
Networking is the most effective way to meet people. People like to do business with others they know. Networking takes little money, but it does take a time commitment because you must be consistent in your networking efforts.

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Quote:

A market is never saturated with a good product, but it is very quickly saturated with a bad one
Henry Ford

STOP !!!

Ohh, STOP for God's sake. Stop Plz, will ya? Its all happening too fast...whats the hurry? Common, I need a break. Its not supposed to happen like this...

But that is how the world is. We don't want things to change. Maintaining the Status Quo is always convenient.
Hell... we are all weary of the change, especially when it happens suddenly! When it's imposed on us without our consent.
And on top of that, most of these changes happen without we being able to exercise any control over them whatsoever.
BANG... and the next thing you know you're not in the place you want to be.

We need to accept the change and move on.... But hey, I am an average human... It's never that easy.

I heard of this theory regarding change: The Phases a person goes through...

1. DENIAL: We don't admit this has happened.
2.ANGER: We're pissed off... how could this happen.
3. ACCEPTANCE: Yeah, how long can one ignore the TRUTH staring in the face.
4.GUILT: The fact that we didn't embrace the change even though we knew it was true, and the efforts we could have put in the past which might have either prevented this change or made it a bit sweeter.
5.DEPRESSION: You sink low, lie there for a while...Cursing everything...youeself, the world...the society...the system...

And then as life moves on, so do we.

Most of the time, it is such change that moves the life of a lame-ass-lazy person. Else, he/she will never grow, never live... coz he is too weary of the unknown, too comfortable with the present...

WE need to embrace the fact that change is mostly a blessing in disguise. It opens new avenues in front of us, makes us take tentetive steps in the directions we never even dreamed of...

CHANGE... the only constant thing in our lives.

IIT-JEE and CAT

"Two things make the life of a good humored, fun loving nice teenage guy in India a living hell: IIT-JEE and CAT"

A very dear friend of mine quoted the above line nonchalantly; his abysmal tone was something that I could associate myself with immediately. He said it as-a-matter-of-fact; as if he was stating the so very obvious truth.
This friend of mine (I won't name him, as I'm writing this without informing him) is a very decent guy... One of the very few that I've found in my office who seems NORMAL to me... He is from a very good college, his brain works like a computer, and he is sincere (WOW, wish I had those qualities in me...). More than anything, he is a dependable friend.

This statement of his made me write this piece...the life of an average guy....a simple story, with a proper end....

Picture this scene: A young boy, in class 9th - 10th, in an average town/city in India. He bothers nothing about his life. Thoughts of career just don’t exist in his mind. He dreams of girls. Cricket is a newfound religion for him. He has had a first time brush with pornography. Having his own bike is his top-notch fantasy. Gali-Muhalla cricket/Football matches are a matter of personal pride and spiritual fulfillment.

His visions and thoughts are abruptly derailed. He asks, "Ye kya ho raha hai?" and before he even knows what is happening, he is forced into the mad-mad world of Competitive Exams. He finds himself in a whirlpool. Suddenly, he is expected to grow. Suddenly, he should mature overnight. Suddenly, spare time becomes scarce. Suddenly, tuitions become very important. It usually starts with the 10th Board exams. And then it carries on.

Then comes the inviting monster, IIT-JEE. It hurts the most kids who do well in class, and the push comes more often than not from School/Tuition teachers. For engineering aspirants, it’s a dream come true. For the Parents, it means a secure and prosperous future for the child. It means an ultimate association with a powerful brand. But what is this for the kid??
Basically a nightmare hidden in a cloak.

But just because a kid can do Math doesn’t mean he should become an engineer, isn’t it? Not everyone is supposed to be a technical person, it requires that interest in technology, curiosity to known the nagging details.

But kids still study. Around 98% end up getting depressed and hurt as they fail (which is coz of only some 4000 odd seats available). And this remains with most of them throughout their life. Few mature soon enough to let this go. But even after the pain subsides and wounds heal, the scars remain for life.

I was fortunate that I escaped this trauma. I cracked IIT-JEE. Phew, big deal. I recall everyone around me being so happy. My parents were proud of me. My relatives admired me; set me as an example to my cousins (poor guys; think of the unwanted pressure they must have gone through). Everything was Hunky Dory....except one thing. I wasn't sure what I was getting into.

I was happy. Yeah. But what was the reason? That my future was secure? Or that my effort had paid off? I knew it then, and I know it now. I was happy because the burden of studying so hard had ended. Yeah.... and that’s how teenagers think.

It's not that I hated studies. I kind of liked them. The bone of contention was that I was merely working towards something that I didn't understand. Just because I trusted and respected my parents.

And this truth reflected in my college grades. As time moved on, my rank slipped in my batch, though my friends grew, my extra curricular activities grew even more...I developed my hobbies and interests....

I realized this later on... trust, respect (and sometimes fear) of parents can motivate you only till you are confined to home. Once you live off your home premises, EVERYTHING changes. You are on your own. You primarily do what you want. PERIOD.

FAST FORWARD: FEW YEARS LATER

Picture this scene: A final year Engineering graduate. He has a normal average job in his bag. He is enjoying the last year of his blissful college life, coz now he is mature enough to understand that this time will never return. For he found himself in college. His identity unfolded before himself over the past few years. He knows what his habits are; he knows what his limits are; he knows what he is comfortable with; in all probability, he has had a taste of girlfriend; he knows smoking is bad for his health; he knows who his true friends are; he knows how to handle idiots and work with systems; he knows he has screwed up on several occasions; he knows he has potential and he can win the world if he wants; he knows how mane Pegs he can take before puking/ Passing Out...the only thing he doesn't know is “What to do with his life??”

Yeah, LIFE.

And then he sees another inviting monster. It is disguised as a sweet little innocent thing. All pure. All for your better future, All good.

Enter CAT - Common Admission Test.

It enters his consciousness with subtle steps. It dances around him like Menaka. It seduces him; causes delusions before his eyes; shows him a great future, where he could be GOD... he would yield power in the Corporate Boardrooms, he would take home lakhs and lakhs per month, Plush AC offices, his Picture on magazine covers, swanky hotel lobbies, grand Luxury cars, Business class air travel around the world, maybe an eternal romance in office, a posh n sweet showcase wife, sweet little kids...

And to add to this temptation, other forces begin to act: Peer pressure. (People look at someone who has an average job and not preparing for CAT as someone worthy of being in Aagra paagalkhaanaa). Parents come back to you, "So. Going for an MBA?"

And so, slowly and gradually, the happy-go-lucky guy who till some time back was happy and content with his life, who had sorted out his priorities and knew his limits, gets sucked into the whirlpool of expectations and promise of grandeur. And starts to prepare for CAT. Again... chances of success are miniscule (Below 2%)... and everything repeats for the guy.

I’ll be giving CAT third straight time next month. I’ve had to bear with failure a couple of times. And I know that as of now, it is a matter of luck; it always is in such exams. Of Course you need to study, that is obvious. But beyond a limit, so much depends on THAT DAY. The preparation over the past year, the percentiles in AIMCATs and SIMCATs and MOCKCATs, it all matters only to some extent. Not further.

Now, with the baggage of these mammoth failures clinging like an Albatross around his neck, the guy takes time to fight away the illusions; to back off and introspect. He removes his blindfold to see the world as he would have seen it, and he finds peace again. But it hurts him when he asks the question to himself, "Was it all worth it?"

Steamrolled by competition imposed on him, his self-esteem down, he finally decides to live life as he wants to live. Once the decision is taken, the guy returns to play his part on the world stage, with his head held high, his heart fearless...
And now he is ready to make his mark...His head is clear, his composure back....

But the years wasted along the way are lost....FOREVER.

"Chandra ki kaamna" - By Shashi Prakash Ladha

NOTE:
If the font of text in the pictue below is too small, just open the image in a different window and it will expand to appropriate proportion.

A maestro at work

Al Pacino Rocks !!!

I had heard of this movie starring him, Any Given Sunday (1999), and about his famous speech Peace by Inches. Al plays Coach Tony D'Amato, while Cameron Diaz plays the team owner. And the director is Oliver Stone.
I must see this movie ASAP.

Coach Tony D'Amato: "Peace by Inches" Address to Players

I don’t know what to say, really. Three minutes till the biggest battle of our professional lives all comes down to today. Now either we heal as a team or we’re gonna crumble, inch by inch, play by play, 'til we’re finished.

We’re in hell right now, gentlemen, believe me. And, we can stay here -- get the shit kicked out of us -- or we can fight our way back into the light. We can climb outta hell one inch at a time.

Now, I can’t do it for you. I’m too old. I look around. I see these young faces, and I think -- I mean -- I made every wrong choice a middle-aged man can make. I, uh, I pissed away all my money, believe it or not. I chased off anyone who’s ever loved me. And lately, I can’t even stand the face I see in the mirror.
You know, when you get old in life things get taken from you. I mean that's...part of life. But, you only learn that when you start losing stuff. You find out life’s this game of inches. So is football. Because in either game, life or football, the margin for error is so small -- I mean one-half a step too late, or too early, and you don’t quite make it. One-half second too slow, too fast, you don’t quite catch it.

The inches we need are everywhere around us.

They’re in every break of the game, every minute, every second.
On this team, we fight for that inch. On this team, we tear ourselves and everyone else around us to pieces for that inch. We claw with our fingernails for that inch, because we know when we add up all those inches that’s gonna make the fuckin' difference between winning and losing! Between livin' and dyin'!

I’ll tell you this: In any fight, it’s the guy who’s willing to die who’s gonna win that inch. And I know if I’m gonna have any life anymore, it’s because I’m still willin' to fight and die for that inch. Because that’s what livin' is! The six inches in front of your face!!

Now I can’t make you do it. You got to look at the guy next to you. Look into his eyes! Now I think you’re gonna see a guy who will go that inch with you. You're gonna see a guy who will sacrifice himself for this team because he knows, when it comes down to it, you’re gonna do the same for him!

That’s a team, gentleman!
And, either we heal, now, as a team, or we will die as individuals.
That’s football guys.
That's all it is.
Now, what are you gonna do?

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Video - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WO4tIrjBDkk

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A matter of faith...

Faith. What is it? Why is it so important? What do people need it for?

I don't really believe in GOD as such. Yeah, there is LUCK, and there's always a possibility of a higher power supervising us. But is there anyone who knows for sure? Can we really believe the words of someone else? I personally haven't had any experience till now to corroborate this notion. This kind of attitude puts me in the category of Agnostics.

I am an unabashed supporter of Science. I've been a science student throughout my life. Ironically, I sucked at academics. (I have so called academic achievements in my name which a very small percentage of people have been able to achieve). But anyway, I sucked at academics because I was adamant not to adapt to the systems and practices at colleges which I thought to be useless. I always embraced and admired science. Why? It promotes rules and regulations; it has that inherent argumentative approach... When? How? What for? Where? It asks for proofs, it questions existing norms and accepted theories...not by rhetoric, but by the meticulous scientific approach. By data, by results, by experimentation...

However, many a times staunch promoters of reason treat this emotion (faith) as unworthy of being present in a human being. But they forget that faith an inherent and deep seated emotion residing within all of us. The social nature of humans instinctively demands him/her to be faithful. Everything begins with faith. A scientist begins a research or experiment because he has faith in his plan. A leader leads a community or a nation on a path because he has faith in his vision. A manufacturer produces by hiring others by keeping faith in the abilities of his workers and staff. When we buy stuff with money, we show our faith that the seller/producer is going to provide us with correct value of money. Everything starts with faith.

Faith as a concept has been narrowed down to be associated with religious things in common cultures throughout the world. The word faith has been buried under layers and layers of meandering path hijacked by religious groups for ages. The basic idea of faith is loyalty, allegiance or full confidence. It can be towards anything; a person (say Richard Branson), an idea (say Blogging), an institution (say Marriage), a plan (say MBA) or a concept (say GOD). What we should emphasize is that faith does not automatically imply connection to GOD.

This association with religion starts from the very childhood. Young kids are told to put their faith in some GOD. They are told to bow in front of certain statues. They are told to follow certain customs. And when they ask the dreaded question "WHY?" they are either told to "Shut up and listen to their elders" or they are told some Cock-and-bull story. Same goes for the schooling system. And over the centuries, this implication has given rise to superstitions, simply because people merely followed the practice without understanding the core concept behind it.

We have to stop this. Please, treat children like children, not like morons who have an IQ of zero. Tell them the truth right from the beginning. Only what is correct. Anything... and I mean anything can be simplified to make kids understand. Remove the complexities, leave out details, use analogies, but let them know what is true, to give them a solid platform on which they will be able to create their philosophy and practices based on the sound reasoning of their mind. And more importantly, give up redudant practices and customs, which almost always snowball into superstition.



A common example is prayer. Many of us pray, but few ever think what its importance is? Most do it because it has become routine. Because everyone else prays. Because a person who doesn't pray isn't looked upon too well by others. Is it so that we come closer to the Lord? Is it that our sins will be washed away as we pray?
Prayer is basically just a form of meditation. We pray, we feel calm, composed and secure. We think through the things that trouble us. We make better decisions. We connect with our needs and desires. We get a level headed perspective of things affecting our lives.

But even blind faith has its advantages. I think most people behave themselves because of this blind faith in religion and GOD (The doctrine of Paap - Punya). It gives you confidence and a glimmer of hope when you are down. It is like Amitabh Bachchan going to Tirupati Balaji, Steve Waugh carrying his red handkerchief while batting and Makhaya Ntini running 10 kilometers every 3rd day of a test match. Routine has its own strength.

All-in-All, faith translates into determination, courage and hope at the time of crisis. When directed at a good cause, even blind faith can lead to miraculous feats by common men. But this is not the majority case, where blind faith clouds the very reasoning of a person.
I as a person will perhaps never turn to GOD, no matter what state I'm in. But does that mean I will have no faith? NO. Everyone clings on to something he / she believes in difficult times. Some turn to GOD, some turn to elders, some turn to friends, some turn to the love of their life.... I have faith in myself, so I turn to myself.

QUOTE:
“Faith isn't faith until it's all you're holding on to”