Tag: Cricket

India to make pink-ball debut against Bangladesh today: All you need to know

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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The spectator numbers for Test cricket has been in a steep decline for quite some time. In an era of same-day delivery and binge-watching entire seasons of TV shows in a single sitting, expecting audiences to sit through the slow boil of a five-day Test match is asking too much. Grappling with falling footfalls for Test matches, the administrators came up with the idea of day-night affairs to attract fans post office hours.

However, cricket—especially Tests—being a game of a thousand nuances there were several issues that needed to be ironed out in order to make day-night Test matches viable. While day-night one-day internationals have been around for years and the newest format of the game, the Twenty20, is played almost exclusively in the night, staging Tests after dusk posed a very different challenge.

What are the problems for a day-night Test match?

Apart from the traditionalists not being pleased with “tampering” the oldest form of the game, the biggest problem that confronted cricket administrators was the ball. Test matches are played with a red ball that is mandatorily changed after 80 overs due to wear and tear.

The journey of a Test match ball is a story in its own right. When new, it provides swing for the opening bowlers and travels at a quicker pace. As it gets older, it becomes easier for the spinners to grip and brings them to the fore in the bowling attack. Additionally, the ageing ball provides reverse swing to the bowlers skilled in the art. The white ball of the ODIs and T20s, on the other hands, is deprived of much of the nuance of its red variant.

White ball was chosen for the ODIs as it would be easier to spot under the floodlights—for the players as well as the audience. The red ball, however, doesn’t lend itself to easy visibility once the sun sets and the dimming natural light mixes with the artificial floodlights, especially after it has been pounded a fair bit. So choosing the right ball was paramount if day-night Tests were to become a thing.

The red balls are dipped in grease to ensure moisture doesn’t seep into the leather. But doing the same with balls of other colours was problematic since their fluorescence would be dimmed by dew in the final session of the game and thus lower their visibility. Gripping the wet ball also becomes a challenge for the bowlers.

Why pink ball?

There were experiments with yellow, orange, and pink balls to pin down the right one. Early trials with different colours began in first class matches in 2010 before settling with the pink variant. The first day-night Test match was played in Adelaide when Australia hosted trans-Tasman rivals New Zealand in November 2015. In a low-scoring but gripping game, the hosts pipped New Zealand by three wickets.

And it sure won the fans’ approval. The Test recorded highest average attendance for a non-Ashes Test at the ground. Adelaide has since gone on to host two more day-night Test matches, while the Gabba in Brisbane has been the stage for two day-nighters in Australia.

There have been 11 day-night Tests in all and each one of them has produced a result, making the proposition all the more enticing. Australia has hosted five, the United Arab Emirates (the current home of Pakistan cricket) two, while the West Indies, South Africa, England, and New Zealand have staged one each.

Why hasn’t India played a day-night Test?

Like most changes in cricket, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has been pretty much the last to adopt to the new format. Remember for how long the BCCI dragged its feet on the Decision Review System (DRS) before giving in?

A day-night Test was proposed during India’s 2018-19 tour of Australia but the Indian administrators refused citing a lack of experience in the format for its cricketers. However, for the new BCCI chief, Sourav Ganguly, hosting a day-night Test in the country was among the first orders of business. Last month, on the second day into his role as the BCCI president, the former India captain got the nod of the current skipper, Virat Kohli, to go ahead with the plans.

Subsequently, the second Test of the ongoing series against Bangladesh due to be played at Ganguly’s home ground, Eden Gardens, was announced to be a day-night affair.

When is the Test?

The first ever day-night Test match in India will begin on Friday at the 66,000 capacity Eden Gardens. Kohli will have the honour of being the Indian skipper while Bangladesh—who will also be their first day-night Test debut—will be led by Mominul Haque.

The toss will be held at 12.30 pm IST before the first pink ball is hurled half an hour later. The lunch break will take place between 3 pm and 3.40 pm and tea will be taken between 5.40 pm and 6 pm.

Any special preparations for India’s pink-ball debut?

To help the ball keep its sheen for longer the grass cover on the pitch has been kept slightly longer than usual, 6 mm against 4mm, according to Sujan Mukherjee, the head groundsman at Eden Gardens.

In order to reduce the impact of due, the length of grass on the outfield has been kept minimal and anti-dew spray is being used.

Tickets for the first four days of the Test have already been sold out and Ganguly, understandably, was quite pleased about it. “It’s sold out and I’m extremely happy (about it),” he was quoted as saying by PTI.

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

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Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

Virat Kohli surpasses Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag with 7th double hundred

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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Virat Kohli on Friday added yet another milestone to his illustrious career as he scored a record seventh double hundred of his career during the ongoing second Test between India and South Africa at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium here.

Kohli, who didn’t have any ton to his name this year, has now become the Indian batsman with most number of double tons to his name.

The Indian skipper reached his seventh double century in his 81st Test and in the process surpassed Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag who both had scored six double hundreds in their stellar career.

Australia legend Don Bradman tops the list of scoring most double hundreds (12), followed by Kumar Sangakkara (11), Brian Lara (9) and WR Hammond and Mahela Jayawardane who both scored seven 200s.

During the course of his inning, Kohli also went past Bradman to become the player with most 150+ scores as Test captain. While Bradman had achieved the feat eight times in his career, Kohli has now done it nine times so far.

Michael Clarke, Mahela Jayawardene, Brian Lara and Graeme Smith are all tied at the third spot as they all achieved the milestone seven times.

Friday’s ton also saw Kohli becoming the fourth fastest player to score 26 Test hundreds. He also equalled Ricky Ponting’s record of scoring 19 Test hundreds as captain.

The 30-year-old is also the only Indian to smash 40 hundreds in international cricket as captain and is now just two tons away from surpassing Ponting’s tally of 41 Test tons as captain with most hundreds in international cricket.

He also surpassed Dilip Vengsarkar’s tally of 6,868 runs to climb to the seventh position in the list of players with most runs for India in the longest format of the game.

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

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Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

India thrash South Africa by 203 runs to take 1-0 lead in Test series

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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India wrapped up South Africa for 191 runs in their second innings on the fifth and final day to win the opening Test of the three-match rubber by 203 runs here on Sunday.

Defending a 395-run target, India rode on Ravindra Jadeja and Mohammed Shami’s bowling effort to register the win as it took a 1-0 lead in the three-Test series.

Shami took five wickets while Jadeja scalped four and Ravichandran Ashwin took one to equal Sri Lankan great Muttiah Muralitharan in becoming the joint-fastest to take 350 wickets. Resuming at 11 for one, South Africa were reduced to 117 for 8 at lunch. In the post-lunch session, the Proteas lost the remaining two wickets to finish at 191 in 63.5 overs.

Earlier on Saturday, India declared their second innings at 323-4 in 67 overs to set an improbable 395-run target for South Africa. South Africa were 11-1 at stumps on day four.

Jadeja was the wrecker-in-chief for India on the fifth and final day as he sent back four South Africans for 51 runs.

Senuran Muthusamy (19 batting) and Dane Piedt (32 batting) showed resistance with the bat as the Proteas fought back in the first session of the final day.

Earlier, Rohit Sharma underlined his credentials as a Test opener with a second consecutive hundred as India set South Africa a target of 395 at stumps on Day 4 of the first Test on Saturday.

At the close of play, the Proteas were 11/1 in their second innings with last innings’ centurion Dean Elgar trapped in front by Ravindra Jadeja for just two and Aiden Markram (3 batting) at the crease with Theunis de Bruyn (5 batting).

Rohit built on his 176 in the first essay in spectacular fashion as he struck 127 from 149 balls, his innings studded with 10 fours and a whopping seven sixes to add to his six in the first dig, as he became the batsman to hit the most number of maximums in the longest format of the game.

Cheteshwar Pujara gave him good company with an aggressive 81 off 148 deliveries (13×4, 2×6) before Vernon Philander trapped him.

The pair added 169 for the first wicket as India declared on 323/4 with skipper Virat Kohli (31 not out) and his deputy Ajinkya Rahane (27 not out) batting.

Resuming the day at 385/8, South Africa were bowled out for 431 with ace off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin picking up a seven-wicket haul.

It was a Rohit and Pujara show from there on as the pair paced their innings well keeping India’s declaration in mind.

Mayank Agarwal, who scored his maiden double ton in the first innings, was dismissed for seven caught at first slip by South Africa skipper Faf du Plessis off left-arm spinner Keshav Maharaj.

Pujara brought up his first fifty after five innings in 106 deliveries with a delectable cover drive off Kagiso Rabada.

Rohit had luck going his way as he was caught by Senuran Muthusamy on 50 at long on but the debutant stepped on the boundary padding as he tried to lob it back in for himself to take on the second attempt, awarding a six instead.

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

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Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

Hitting new boundaries: Brand IPL valued at Rs 47,500 crore, up 13.5% YoY

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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Twelve seasons past, the Indian Premier League (IPL) continues to grow from strength to strength with the T20 format cricketing league valued at Rs 47,500 crore in 2019, up 13.5 percent over last year, according to the latest Duff & Phelps IPL Brand Valuation report.

The IPL ecosystem was valued at Rs 41,800 crore in 2018. In dollar terms, IPL’s brand value has grown 7 percent, from $6.3 billion in 2018 to $6.7 billion in 2019. Loyalty to the IPL by audiences and broadcasters has remained steadfast over the years, and 2019 stood out on both accounts.

“With the rapid increase of digitisation, (Star TV-owned OTT) Hotstar broke its own world record of 10.7 million concurrent over-the-top viewers that it set during last year’s IPL final, not once, but twice, in this edition of IPL – first with 12.7 million concurrent viewers in a league match and then with 18.6 million for the finals—a testament to the continued popularity of the tournament,” said Varun Gupta, managing director, Asia Pacific leader for valuation services, Duff & Phelps.

“It is noteworthy that despite 2019 being the World Cup year, a 20 percent increment has been witnessed in ad spending. The advertisers could have taken a conservative stance and saved their budgets for the World Cup, but the high viewership interest in IPL continued to attract them,” adds Gupta.

The big two of IPL, Mumbai Indians (MI) and Chennai Super Kings (CSK), continued their absolute dominance with MI winning their fourth IPL title in 2019, the most by any team in the history of the IPL.

This superlative performance led to MI retaining the title of the most valued brand in 2019. Presiding at the number one position, Mumbai Indians’ brand value rose from Rs 746 crore in 2018 to Rs 809 crore in 2019, a jump of 8.5 percent.

Led by MS Dhoni, CSK retained the number two position, with it’s brand value rising from Rs 647 crore in 2018 to Rs 732 crore in 2019, a rise of 13.1 percent. Delhi Capitals has been another big gainer by 8.9 percent (in INR terms), again due to their strong on-field performance this year.

But the consistent poor on-field performance of Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) took a toll on their brand values, with both franchises shedding approximately 8 percent of their brand value over last year.

“KKR’s brand value has been impacted due to their poor on-field performance in the last couple of seasons in addition to a lack of marquee players. KKR is one brand which generates significant equity from Shah Rukh Khan’s (personal) brand. Considering there has been an impact on brand SRK, it has had a trickle-down effect on KKR as well,” said Santosh N, managing partner, Duff & Phelps India Advisory.

KKR, the third most valued brand, saw its value erode by 8.3 per cent from Rs 686 crore in 2018 to Rs 629 crore in 2019. RCB’s brand value has reduced from Rs 647 crore to Rs 595 crore in 2019.

“RCB’s consistently poor on-field performance and over-reliance on Virat Kohli and AB De Villers have negatively impacted the brand credibility and a correction was inevitable. RCB is the only team in our top five rankings not to have won an IPL trophy since its inception. If not for the presence of Virat Kohli, and a loyal fan base for the franchise, it’s brand value would have seen significant erosion in the last couple of years,” said Santosh N.

Rajasthan Royals, at the bottom of the ranks, also saw it’s brand value erode due to on-field performance, lack of marquee players and major controversies surrounding the team historically.

With the IPL entering into a mature and stable phase, the Duff & Phelps report underscores the importance of franchisees engaging with fans off the field, and outside the IPL tournament, to monetize their brands and create alternate revenue streams.

The reports shed light on the challenges that franchisees face in monetizing merchandise successfully like major football clubs and sporting leagues around the world.

“The large, unorganised counterfeit market in India has been a major challenge and it is important to crack the whip on counterfeit products to maximize the gains for the IPL ecosystem. However, it is also important that the stakeholders evaluate their pricing strategy for merchandise to deter the production of fake goods, especially in the cost-conscious Indian market,” said Gupta.

“While counterfeits exist even in developed nations, the difference in price between the counterfeits and originals is not vast. In India, the difference can be more than 10 times, with a T-shirt purchased outside a stadium costing Rs 200 and a branded, in-store T-shirt costing Rs 2,500, The second issue is that the Purchasing Power Parity (PPP) in India is significantly lower than in the US or in Europe. This incentivizes even the seemingly well-to-do to go in for counterfeits,” said Santosh N.

“Only successful monetisation will take the IPL from a $6 billion property to a $25 billion over the next decade,” he added.

On sponsorship rights, there is room for significant upside, says Duff and Phelps. “If we go by the recently renewed BCCI and Paytm title sponsorship deal (an increase of 58 percent on a per-match basis over the last deal), IPL will be looking for another massive increment when the sponsorship rights are up for grabs in the year 2022,” said Gupta.

For companies too, the association with IPL has been very rewarding. Chinese phone maker Vivo, which earned the title sponsorship for IPL in 2015, has seen it’s market share rise to 15 percent to become the third most-selling phone in India. The IPL has also tremendously contributed to helping Dream 11 – the official partner of the IPL for three years starting 2019 – capture 90 percent of the fantasy gaming industry in India.

For individual franchises, team sponsorships and sponsorship revenue from the IPL central pool is critical to keep teams financially viable and there seems to be no dearth of capital.

IPL 2019 saw over a 100 team sponsorships from different industries including e-commerce, beverages, educational institutions, government bodies, insurance and healthcare providers including companies such as Samsung, Viacom18, Muthoot Group, Nokia, Reliance Jio Digital, WROGN and Daikin among others.

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

3 Mins Read

Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

Bowled out by Brexit, former UK PM Theresa May honours cricket hero Geoffrey Boycott

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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Former British Prime Minister Theresa May has chosen former cricketer Geoffrey Boycott for a knighthood, honouring her hero whose persistent style she had vowed to emulate in her ultimately failed efforts to deliver Brexit.

May, a cricket fan, last year compared herself to the legendary England opening batsman Boycott, who scored over 8,000 runs in test cricket and was known for his stubborn and conservative batting style.

“One of my cricket heroes was always Geoffrey Boycott,” she said in November when quizzed about how long she would stay in office as ministers quit in protest at her strategy for pulling Britain out of the European Union.

“And what did you know about Geoffrey Boycott? Geoffrey Boycott stuck to it and he got the runs in the end,” said May, who ended up leaving the job in July after repeatedly failing to get her Brexit deal approved by parliament.

The decision to honour to Boycott was criticised by domestic abuse charities because the former cricketer was convicted in France in 1998 of hitting his ex-girlfriend, although he maintains his innocence.

Boycott, interviewed on Tuesday by a female presenter on BBC radio after the honour was announced, was irritable when asked about the conviction.

“It’s a cross I have to bear — right or wrong, good or bad, I have to live with it – and I do because I am clear in my mind and I think most people in England are that it’s not true,” said Boycott, 78.

When asked about the criticism by the Women’s Aid charity he replied: “I don’t care a toss about her, love. It’s 25 years ago. You can take your political nature and do what ever you want with it … I couldn’t give a toss.”

As well as Boycott, May also nominated former England cricket captain Andrew Strauss for a knighthood on her Resignation Honours list, while Metropolitan Police Commissioner Cressida Dick will receive a damehood.

Queen Elizabeth grants Resignation Honours at the request of an outgoing prime minister.

May previously mocked her predecessor David Cameron’s decision to knight his communications director Craig Oliver, saying that seeing his name on Cameron’s resignation honours list had given her a retching feeling.

However, the former Conservative leader has also chosen to honour some of her closest advisers and allies, with her Director of Communications Robbie Gibb, chief Brexit negotiator Olly Robbins, European adviser Peter Storr and de facto deputy David Lidington all receiving knighthoods.

May’s former joint chiefs of staff Fiona Hill and Nick Timothy, an architect of May’s approach to Brexit who has been outspoken in criticising his old boss’ strategy since he stopped working for her, are in line for lesser honours, while their replacement, Gavin Barwell, has been nominated for a peerage.

Kim Darroch, Britain’s former ambassador to Washington who quit in July after a leak of his memos to a British newspaper prompted a stinging attack from U.S. President Donald Trump, has also been nominated to sit in Britain’s upper chamber, the House of Lords.

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

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Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

New York City cricket team grapples with escalating tension in Kashmir

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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A chorus of Hindi, Urdu and English permeates the grounds as the Staten Island Cricket Club suits up to play.

This club, unlike most other teams on the New York City cricket circuit, does not have a dominant religion or ethnicity.

Most of the players are immigrants from India or Pakistan, where cricket is a consuming passion. There are players from other countries as well, including a few first-generation Americans.

On the field, there is a congenial dynamic — even between teammates from India and Pakistan. Off it, though, the players can’t escape the political realities. With recent escalations in Kashmir, a heavily disputed area between India and Pakistan, tension has increased between the countries.

The polarization has reached the Staten Island Cricket Club.

“You can come back in 200 years and there will still be two problems in the world,” said team member Charu Choudhari, who emigrated from India in 1972 to attend graduate school at SUNY Stony Brook. “Israel and Palestine. And Kashmir.”

The team tries to limit such conversations, keeping the focus on the fun. But as the rhetoric overseas rises, so does interest among teammates.

A WhatsApp group chat reached a zenith in August shortly after India stripped the Himalayan region of its limited autonomy. Another flare-up occurred when Prime Minister Imran Khan — perhaps Pakistan’s best cricket player in history — visited the White House.

Jokes have been made at each other’s expense; opinions thrusted upon one another. But hurt feelings were kept off the field, club president Clarence Modeste said.

Modeste has been watching this percolate for more than 50 years.

In 1964, he was driving three teammates to a match in New Jersey. One was from England, the second from India and the third from Pakistan. The Englishman was seated in front, Indian and Pakistani together in back.

Suddenly, a conversation about Kashmir started — the region has been in dispute since partition in 1947. Voices were raised. Soon, a physical confrontation followed. Modeste was forced to pull over in the middle of the New Jersey Turnpike.

The four cooled off on the side of the highway for about a half hour before their match that day. The two teammates made up and finally got to the game.

All was well once the first bowl of the match was made.

“Fortunately, cricket does bring people of all religions and nationalities together,” Modeste said. “It acts as sort of a salve to sharp edges.”

Most recently, teammates have grappled over the Indian government’s move to impose a media freeze on the region. Little information has moved in or out of Kashmir since.

Unlike the highway fight in 1964, these teammates try their best to keep interactions on club time cordial and focused on cricket.

Still, there are underlying differences that linger as an integral part of the identities of the people involved.

Sunil Nayyar emigrated from India when he was 19. Before that, he played for the under-17 team for Delhi State, the squad representing the capital of India. He came to America to pursue better economic opportunities. He now owns a granite business in New York City.

“(Kashmir is) a part of India. It’s a part of your body,” Nayyar said. “India is a whole body — why would I give my hand to somebody else? Why would I give my hand to somebody else? Jammu and Kashmir belongs to India and it should stay.”

Nayyar said he has many Pakistani friends that disagree with his opinions, but they are still friends nonetheless.

Omer Khwaja wholeheartedly disavows his teammate’s assertions on Kashmir.

Khwaja immigrated to the US from Pakistan when he was 12 so his father could begin a Ph.D program in English literature at Emory University. Khwaja started a law firm after graduating from Temple and Seton Hall Law School. His family is Kashmiri-Pakistani.

“I generally hear from people from both countries about how Kashmir is theirs,” Khwaja said. “It feels really isolating and alienating. I can’t imagine how many people are dealing with that on a daily basis. When everyone around is saying, ‘You’re ours, and you don’t have a choice about it.'”

Fahad Mughal emigrated with his family when he was 13 to find better opportunities. He was drawn to cricket from watching the 1992 World Cup — a tournament in which Imran Khan captained Pakistan to victory — its only World Cup victory to date.

“I remember the celebration that we had at home,” Mughal said. “I was just infatuated for the love that my parents had for the game. … It reminds me of my roots.”

He, too, disagrees with Nayyar’s perspective on Kashmir.

“We shouldn’t as people decide who Kashmir belongs to. It should be decided by people who live there,” he said.

Once they put on their uniforms, politics appeared to fade as the Staten Island Cricket Club lined up together, as a team, to try to notch 10 outs — the amount it takes to bring your side to bat.

Staten Island took its positions at Roy Sweeney Field in Brooklyn. Nayyar grabbed the ball, made a running start, then bowled. After several runs, Nayyar bowled a batter out with a pop up.

The team — Indian and Pakistani, Hindu and Muslim — came together. They formed a circle and put their hands into a pile.

“One, two, three, Staten Island,” they scream in unison.

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

3 Mins Read

Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

Former India captain Mithali Raj bids adieu to T20I cricket

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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Former India women’s team skipper Mithali Raj on Tuesday announced retirement from T20 Internationals in order to focus on the 2021 ODI World Cup to be held in New Zealand.

Mithali led India in 32 T20Is, including the three Women’s WT20 World Cups in 2012 (Sri Lanka), 2014 (Bangladesh) and 2016 (India).

“After representing India in T20 internationals since 2006, I wish to retire from T20Is to focus my energies on readying myself for the 2021 One Day World Cup,” Raj said in a statement issued by BCCI.

“It remains my dream to win a World Cup for my country and I want to give it my best.

“I thank the BCCI for their continuous support and wish the Indian T20 team good luck as they prepare for the home series against South Africa Women,” she added.

She was also the captain in India women’s first-ever T20I played in Derby back in 2006. Since that win against England, Raj played another 88 games in which she scored 2364 runs, the most by an Indian woman in T20Is. The 36-year-old also holds the distinction of being the first Indian to reach the landmark of 2000 runs in T20Is.

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

3 Mins Read

Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

‘Baby’ and Maggi — the two unifying threads of India

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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Wandering across the vast and diverse landscapes of India, I have made many discoveries, shattered many myths and developed some new paradigms. I have seen the nationalism and national integration in some unusual colours — very different from what a common person hears in the popular political and socio-religious discourse.

If you ask a common man on the streets of Delhi “what unites India?”, the most expected answers would be “Hindi Language”, “Hinduism”, “Cricket”, and “Nationalism”, depending on which corner of the city you are standing in and asking this question.

The same question in Mumbai would prompt just one response “Bollywood”. Kolkata would vote for “Cricket”. Trust me the answers in Chennai, Hyderabad and Bengaluru would be very different. Inquisitions from people down south have evoked answers such as “Internet”, “Mobile Phone”, “Hindu Religion”, “Rajnikanth”, “Golden Quadrilateral”, etc.

My experience has however been quite contrasting.

*      I have found that a large number of Indians do not understand Hindi and do not swear by the name of Bollywood gods.

*      Despite deep mobile penetration, the internet is still not available to a large proportion of the population.

*      No more than 5 percent Indians prefer to introduce themselves as Indian, Hindu, Muslim Christian etc. They like to be identified by their region, caste or community, e.g., Tamil, Lingayat, Bengali, Malayali, Punjabi, Yadav, Bhumihar, Kayastha, Khatri, Mumbaikar, Dilliwala, etc.

*      No more than 20 percent Indian have travelled on the golden quadrilateral.

*      Cricket is identified and liked in most states. But it cannot be termed as a uniting factor, as people have very divergent views about the game. A large number of people feel it is a waste of resources; others believe that vested interests have promoted this game to kill traditional Indian sports. I found that the enthusiasm of a significant proportion of Indian cricket fans is limited to Indian batting only. That is perhaps the primary reason behind the success of IPL.

Baby and Maggi

I could find only two things which are truly pan-Indian and unite India by providing one identity to Indians:

(1)   Punjabi Salwar Kameez is one thing that is used across the nation as a preferred, comfortable and safe dress by the women of India. Girls could be found wearing this national dress in the remotest parts of north eastern and northern Himalayan regions, tribal areas of the interior most central India and villages of south India.

‘Baby’ after all is not just a common Punjabi name.

(2)   Nestlé’s Maggi instant noodles is another thing that I could find in Leh, Tawang, Dwarka, Kanyakumari, Bastar, Badayun, Gangotri, Jaisalmer and Madhubani. Regardless of its urban image, it has unconsciously become a common staple food across India. (HUL soaps and detergent, Colgate, Pepsi and Coke come close to Maggie in most regions.)

Taking Maggie for just an in-between meal snack might be a serious mistake.

I found no hint of resistance or criticism for these two things anywhere in the country.

The moot point is that whether these two things come on the radar of politicians and socio-religious leaders when they speak of National Integration, Nationalism and Swadeshi.

I wonder why deliberations over the desirable economic model for the country and debate over foreign capital do not accommodate these facts.

Despite whatever claims we make about our engineering prowess, the fact of life is that the entire consumption space in India is increasingly coming under foreign dominance. The foreign share in sales of food, automobile, cloths, school bags, cosmetics, umbrellas, footwear and appliances is rising fast. No one denies the presence and dominance of Nestle, Hindustan Unilever, Britannia, Coke, Pepsi, Maruti, Honda, Samsung, etc. in our day-to-day life. This dominance is for real and shall only increase.

It is perplexing to note that the policymakers, politicians and social leaders are still refusing to assimilate this fact. They must urgently recognise that Hindustan Lever and Nestle with their pan India presence may have better economic intelligence about the country as compared to most bureaucrats, academicians and bankers. The government must incorporate them in all its policy making organs and benefit from their local economic intelligence and rich global experiences.

Trivia

Most people look for unity in the diversity of India. Politicians proudly cite this as something miraculous. I feel the Idea of India is not about unity at all. It is about diversity only. For, if all Indians start thinking as one, beyond their street, district, caste, community, religion, state etc., they will be joined by their commonly shared misery, distress, cynicism, and mistrust. We shall then see a revolution, for which our political establishment appears least ready to handle.

Vijay Gaba explores the treasure you know as India, and shares his experiences and observations about social, economic and cultural events and conditions. He contributes his pennies to the society as Director, Equal India Foundation.

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

3 Mins Read

Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow