L
Does the BCCI exercise power to decide who can and who cannot watch cricket matches?
Cricket stars are national icons. The BCCI exercises control over them. Did it assume therefore that it exercised as much control over the rest of the nation as, say, President Musharraf does over Pakistan during Emergency? Or was some BCCI bigwig hitting out at Khan’s buddy, Rajiv Shukla? If so, couldn’t a more sophisticated method have been adopted? For example, the BCCI could have sent special invitations to Amitabh Bachchan and Amar Singh to attend the same matches that Khan and Shukla watched? But to decide who may or may not watch the matches, preventing promotion of some perceived cause, why, that is as bizarre as Lucknow’s Behenji banning the wearing of black clothes by cricket spectators! And how would the BCCI decide whether the cause being promoted did merit admission?
Perhaps BCCI officials could scrutinise each spectator at entry point: "What are you promoting by watching this match, young man?"
"I am promoting my chances with a girlfriend, sir. That’s why I brought her along to see the match."
"Okay, you may enter."
"And you, sir? What are you promoting?"
"My prospects at the office, sir. That’s why I invited my boss’s kids to accompany me today...."
And what cause do VIP politicians—ardent followers of the sport, no doubt—promote when they watch cricket matches in the full glare of TV? Incidentally, when watching a match, does BCCI president Sharad Pawar promote cabinet minister Sharad Pawar? Or does the cabinet minister promote the BCCI president? Do BCCI officials ever scrutinise motives of VIP politicians when the latter watch matches? Or are they too busy promoting themselves as they shuffle feet and grovel before the dignitary: "Welcome saar, what a great honour you could grace this occasion...."
(Puri can be reached at rajinderpuri2000@yahoo.com)