Kurkure express???

it had all the signs of an uneventful train ride when i landed at the bangalore railway station to catch the weekend commuter to chennai.The platform was chaotic as usual, with the usual suspects, young yuppie IT workers returning home, the odd mama mami going back after visiting their offsprings, a couple of  bemused NRI in shorts wondering if the train journey will be better than their platform experience..

as is my wont, i settled myself down on the kerb and was indulging in my favourite people watching pastime, much to the annoyance of maddy – who felt that i wasnt listening to her college stories, which i wasnt- when the crackling speaker announced the departure of Kurkure Special express.

Being habitually derided by Maddy for lending a deaf ear, i didnt give it much thought, till i spotted the departure information on display   “Bangalore Nagercoil Kurkure Special Express leaving Bangalore at 6 PM from platform no 5.” My mind conjured up nightmarish visions of the entire route littered with Kurkure covers. While i was wondering if that was the reason, i was told quite authoritatively by Maddy that Railways is making money by letting corporates sponsor train names for a some time. She generally knows a lot of important info like this.

Visions of Fair and Lovely express, Sunsilk express, Pears mail, KFC express sprang to mind, a far cry from impressive names like Amrapalli, Andhra Kesari, August Kranti, Ganga kaveri, Garib Rath, Godhan, GrandTrunk, Ispat, Sadbhavana, Sashya Shyamala, Matsyagandha Expresses

u may call it blatant commercialisation, a gross dilution of the naming tradition followed so well so far, but pretty harmless if u ask me.Railways can use some additional money, it makes for good food for thought for idle brains like me.

it should test the marketers’ acumen in full.

which train can a LIC pick?? would banks want to join the wagon, which routes will they pick? i am not sure the watch companies will be very keen, given our railway record.will the cell phone companies find a route where the network doesnt drop between stations?? what about automobile companies – will they make trains vehicles for their campaigns? liquor companies might be left in the lurch here – cant imagine them sponsoring something they are prohibited in. airconditioning companies may have it easier, with only a handful options to choose from

more logistical problems.would fair and lovely passenger run along the Chennai-Madurai or Jammu- Delhi route? should tata tea express to darjeeling  or to ooty/conoor? sunsilk express will need to aviod places like Tirupati for obvious reasons. 

where will this lead next? are carriages and platforms next in line? will we have a airtel express arriving in tatanagar on a hutch platform??

i will wait and watch, and just stick to people watching till then

indian cricket – day of reckoning or deja vu?

another dismal performance overseas, lot of frustration vented, some knee jerk reactions.. in the near future, a home series white-wash of some unsuspecting opponent and today will be relegated to a bad memory.. the soap opera of indian cricket will go on. and soap opera is what the indian cricket has become; characters come and go,the plot remains unchanged.

and yet, there is no better opportunity to introspect – to look at indian cricket and ask the right questions.it is not a new situation that we are faced with, the questions have been the same for years now. while the standard questions on team selection, individual performance, fitness, preparedness etc will be asked, the bigger question is how do we ensure we create a system which breeds the competitive edge in its players, a burning desire to win? our cricketing history is littered with examples of so called giants of domestic cricket coming up cropper against slightly strong willed opposition? is it not because whatever competitive spirit in a player is dulled by the system that he is a part of during his developmental years??

at a more philosophical level, it is also time to ask if we are flogging the game to its death by trying to squeeze the last marketing dollar? is cricket losing its essential character of being a pure sport – and turning into a bollywood style commercial flick with its standard happy ending?

we will be kidding ourselves if we think that this is an uni-dimesional problem and there is a easy fix by making a few superficial changes. Sacking the coach, the captain and a few players will not fix the issue long term. The changes need to be far reaching, there has to be someone who needs to stand up and be counted. unfortunately, the administration of the game has shown remarkable capability to not look beyond the noses. i for one am not holding my breath in anticipation.

however, the world cup exit would do us all a good turn if it helps turn the spotlight in an another direction. the message needs to sink in that Watching a well played stroke or a well bowled delivery is just as pleasurable in a first class match, it will still remain after all the marketeers have gone home. Damn, it is the same game that is played to empty stands on substandard pitches in far flung corners of the country.

hopefully, it will lay bare the crumbling edifice that supports the game.