IPL - A Shame on the Indian Economy

Though the recent launching of the IPL promises great entertainment, the repurcussions of it are huge. Just a look at the amount of money poured into IPL will result in jaws dropping. No one here grudges the right of the cricketers to earn money. But there is a limit to all this. A worthless no-show like Manoj Tiwary earning 625000 USD for a maximum of 16, 4 hr games is the height of insane stupidity on the part of all the rich investors. Why has so much money gone into an already cash rich lot of people???

I agree that it is the personal money of big business magnets like Vijay Mallya, Ambani, Ness Wadia or cine superstars like SRK,Priety Zinta. These people have been a value addition to our India. They ve brought glory to our country with their work in their chosen fields. But the avenue in which they ve invested is just not right. It sadly just projects them as greedy money making machines. Their responsiblity towards the Indian society is questioned as a result.



The Indian economy is hardly a flourishing one like the US of A or the European countries. People are suffering from unemployment, lack of food and other basic amenities. Poverty is hardly a thing of the past. It is a prevailing menace. Farmers are committing suicide due to poor outcome. India is a country of so much imbalance. On the other hand businessmen, cine stars rake in huge crores of money. The cricketers of the country also fall on this side. The amount of money they are earning from their playing and NON PLAYING avenues is monstrous. Sportspersons from hockey, athletics and other Indian sports are also suffering from poverty due to lack of sponsors, lack of good training facilities and lack of exposure.

The Sivaji film dialogue " THE RICH GET RICHER, THE POOR GET POORER " can't be more apt for India. In such a scenario comes this IPL with it's multi billion dollar deals for TV rights and player auctions. The people behind this are citing the idea of EPL and other cash rich soccer leagues. But they have conveniently forgotten that the majority of the European population is not reeling under poverty like the Indians.

This IPL ll only worsen the situation. The world ll just get to see this fine glossy side of India on TV. But all the dirt (poverty, hunger deaths, suicides) ll be easily swept under the carpet. These business magnets could very well have invested their crores in helping to improve the prevailing economic situation a la Rajinikanth in the movie Sivaji. They could have extended a helping hand to other sports. They could definitely have made a better impact with their crores. After all, money power cannot be underestimated by any means. Indian cricket is just becoming one fat rich cow which is being overmilked.

At the end of the day, I ll still watch the IPL action on TV or even in stadiums. But, as a responsible, educated Indian tax payer , I felt like highlighting the facts.

The Tennis Scene looks promising!!!

I guess this is a very good time to be a tennis buff . Both the men's and women's tours are brimming with possibilities in what promises to be a great year. Let us just look at what is in store for us, the tennis afficionados



WTA Tour
Ladies first.. The ladies tour is full of competition. Justine Henin looks the most consistent. Her game is beautiful . She plays with artistry. The Williams sisters are as always a big threat and a treat too. Their power game can demolish any opponent on any given day. But they need to focus more on their tennis and keep their off court activities aside for another few years atleast. The 2 glam dolls Maria Sharapova and Ana Ivanovic are the best things to have happened to tennis. Maria has to rank as a very steady player. She handles pressure well. She can dominate the game as long as she stays injury-free. Maria is just 20. Another decade of top flight tennis success awaits her.



Ivanovic consistently reaches the business end of tournaments. She just needs to develop her killer instinct and mental toughness. Her game is quite solid. Nerves have prevented her from winning Slams till now. There are many more contenders in the game like Jankovic, Chakvetadze, Davenport (The Super Mom) . Our own Sania Mirza has improved a lot. All the Indians are expecting better results from this glamour babe(who can play well too).



ATP Tour
Roger Federer's domination is being stiffly challenged these days. The rise of Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal as players of substance, has started putting real pressure on The Fed(Fedex). Rafa remains the king of clay. I believe that Roland Garros shall remain with Rafa for some more time. Fedex ll win Wimbledon, but he ll be stiffly challenged by Rafa, Roddick and Djokovic on grass. In fact Rafa has been getting progressively better on grass.



Djokovic has risen as a superstar on hardcourts after his triumph in the Aussie Open 2008 and his final appearance in the US Open 2007. He is consistent on all surfaces. But the US Open and the Aussie Open ll be his main playing grounds I guess. Federer's climb towards the summit of Mount Sampras(Pistol Pete) ll become tougher as the years pass by. He is not young, at 26. Nadal and Novak are just 21 and 20, respectively. They might just be the future superstar duo like Sampras and Agassi were. Fedex might still surpass 14 Grand Slams coz of his amazing superiority at Wimbledon and US Open. But unlike the past few years, he has 2 realy tough competitors to his thrown from now on. There are other heavy weights like Roddick,Hewitt,Baghdatis,Safin,Tsonga,Blake,Davydenko etc etc who can cause an upset or two on their day.



All in all it ll be a great feast for all tennis fans. The action can't get better.
Fasten your seat belts and get ready to enjoy the ride of your life!!!