Rahul Gandhi meets Madam Poverty

By John Cheeran
It indeed was a historic moment the other day at Amethi.
Much like Siddhartha, and quite strikingly that is, another Rahul was looking for meanings.
The Prince of India, and son of Amethi, left his New Delhi abode and went into the wilderness in search of what I’m being told, the meaning of poverty.
It is a pity that after 37 or so years of living as an Indian, Rahul Gandhi, had to visit a hut in Amethi to know all about poverty.
And this is after his grandma abolished the said phenomenon with the magic words of “Garibi Hatao” in 1970s.
Reports in the Indian media say that Rahul Gandhi asked a Dalit girl named Sunita the meaning of being poor during a fly-by-night revival of the political behemoth, the Congress Party.
Let me a quote from a newspaper report.
” Sunita’s reply that poverty to her meant spending the day working to ensure that there was diner at night moved the youth leader. He visited her kitchen and insisted that he would share their dinner. He sat on the floor of the kitchen and shared the meal the family had prepared for themselves.”
It is important to note that if all goes well, at a certain point in time, Rahul Gandhi is bound to shoulder the burden of ruling the nation. He is already representing Amethi constituency in the Parliament.
So whatever the Prince of India does, it matters.
But it should be better Rahul gets his enlightenment from the managers of his party rather than indulging in such gimmicks. Does Rahul admit that he became an MP without knowing anything about the living conditions of his voters in Amethi?
If Rahul was willing to see, he could have met Madam Poverty and her brood in New Delhi itself.
There is more to India than 10, Janpath, Mr Gandhi.

National Herald: End of An Era

By John Cheeran
National Herald, the newspaper conceived by Jawaharlal Nehru, is preparing to put together its last edition.
And, I’m sure, none in New Delhi will miss the parting of this herald. Not even its employees.
No journalist in Delhi will feel the absence of this one-time legendary newspaper, for it had ceased to have any presence even in the Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg, from where it used to bring out the inky editions.
For seven years I trudged down the Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg never once I bothered to step in that office, even when I wandering without a job.
Now that I’m reading AFP wire copy saying that Herald is ceasing publication, it amazes me that I have never seen a copy of this paper, which played critical role in the Indian Independence struggle.
Well, I have walked past history, without allowing, not even a particle of dust from that history to settle on my shoulders.
In the twenty first century, Soniaji’s Congress does not need National Herald, though it has continued till its last breath as the official newspaper of the party.
Today, Congress and Sonia have better mouthpieces than National Herald. So amidst dwindling revenue and falling circulation, the Congress chief’s decision to perform last rites to the newspaper seems a sensible decision.It is interesting to note the current editor-in-chief T.V. Venkitachalam.
“We do not follow the latest fashion and Bollywood trends. In all these years, the paper has adhered to the values Nehru espoused – objectivity and the tradition of independence. There has never been any interference from the Congress. But we never bothered too much about the business aspect of paper,” he said.

Harbhajan, Symonds, Darwin and Lord Hanuman!

By John Cheeran
Now the Australians are fuming, including Ricky Ponting, and all other media pundits.
The point is that there was not enough evidence against Indian off spinner Harbhajan Singh as having abused Andrew Symonds racially.
It has been alleged that Harbhajan called Symonds monkey during the Sydney Test.
There is truth in the argument that the Indian cricket board’s financial clout and the BCCI’s threat to pull out the side from the forthcoming one-day triangular series in Australia played a major role in arriving at the Harbhajan verdict.
Aussies are enraged because an Indian could get away with his sharp tongue. It is also true that during Australia’s last tour to India, the local crowd abused Symonds by calling him a monkey.
According to Charles Darwin, a monkey, may be not an Australian one, is our granddad. So why is Symonds taking offence? And if at all Symonds felt offended, instead of acting a saint, he should have retaliated calling Harbhajan a double monkey.
Had he done that he could have avoided all these posturing from guys ranging from Mike Proctor to Sunil Gavaskar to Sharad Pawar.
To think of it, the Australians, the masters of the art of sledging, are taking shield behind umpires and match referee is absurd at best.
The infamous conversation that Glenn McGrath had with the West Indian batsman Ramnaresh Sarwan, referring to Brian Lara is sufficient what sorts of gentlemen are the Aussies.
Certainly, Harbhajan erred in calling Symonds a monkey. Monkeys are more civilised than Aussies.
And it saddens me a lot that none of the characters who had a role to influence the outcome of the Harbhajan trial and ban, including that great Sachin Tendulkar had the nous to tell the Kiwi arbiter Hansen that in Indian civilization monkeys are venerated with specific reference to Lord Hanuman.
May be some Aussies should build a shrine for an anonymous monkey call that happened in Sydney, in Sydney.
May be Shantaram Gregory Robertson could explain it further to the Aussies.

Bharath Gopi: Abhinayathinte Kodiyirangi

By John Cheeran
Abhinayathinte kodiyirangi.
When I think about Bharath Gopi (V. Gopinathan Nair) that scene from Adoor Gopalakrishnan’s Kodiyettam sticks out.
Gopi and KPAC Lalitha walks down the road on a monsoon-drenched day with puddles all around. A car goes through splashing dirt onto Gopi’s shirt and mundu.
Had I been in Sankaran Kutty’s (Gopi’s character) shoes, I would have cursed the driver of the car, and if possible, would have broken the glass pane at the back of the car.
But we have Gopi exclaiming in wonder “What a speed.”
Those frames capture Gopi’s quintessence as an actor.
Gopi’s hallmark was that he donned ordinary roles without heroism but gave them an extraordinary touch of realism.
In other words, Gopi was closer to you and me in flesh and bone. We are ordinary men and women, mere straws in the wind. Gopi too was one among us, but he showed us that despite his lean frame, and balding scalp, he could be accepted as the symbol of manhood.
Gopi was fortunate, and fortune favours the brave, to have got such roles as he done in Yavanika, Rachana, Ormakayi and Swayamvaram.
And what a polished performance he has given as the Shakespeare Krishnapilla in Bharathan’s Kattathe Kilikoodu.
It has to be noted that Gopi enjoyed success as an actor, director, producer and writer.
Not many know that he had authored the book “Abhinyam – Anubhavam” which won the award for the best book by the Central Government.
Gopi directed four films Njattadi, Yamanam, Utsavapittennu and Ente Hridyathinte Udama.
Gopi was born in 1937 in Chirayankizhu. He was awarded Padma Shri in 1991. Gopi was noted for his involvement in theatre group “Arangu” along with Kavalam Narayanapaniker before he entered the world of films.
Twenty years ago Gopi had suffered hemorrhage and that had curtailed his movements and involvement in films. Still he had won his many skirmishes to come back to act and react.
Gopi was renowned for his tough approach to life in general and it was not altogether surprising that he had drifted apart from Adoor Gopalakrishnan, the director who gave him opportunities during his formative years in movies.
Throughout the day, I was waiting for Adoor's tributes to this iconic actor.
But unfortunately such grace was missing.

Bharath Gopi, 71, Passes Away

By John Cheeran
Celebrated Indian actor Bharath Gopi passed away today, Tuesday, in Thiruvananthapuram. He was 71.
He was ailing and had undergone an angioplasty at the KIMS Hospital.
Gopi won the Bharath award, the highest honour for an Indian movie actor, for his role as Sankaran Kutty in Kodiyettam in 1975.
His other remarkable roles were in Yavanika, Swayamvaram, Kallan Pavithran, Palangal, Ormakayi, Marmaram, Lekhayude Maranam Oru Flashback, Patheyam, Kattethe Kilikoodu, Aadaminte Variyellu, Panchavadi Palam, Sandhya Mayangum Neram, Appunni and Rachana.
Gopi directed four films -- Njattadi, Yamanam, Utsavapittennu and Ente Hridyathinte Udama.
Gopi was born in 1937 in Chirayankizhu. He was awarded Padma Shri in 1991. Gopi was noted for his involvement in theatre group “Arangu” along with Kavalam Narayanapaniker before he entered the world of films.
Twenty years ago (in 1986) Gopi had suffered hemorrhage and that had curtailed his movements and involvement in films.
Still he had won his many skirmishes to come back to act and react.

Gilchrist: there's more to life than cricket

By John Cheeran
In the beginning was Adam. And Gilchrist knew how to end it all.
I consider myself an expert in quitting and still I have to salute the Aussie’s courage and timing to go.
Gilchrist was the most exciting cricketer of the modern times, and in that he has even surpassed the Indian legend Sachin Tendulkar. In being an exciting player that is.
There was none to match him for the boldness of his strokes, may be Sanath Jayasuriya coming quite close to him. But Gilchrist had an unrelenting double role to perform, that of a wicketkeeper’s.
Keeping wickets in cricket is something similar to editing and much as they take sub editors for granted, keepers are taken for granted. To be lauded, to be acknowledged you have to do something more.
In fact in cricket it is simpler than journalism. In its equality, cricket offers everyone a chance to bat. And it is this chance that Gilchrist grabbed with both hands, and sometimes with the aid of squash ball, to clobber the bowlers.
Gilchrist’s biggest contribution as a wicketkeeper-batsman is not that during the Adelaide Test he established the world record for the most number of dismissals by a keeper in Tests.
I salute Gilchrist’s courage to tell himself that there is more to life than cricket. And it is no wonder that quite often he walked, when he believed he is out, without waiting for the umpire’s finger to go up.Definitely, cricket will miss Gilchrist.

It's all over in Adelaide-- Unless India...

By John Cheeran
After Australia’s resolute reply to India’s first innings total of 526, the Test series should go in favour of Ricky Ponting’s men.
An Indian victory is unlikely with final day’s play remaining and with Anil Kumble’s side enjoying only an eight run lead with nine wickets in hand. Anything done in haste will rebound on the visitors.
Yes, it is quite possible that India can collapse tomorrow and set up an Australian victory. After all it will not alter the course of the Test series.
Of course India has had its gains from the series. A redeeming win at Perth and Virender Sehwag’s return to form. Pretty impressive efforts from seniors including Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman and Sourav Ganguly.
And it is quite alarming that the young Turks such as MS Dhoni and Yuvraj Singh have come a cropper.
It remains to be seen how far India will progress in the triangular one-day series pitted against world champions and Sri Lankans.
Another kind of test awaits the Indians.

Tail wags to strengthen India in Adelaide

By John Cheeran
Help has come from unexpected quarters for India to go past the critical figure of 500 to put Australia under pressure in Adelaide.
It was not just Sachin Tendulkar’s 153 (off 205 balls) that gave flesh and bone to India’s first innings. On Thursday, India had missed big knocks from Rahul Dravid and Sourav Ganguly.
But today India’s spin doctors –skipper Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh – did a wonderful hit and run job over Ricky Ponting’ s men.
Kumble and Harbhajan (63) put together 107 runs for the eighth wicket and Indian tail tickled the Kangaroos. Harbhajan’s pluck, whether bowling, batting or sledging, is legendary and it again came to the fore in Adelaide.
And skipper Kumble led from the front while cracking a pugnacious half-century (87) to take his side to 526 in the first innings.
These two spinners might have realized the importance of scoring pretty big in the first innings here, as they themselves are supposed to play big hands on the last two days on a spinner friendly track.
With rookie but canny pacer Ishant Sharma too joining in the twilight party at the batting crease, Indian innings has swelled to the size of Ponting’s ego.
Quite big that is.

Help Wasim Jaffer

By John Cheeran
I’m sure every Indian cricket fan’s heart bleeds for Wasim Jaffer. The off-colour Indian opener is out of the XI for the Adelaide Test and that has been one of the decisions that the team management has got it right.
But the point is that how Jaffer has got it all wrong in six Test innings during India’s 2007-08 Australian tour?
Jaffer is not a dour opener, he has got some brilliant strokes on either side of the wicket. Jaffer loves to play his strokes though one-dayers are not his chosen field.
Only a few weeks ago he cracked a double century against Pakistan. Jaffer is not wont to run away from foreign tracks as he has got some solid runs in the West Indies and South Africa.
Now why this sudden affliction?
Rahul Dravid has been in all sorts of pressures in recent times—quitting captaincy and the tensions and contradictions in the Indian dressing room but what about Jaffer, the straight as an arrow Mumbaikar who generally stays away from the hunt for bigger games?
Well, Yuvraj Singh too has learnt a few lessons on how hard life can be, compared to cricket.
But Jaffer, never a flashy player on and off the field, is a trier. Not a foolhardy customer such as Virender Sehwag or Yuvraj. And that makes Jaffer’s struggles all the more harrowing.
Jaffer’s failure at the top has cost India the Australian series. The lack of solidity at top has taken the balance and rhythm out of the Indian batting lineup. And Australian bowlers have exploited such opportunities to the hilt.
I’m not a technical expert capable of advising Jaffer how to correct his stance, footwork and his grip. There are Sunil Gavaskars and Ravi Shastris of the world for such tasks.
But I’m naturally worried.
I have been fortunate to watch a young Jaffer in 1997 when the only time the Ranji Trophy final was played during the night at Gwalior and talk centered on how a boy from challenging economic background is knocking on the doors of the ultimate treasure in Indian life—on the doors of the Indian cricket team. Jaffer played some sublime shots on that night in Gwalior and those have not receded from the mind.
There are quite a few batsmen from the Bombay School of Batting who have failed to do justice to their potential including Sanjay Manjrekar and Vinod Kambli.
Help Wasim Jaffer.

Tendulkar on the rampage in Adelaide: And I cower!

By John Cheeran
Now that Sachin Tendulkar has hammered his 39th century at Adelaide my worry, along with thousands of other Indian cricket fans, is that whether India will lose this Test.
This is despite Anil Kumble winning the toss and batting first on a track that should favour spinners in the end game.
I remember what happened at Sydney -- India lost -- when Tendulkar murdered the Australian bowlers.
Tendulkar again was simply awesome on Thursday at Adelaide. He remains unbeaten on 124 at stumps on the first day with India posting 309.
There were many, including me, who had doubted whether an aging Tendulkar had lost that fizz in his Pepsi. Sydney indicated that he has not. And now Adelaide confirms it that Tendulkar has overcome nagging self-doubts to accumulate more and more runs. Whether India thrives in that progress is what remains to be seen in the coming four days.
But for India has done well mainly thanks to Tendulkar’s rollicking innings. More runs are to flow from the Master’s blade and let’s hope it will help the team at its hour of distress.

Irfan Pathan: Sacrifical lamb or genuine all rounder?

By John Cheeran
The value of an all rounder has come home to the Indian dressing room in the figure of Irfan Pathan.
Former Indian national team coach Greg Chappell was abused particularly for destroying Pathan as a bowler by encouraging him to become a batsman. Now what has Anil Kumble done at Adelaide?
Wasim Jaffer’s repeated failures made him a no-no for the Adelaide XI. Yuvraj had managed to fritter away his advantages in the first two Tests itself. Rahul Dravid was finally given his preferred No.3 slot at Perth after the wars of attrition at Melbourne and Sydney. And Dravid played a match-winning knock at Perth as No.3
Now to push Dravid again into opener’s slot would be patently foolish for a captain to do. Despite Virender Sehwag’s trudge back into form, he needs company at the top.
So who would be the sacrificial lamb? Pathan, who else?
I haven’t forgotten Sourav Ganguly’s statement after making his first Test double century against a feckless Pakistan bowling that coming lower down the order has denied him the opportunity to score centuries compared to others in the Indian side.
May be Ganguly should have walked up to Kumble and pleaded to spare Pathan and sent him to open the innings.
But, again, we are unlucky.

Tough weather for journalists in Kerala

By John Cheeran
Journalists in Kerala face a tougher time than the much romanticized farmers and their suicides.
Salaries are low and journalism has been just that – a respectable profession.
Deepika, Kerala’s oldest living newspaper, has sacked a string of journalists without giving them the stipulated one-month notice.
Deepika has witnessed managerial earthquakes in the last two years thanks to dreaded financial bottom lines and the latest axe wielding can be again attributed to that.
It only goes to show how precarious an existence, journalists in Kerala lead, despite the state’s upsurge in newspaper circulation and readership.
Someone should intervene.

Vaikom Muhammad Bashir: Story and Life

By John Cheeran
Here is a bit of mathematics. What’s one plus one?
It is a much bigger one.
Vaikom Muhammad Bashir, whose birth centenary is being celebrated this year, challenged conventions and lived manfully.
Bashir, the celebrated novelist and short story writer, was a rare original in Malayalam literature. Bashir upended the upper caste dominance in Malayalam literature with his life and writings, both bore the mark of an inimitable style.
Bashir did not learn Sanskrit to be writer. Bashir did not have to write an autobiography, for whatever he wrote there was his own lifeblood in it.
His novel Balyakala Sakhi and short story Janmadinam are still read by the new generations and top the best sellers’ list.
And who can forget Bashirian characters such as Anavary Raman Nair, Ponkurishu Thoma, Ettukali Mammooju, Sainaba and Mandan Muthappa?
Bashir made us laugh. Bashir made us cry.
Bashir wrote without cover-ups. Bashir wrote with rare candour and he described his mad days as “pure and beautiful madness.”
Away from Kerala, in exile, I read the complete works of Bashir last year. There was much great stuff by Bashir. May be the tallest Malayalam writer so far. But there were great amounts of trash too, but those were rather insignificant when compared with the classics he gave us. Though the Scottish scholar E.M. Asher translated Bashir’s works into English, to feel Bashir’s bone and enjoy the flavour of his prose, you have to read it in Malayalam. I consider myself lucky to have learnt Malayalam.
Regrettably, there was a concerted effort by a section of Muslim community to appropriate Bashir, in his twilight, as a Muslim writer and mouthpiece. It is a tribute to Bashir’s genius that the Beppur Sultan managed to outlast their siege.
Equally important is to remember Guptan Nair’s and Raghunathan Nair’s ‘Mula’ criticism against this writer who quarreled with grammar and conventions.
Anal Haq, Anal Haq!

Ibsen, K P Kumaran and Akashagopuram

By John Cheeran
If you decide to read one book this year, let it be Henrik Ibsen’s Master Builder. I read this brilliant, psychological thriller of a play recently.
The Norwegian playwright Ibsen wrote Master Builder in his twilight. The play deals with the battles the Master has to fight with different demons in his mind.
The Master’s stubborn approach to issues --- for example he is not ready to pave the way for the young generation – forms the core of the play. This reluctance to accept young talent one can see in today’s Indian cricket, where seniors had ganged up against the young Turks. Well, not just in cricket. But the refusal to give way to the young is so prevalent in all spheres of our life.
I suggest the Board of Control for Indian Cricket, instead of running after cheap shrinks such as Sandy Gordon and thinking hats, give copies of Ibsen’s Master Builder to all its chosen players at the international level.
Ibsen also comes into my mind for reasons other than cricket.
K.P. Kumaran is directing a movie called “Akasha Gopuram” which is based by Ibsen’s Master Builder. K.P. Kumaran is one of the finest Indian filmmaker but remains largely unsung by the usual claptrap of movie critics.
I’m sure Kumaran is capable of handling the subtleties and complexities of handling a subject such as the Master Builder.
I have only watched Kumaran’s Neram Pularumbol (At the time of the dawn, which starred Mammooty, Mohanlal) and Rugmini.
And who can forget Neram Pularumbol, for it brought out the biting beauty of Ramya Krishnan. That was Ramya’s debut movie. She never appeared more beautiful in another movie though she revealed more of herself. But Kumaran had that rare ability that helped Ramya to reveal her heart in Neram Pularumbol.
Kumaran himself in a recent interview pointed out that his best movie was Athithi (Guest) made in 1974. A political film with gravitas, Athithi did not had to compete with G Aravindan’s Utharayanam for the award sweepstakes. But Athithi is still talked about and never parts away from our consciousness.May be ‘Akashagopuram’, which stars Mohanlal will manage to please critics and commoner. I hope Kumaran’s commitment to serious filmmaking will find its deserving recognition through Akashagopuram.
After all a Master Builder deserves his deserts!

India's Dwaitham: Cricket and Beyond

By John Cheeran
There are two Indias.
Political pundits have often stressed this point, an India of the urban middle class and another of toiling masses on shop floors and farm fields. It is always a sobering thought that there is a Nigeria within India. Now another sobering thought. There are two Indian cricket teams to mirror the nation’s unique Dwaitham.
The BCCI has finally yielded itself to the idea of having separate teams for one-dayers and Tests. Well, with the move to name Mahendra Singh Dhoni the captain for the Twenty20 World Cup such intentions were clear.
Now keeping Rahul Dravid, Sourav Ganguly, VVS Laxman and Anil Kumble from the one-day squad for the triangular series in Australia, that division is complete.
Only Sachin Tendulkar has escaped the stigma of being senile.
Well, I have been a strong believer in the Greg Chappell’s philosophy of young minds and younger feet, but the national selection committee has made its progressive cut and thrust at a wrong turn.
Form too counts in choosing an XI. To take out Dravid and VVS Laxman from the vanguard of Indian batting just when they had drilled gaping holes in the Aussie armoury of arrogance and accurate pace bowling amounts waving the white flag at our formidable rivals.
And after his repeated failures in four Test innings on the current tour what’s the point of keeping Yuvraj Singh in the squad, leave alone retaining as the vice-captain of the side.
Unflinching faith, you might say. Meanwhile MS Dhoni too had a patchy tour so far. No doubt the skirmishes against two of the finest one-day sides – Sri Lanka and Australia – will help us to find out whether all that glitters (hitters) is gold.
India’s one-day squad for the triangular against Australia and Sri Lanka:
MS Dhoni, Yuvraj Singh, Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, Harbhajan Singh, Robin Uthappa, Gautam Gambhir, Irfan Pathan, S Shreesanth, RP Singh Ishant Sharma, Rohit Sharma, Suresh Raina, Dinesh Karthik, Piyush Chawla and Pravin Kumar.

India humble Aussies in Perth Test

By John Cheeran
David defeated Goliath not because how well David fought, but how well he believed he could defeat his enemy.
Just the same is true in the case of Anil-Kumble inspired India’s historic 72-run win over world champions Australia.
Yes, India played well. But after two morally and physically draining defeats at Melbourne and Sydney, to believe that they could outclass those arrogant Aussies at their strongest turf, you needed to believe as well as David.
And it has more than trivia value that Sourav Ganguly had little role to play in this refulgent win.
India’s victory was the result of a team effort. Still Rahul Dravid’s (first innings) and VVS Laxman’s (second innings) batting contributions bring back the memories of that celebrated win at the Eden Gardens against Steve Waugh’s Aussies.
Why is it that Ganguly, and to a certain extent, Tendulkar were pushed into the background by those mysterious powers sweeping through the pitch at Perth for the last four days?
Nobody knows. Or everyone knows.
May be those selfish giants were put to sleep by an unknown raga.
It was certainly a victory for Harbhajan. It was a victory that proved being gentle is not exactly as being feckless.
Here again, India has snapped Australia’s 16-Test winning streak. This win is all the more sweeter, considering the bitter and sordid experiences that the team went through thanks to the stupid umpiring of Steve Bucknor and Benson.
The way the young and inexperienced seam attack – RP Singh, Ishant Sharma and Irfan Pathan – hammered those nails into the coffins of Ricky Ponting and cohorts, augurs well for the future of Indian cricket.
Play on, India.

India poised to spoil Aussies' Sweet 17 party at Perth

By John Cheeran
Getting the basics right makes a lot of things easier. Like Indian captain Anil Kumble has found out in the third Test against at Perth.
Going into the fourth day of the Test on Saturday, India has a realistic chance of recording a historic win over the world champions of cricket and cussedness.
But how have the losers of Melbourne and Sydney bounced back in Perth, arguably the toughest turf for any touring side in Australia?
Crucially, Rahul Dravid was given his deserved slot, the No.3. Though opener Wasim Jaffer’s miserable form continued, Virender Sehwag clobbered some runs. Indian batting recovered some of its poise.
The last two Tests have contributed substantially to reduce the hype around Yuvraj Singh who has been hailed by Indian cricket writers as the best batsman in living memory after his
Sixer Show in the Twenty20 World Cup.
Kumble was under pressure to include Yuvraj in the playing XI for the first two Tests. He succumbed to that, (and naturally so) and India suffered.
Despite the brouhaha over Harbhajan Singh’s ban, the spinner was wisely left out in favour of Irfan Pathan. And those who were laying into Greg Chappell for teaching Irfan the basics of batting must be now eating their attitudes and words after the youngster proved himself as an all rounder.
Some things must be emphasized. You cannot pick a cricket XI based on TV channels’ oracles and so called SMS surveys. Yuvraj has great attitude, has expansive strokes but he should be given his chance without sacrificing the overall balance of the XI. Lesson learnt, and time for Kumble and company to finish the job at Perth.

Dubai newspapers (and the Middle East): An Inside Story

By John Cheeran
The most attractive media destination in the Middle East is Dubai, one of the seven emirates that make up the UAE (United Arab Emirates). A major reason for this is Dubai's liberal approach to life in general. This is very important for media professionals who mainly move in from India, Pakistan and the UK to bring out the city-state's various newspapers.
Dubai Media City is home to a host of medium range publications which thrive by producing in house journals and freemailers for the city's shopping malls. Most of these publications do not last for more than three or four issues.
The key players in the UAE media scene are Khaleej Times, Gulf News, Emirates Business 24x7 and Gulf Today. 7 Days, the daily tabloid, is distributed free and is the bravest in reporting local trends and developments.
For a tiny nation such as the UAE four mainstream newspapers and a tabloid in English is a little too much. These English language newspapers target mainly Indian and Pakistani expatriates and now a growing population of Caucasians.
Khaleej Times is the oldest newspaper in the UAE but Gulf News enjoys the financial muscle to bring out what is considered as a slick newspaper.
Both Khaleej Times and Gulf News bring out a 72-page broadsheet edition daily. Classifieds, supplements and weekend magazines add to the girth of the papers.
For an average Indian journalist intent to earn quick bucks, this is great news -- a whole lot of pages to be made and vast spaces to be filled with news and views.
And more great news is in store. Abu Dhabi, Dubai's rival emirate and the UAE's capital, is launching its own newspaper by the end of April. Recruitment for the yet to be named paper is almost over and former Daily Telegraph, London, editor Martin Newland is the editor-in-chief.Four English language newspapers make Dubai print media an overcrowded place.
Financial Times, London, has a Dubai edition; it is printed and distributed in Dubai.
There are three Arabic newspapers -- Al Bayan, Al Khaleej and Al Ittihad -- that cater to local readership. Apart from this, a host of Malayalam newspapers are being edited and printed in Dubai. Malayala Manorama boasts of a Dubai edition, which is considered to be huge success in terms of locally generated advertising revenue.
And to consider that there was an evening daily -- Emirates Evening Post -- which folded within a year of its launch. ITP, another media group that has base in the Dubai Media City, had plans to launch a business broadsheet, but failed to get the required license from the Federal Ministry of Information.
How vibrant is the journalism in Dubai, and in the Middle East
Khaleej Times and Gulf News are undoubtedly success stories when you look at their revenue. Emirates Business 24x7 is backed by a division of the Dubai Government, but this paper has just survived an identity crisis. It was launched as a quality compact newspaper in 2006 but a few months ago it was redesigned and relaunched as Middle East's first business newspaper.
Gulf Today is being published from Sharjah, the third significant emirate in the UAE. But is just there. You could call it the Free Press Journal of the UAE.
In all these newspapers, local reporting is nothing but a PR exercise. Front pages are always dominated by happenings elsewhere and the most preferred headlines are disaster stories from Baghdad and Lebanon. Railing against the United States and Israel are a must to prove your gravitas.
The majority of the editorial team in the UAE newspapers comes from the Asian subcontinent. So, the quality of the editorial team is as good as you may get in India. Though admitting that all newspapers make mistakes, Gulf News seems to make a few more than others. It comes up with headlines such as Its kick off time instead of It's kick off time, and Tendulkar Celebrates A Quite Birthday instead of Tendulkar Celebrates A Quiet Birthday.
Gulf News was redesigned by Mario Garcia of the Garcia Media in 2004. And it gives Gulf News the cutting edge among the competitors.As for career opportunities you can grow within the organization but the attrition rate is one of the lowest. That reduces your chances of moving up.
Also unlike India, you cannot switch your jobs easily in the Middle East. Your organization has the rights to impose a two-year ban on you from working for any of the competitors within the UAE, whenever you quit. You can work around these rules, but most often it is not worth the effort.
Also, several employers in the UAE keep the passports of their employees though this is against the UAE Federal Law. Gulf News a few years ago wrote against this flouting of the Federal Law but still the practice continues.In the newsroom, attention is paid to getting the protocol of the rulers right.
You can get your facts wrong, grammar wrong, but not the names of rulers or their titles.
How much money you must ask
If you are getting an offer from any of the UAE-based newspapers, you must ask for a monthly salary of Dh 12,000. Converted into Indian Rupees, this may sound a huge amount.
But beware. Dirham is pegged to the US dollar and these days 1 Dirham fetches you Rs 10.6. In 2001, 1 Dirham made you richer by Rs 13. Dollar is predicted to fall further and the UAE is in no mood to break free from the dollar shackles.
And inflation is raging in the UAE.With Dh 12,000 as monthly salary you will have a family visa. But any newcomer to Dubai will have to shell out to the tune of Dh80,000 as annual rent for a one bedroom kitchen flat (1 BHK).
Most of them move to the neighbouring emirate Sharjah where real estate prices are cheaper compared to Dubai. In Sharjah the rent for a 1BHK is Dh 40,000.
To live in Sharjah and work in Dubai you need to drive or rely on patchy public transport system. Buying a car is easy in the UAE but getting a driving license is next to impossible.
Even if you manage to get the driving license, your progress will be stalled by traffic congestion. It takes roughly two and half hours to reach Dubai from Sharjah, which is 30 kilometers.
Your minimum grocery bill will be around Dh 2000. A cylinder of gas costs you Dh 92. Till six months, it was only Dh 76.You will have to pay extra for your water and electricity and which are highly reliable. (on an average Dh 200 per month).
Thank god, there are no power shortages.
Healthcare is highly expensive if you have no family insurance coverage. Sharjah does not have nightclubs and it is no liquor zone. You can rely on your apartment's watchman to get your booze.You can enjoy your life in Dubai with its hundreds of nightclubs and bars. (A mug of beer costs Dh 20.)
In Dubai, if you are a non-Muslim, you can get a liquor permit to buy the booze from official outlets.
If you have a school going child, you will have to shell out minimum Dh 500 per month.
Roughly, this is how your average monthly expenses will add up:
Monthly Salary Dirhams 12,000
Monthly Rent Dh 7,000
Water and Electricity Dh 200
Monthly Grocery Bill Dh 2000
Cable TV Connection, Internet (Monthly) Dh 350.
Phone Bills (Cell phone plus landline) Minimum Dh 300.
School Fees Dh 500 Entertainment, Eating out Dh 1,000 per month
Expenditure Total Dh 11,350.
Income Total Dh 12,000.
(Note: These figures are based on 2007 prices)
Still, if you want to dig for gold in Dubai and the UAE, good luck to you.(Originally published at www.ocms.in)

Opportunities in Dubai newspapers and the Middle East

By John Cheeran
The most attractive media destination in the Middle East is Dubai, one of the seven emirates that make up the UAE (United Arab Emirates). A major reason for this is Dubai's liberal approach to life in general. This is very important for media professionals who mainly move in from India, Pakistan and the UK to bring out the city-state's various newspapers.
Dubai Media City is home to a host of medium range publications which thrive by producing in house journals and freemailers for the city's shopping malls. Most of these publications do not last for more than three or four issues.
The key players in the UAE media scene are Khaleej Times, Gulf News, Emirates Business 24x7 and Gulf Today. 7 Days, the daily tabloid, is distributed free and is the bravest in reporting local trends and developments.
For a tiny nation such as the UAE four mainstream newspapers and a tabloid in English is a little too much. These English language newspapers target mainly Indian and Pakistani expatriates and now a growing population of Caucasians.
Khaleej Times is the oldest newspaper in the UAE but Gulf News enjoys the financial muscle to bring out what is considered as a slick newspaper.
Both Khaleej Times and Gulf News bring out a 72-page broadsheet edition daily. Classifieds, supplements and weekend magazines add to the girth of the papers.
For an average Indian journalist intent to earn quick bucks, this is great news -- a whole lot of pages to be made and vast spaces to be filled with news and views.
And more great news is in store. Abu Dhabi, Dubai's rival emirate and the UAE's capital, is launching its own newspaper by the end of April. Recruitment for the yet to be named paper is almost over and former Daily Telegraph, London, editor Martin Newland is the editor-in-chief.
Four English language newspapers make Dubai print media an overcrowded place. Financial Times, London, has a Dubai edition; it is printed and distributed in Dubai.
There are three Arabic newspapers -- Al Bayan, Al Khaleej and Al Ittihad -- that cater to local readership. Apart from this, a host of Malayalam newspapers are being edited and printed in Dubai. Malayala Manorama boasts of a Dubai edition, which is considered to be huge success in terms of locally generated advertising revenue.
And to consider that there was an evening daily -- Emirates Evening Post -- which folded within a year of its launch. ITP, another media group that has base in the Dubai Media City, had plans to launch a business broadsheet, but failed to get the required license from the Federal Ministry of Information.
How vibrant is the journalism in Dubai, and in the Middle East
Khaleej Times and Gulf News are undoubtedly success stories when you look at their revenue. Emirates Business 24x7 is backed by a division of the Dubai Government, but this paper has just survived an identity crisis. It was launched as a quality compact newspaper in 2006 but a few months ago it was redesigned and relaunched as Middle East's first business newspaper.
Gulf Today is being published from Sharjah, the third significant emirate in the UAE. But is just there. You could call it the Free Press Journal of the UAE.
In all these newspapers, local reporting is nothing but a PR exercise. Front pages are always dominated by happenings elsewhere and the most preferred headlines are disaster stories from Baghdad and Lebanon. Railing against the United States and Israel are a must to prove your gravitas.
The majority of the editorial team in the UAE newspapers comes from the Asian subcontinent. So, the quality of the editorial team is as good as you may get in India. Though admitting that all newspapers make mistakes, Gulf News seems to make a few more than others. It comes up with headlines such as Its kick off time instead of It's kick off time, and Tendulkar Celebrates A Quite Birthday instead of Tendulkar Celebrates A Quiet Birthday.
Gulf News was redesigned by Mario Garcia of the Garcia Media in 2004. And it gives Gulf News the cutting edge among the competitors.
As for career opportunities you can grow within the organization but the attrition rate is one of the lowest. That reduces your chances of moving up.
Also unlike India, you cannot switch your jobs easily in the Middle East. Your organization has the rights to impose a two-year ban on you from working for any of the competitors within the UAE, whenever you quit. You can work around these rules, but most often it is not worth the effort.
Also, several employers in the UAE keep the passports of their employees though this is against the UAE Federal Law. Gulf News a few years ago wrote against this flouting of the Federal Law but still the practice continues.In the newsroom, attention is paid to getting the protocol of the rulers right. You can get your facts wrong, grammar wrong, but not the names of rulers or their titles.
How much money you must ask
If you are getting an offer from any of the UAE-based newspapers, you must ask for a monthly salary of Dh 12,000. Converted into Indian Rupees, this may sound a huge amount. But beware. Dirham is pegged to the US dollar and these days 1 Dirham fetches you Rs 10.6.
In 2001, 1 Dirham made you richer by Rs 13. Dollar is predicted to fall further and the UAE is in no mood to break free from the dollar shackles. And inflation is raging in the UAE.
With Dh 12,000 as monthly salary you will have a family visa. But any newcomer to Dubai will have to shell out to the tune of Dh80,000 as annual rent for a one bedroom kitchen flat (1 BHK). Most of them move to the neighbouring emirate Sharjah where real estate prices are cheaper compared to Dubai. In Sharjah the rent for a 1BHK is Dh 40,000.
To live in Sharjah and work in Dubai you need to drive or rely on patchy public transport system. Buying a car is easy in the UAE but getting a driving license is next to impossible. Even if you manage to get the driving license, your progress will be stalled by traffic congestion. It takes roughly two and half hours to reach Dubai from Sharjah, which is 30 kilometers.Your minimum grocery bill will be around Dh 2000. A cylinder of gas costs you Dh 92. Till six months, it was only Dh 76.You will have to pay extra for your water and electricity and which are highly reliable. (on an average Dh 200 per month). Thank god, there are no power shortages.
Healthcare is highly expensive if you have no family insurance coverage. Sharjah does not have nightclubs and it is no liquor zone. You can rely on your apartment's watchman to get your booze.
You can enjoy your life in Dubai with its hundreds of nightclubs and bars. (A mug of beer costs Dh 20.) In Dubai, if you are a non-Muslim, you can get a liquor permit to buy the booze from official outlets.
If you have a school going child, you will have to shell out minimum Dh 500 per month.
Roughly, this is how your average monthly expenses will add up:Monthly Salary Dirhams 12,000Monthly Rent Dh 7,000Water and Electricity Dh 200Monthly Grocery Bill Dh 2000Cable TV Connection, Internet (Monthly) Dh 350.Phone Bills (Cell phone plus landline) Minimum Dh 300.School Fees Dh 500Entertainment, Eating out Dh 1,000 per monthExpenditure Total Dh 11,350.Income Total Dh 12,000.(Note: These figures are based on 2007 prices)Still, if you want to dig for gold in Dubai and the UAE, good luck to you.
(Originally published at www.ocms.in)

Do you want to become a journalist? log on to Online Centre for Media Studies

By John Cheeran
Are journalism schools worth the hefty fees they charge?
Are you satisfied with the quality of Indian journalism? Would you like to communicate better with your colleagues?
Do you want to go beyond mere blogging?
Do you want to master the crafts of editing and reporting?
Well without leaving your desktop or laptop, now you can become a better editor or reporter.
http://www.ocms.in/ offers you the right kind of courses whether you are a student or professional of whatever background.
With a course that lasts only 12 weeks, Mr Sunil Saxena, the man behind the Online Centre for Media Studies, has ensured that what you learn is what you must.
You get all the meat, no bones.
With a course fee of Rs 15,000 one should point out that what http://www.ocms.in/ offers is value for money.
India’s first and finest online journalism college could give shape to your ambitions of a news breaker and newsmaker.
Go, log on to http://www.ocms.in/ now.

Ganguly's double century in Bangalore: All about evolution!

By John Cheeran
Yes, it is tough to swallow one’s pride, tougher still to admit defeat when your well stated position is proved wrong by your pet hate.
Sourav Ganguly has proved his critics, including me, wrong with his well-crafted double century in the third and final Test against Pakistan in Bangalore.
When facts change, I change my opinion. Sir,what do you do?
Ganguly has reinvented himself not just as a batsman but as a man too. Not only he chooses his shots carefully, he pause and prod while he chooses his words too.
His comeback has been splendid and this home series against Pakistan has been significant in terms of the number of runs the Bengal left-hander has scored. In the autumn of his career Ganguly has dug deep to carve out his first Test double century. Earlier Ganguly scored his first Test century in front of the partisan crowd at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata. Till this series unfolded, I had doubted whether Ganguly has it in to score a century in one-dayers, leave alone in Tests.
None can deny that Ganguly has batted without care, except when he scented the century on Saturday. Ganguly’s and Yuvraj Singh’s tons came when India was gasping for breath, after losing Wasim Jaffer, Gautam Gambhir, Dravid and VVS Laxman, well below the 100 mark on the scoreboard.
But the pitch at the Chinnaswamy Stadium held no terrors after the morning meltdown and a dispirited Pakistan attack (Shoaib Ahtar lying in hospital) will help to put batsmen’s achievements in perspective.
Has the change in Indian captaincy has contributed to Ganguly’s refulgent batting? It has to be noted that Ganguly’s ascent has been marked by the decline in the lofty standards of Rahul Dravid.
A century in front of his friends and family, a double century at the home ground of his biggest rival in life. Ganguly, in his third coming, has surprised himself the most and surpassed a few boundaries in the process.
Certainly, the trip the chairman of selectors Dilip Vengsarkar made to Bangalore has been worth it.

Interview with Sony Cheruvathur, Kerala's new Ranji Trophy team captain

By John Cheeran
I was calling Sony Cheruvathur on the same evening (27-10-2007) when Kerala Cricket Association selected the state Ranji squad to take on Vidharba in Nagpur on November 3.
Let me quickly share this with you all. In Kerala’s cricket history, Sony is the first Ranji Captain who hails from Kunnamkulam, a provincial town imbued with rare survival instinct. Sony, though lives in Chengannoor, with his parents, is a true blue Kunnamkulam Nasrani.
Kunnamkulam is known for its printing presses and areca nuts and basketball players.
I have over the years talked to various cricketers including Sir Gary Sobers, Sachin Tendulkar and Kapil Dev for professional reasons. Never ever had I thought I would be talking to a cricketer from Kunnamkulam. Not even the Ranji variety!
Being Kerala Ranji team captain is not an insignificant honour, when you consider that the state has produced two Test cricketers – Tinu Yohannan and S Sreesanth – in recent times. Who knows Sony could be the next fast bowler in line.
I’m a realist. At 29 years young, Kerala’s newest cricket captain (Sony is making his debut as captain on November 3 against Vidharba, though he has led the side in pre-Ranji season tournaments this year. The odds are stacked heavily against Sony as far as forcing is way into the Indian national team.
Though he has been with Kerala Ranji squad for the last six years, Sony has got only a fair trial only in the last season. Sony played three matches and took 13 wickets including a best performance of 5/42 against Goa last season. As Sony says he has played only eight Ranji Trophy matches.
Kerala Cricket Association, it seems, has given Sony the leader’s role for his cool approach to the game as well as recognition for his all-round skills. Sony’s bold batting had landed him a place in the South Zone side for the Deodhar Trophy one day tournament. Sony had hit a quick fire 82 against Tamil Nadu in the Subbaiah Pillay Trophy to merit the list.
Skipper Sony is confident that Kerala, without the crutches of professionals, should do well in the Plate Division. KCA has abandoned the practice of hiring players, a policy that ran for the last six years, from outside. Last year, Kerala’s opening batsmen were imported from Tamil Nadu – S Suresh and Sadagopan Ramesh.
Kerala’s strength is their pace attack, points out skipper Sony, who himself is a crafty swing bowler. “There is Tinu but definitely we will miss Sreesanth.”
Sreesanth’s assignments with the national side have given other youngsters rare opportunities to show their arsenal. Sony makes an interesting observation when he points out that Kerala’s athletic tradition should be the reason why the state has produced a string of pacers. “Bowling is more similar to athletics. There is no requirement for refinement. Batting requires a lot more fine tuning in that sense. We have very few turf wickets available and this makes it difficult for the state to produce quality batsmen.”
Vellayani, CRL and Palace Oval are Kerala’s major turf wickets. These are not simply enough for a state that has a huge craze for cricket.

The Hindu editorial on Dhoni

editorial in the hindu, september 20
The right choice
The appointment of M.S. Dhoni as captain of the Indian one-day cricket team for the home series against Australia and Pakistan is commendable. While the selectors had few other choices - apparent from chairman Dilip Vengsarkar's statement that the decision took all of five minutes - Dhoni staked his claim on merit. Already, in his three years as an international cricketer, the 26-year-old wicketkeeper-batsman has shown the ability to adapt quickly without divorcing his instincts. Former coach Greg Chappell identified very early Dhoni's cricket intelligence, both intuitive and conscious. That Dhoni has captivated the masses with his mix of rustic unorthodoxy and native shrewdness, and won the confidence of his team-mates with his preternatural calm under pressure, illustrates why he is such an attractive option. He has kept clear of the lapses in discipline that have compromised the captaincy aspirations of other young Indian cricketers. Dhoni of course needs time to grow. Former Indian captains have alluded to how dealing with the game's capricious administrators, handling the intrusive media, and coping with the fickle public can take their toll. For all his success with the bat (a Test average of over 36 and an ODI average of over 44) and his mental strength in keeping effectively despite struggling, Dhoni isn't yet a world-class wicketkeeper. Rather than rush him into Test captaincy, the selectors must give themselves time for assessment. The highly respected Anil Kumble, who deserves more than filling a vacancy, is our editorial choice for leading India in the significant Test series against Pakistan and Australia. In judging Dhoni, the selectors would do well to consider why his elevation from Twenty20 captaincy was necessary. The decision of Rahul Dravid, not one ever to shrink from a challenge, to step down is an indication of both the attendant pressures of the job and his honesty. Dravid said captains had shelf lives; the demands of modern-day cricket, he noted ruefully, were shrinking these shelf lives. Further, the strains of captaincy had just begun to affect his excellence with the bat. Dravid timed his exit well, even if he denied himself a chance to be celebrated as a great captain by leading the side successfully in Australia. The upstanding Bangalorean will be remembered as a sound, intelligent, and intense captain. Contrary to popular perception, he was tactically more aggressive than Sourav Ganguly; however, for a variety of reasons, he wasn't as successful in managing the system. Yet under Dravid the team transitioned from one that won Tests abroad into a side that won series abroad. He remains one of only two Indian captains - Ajit Wadekar is the other - to have won Test series in the West Indies and England.

Times edit on Dhoni, the new captain

Thankless job (the times of india
19 Sep 2007

The selectors have done the right thing by appointing Mahendra Singh Dhoni as India's ODI captain. After Rahul Dravid's sudden resignation from the captaincy last week, there was no obvious choice to fill his shoes. Sachin Tendulkar was the front runner for the job, but he is reported to have said that one-dayers were taking a toll on his body. In such a situation, appointing a younger player as captain of the ODI team is a positive move. Dhoni, who is at present leading India's Twenty20 team, will now have to come to terms with the incredible pressure that accompanies the job. Soon after quitting as skipper, Dravid said that there is a "shelf life" to the Indian captaincy, which he felt could be getting shorter with every passing year. Both Dravid and his predecessor, Sourav Ganguly, suffered a loss of form at some stage of their captaincy. Moreover, the captaincy takes a toll not only on the cricket field but also off it. The expectations of Indian fans are huge, often unreasonably so. In that sense, Dravid probably had taken as much as he could. More importantly, he quit when the going was good -- after a memorable series' win against England -- and not when people were calling for his head. There are a few lessons for both BCCI and Indian cricketers. The cricket board must try and help make the job easier for captains. Separate captains for the shorter and longer versions of the game -- which is now a distinct possibility -- is one way to do that. A fixed tenure for the skipper is another way to ease some of the pressure. This will allow a captain to tide over a temporary loss of form. A full-time coach as well as a carefully selected manager must always accompany the team. Under Dravid, India toured England without a coach; the manager was a former cricketer who last played international cricket in the 1960s. BCCI can definitely do much better in terms of giving back-up support to captains. All this will only go a little way in helping to ease the burden of Team India's skipper. He would himself have to find ways to deal with a job that possibly comes with more stress than that of the prime minister. The trick, as Dravid told reporters of this newspaper, is to be completely focused at the right time and to switch off at other times. The trick is finding the switch.

D for Dhoni!

By John Cheeran
So Indian cricket has a new captain, Mahendra Singh Dhoni.
Reasons for Rahul Dravid’s resignation are still debatable, but is Dhoni the right choice?
Yes, the more serious business of finding a captain for Tests have been put aside in typical BCCI fashion, but does the 26-year-old from Ranchi command an automatic place in the Indian side?
Dhoni has batted reasonably well in the recent times and his effort to save Indian in the first Test at Lord’s was praiseworthy indeed. He is still not emerged as a dependable bat for India, thereby cementing his place in the side. Well, I do know that he keeps wickets in the side.
But that soon will change, if the last Twenty 20 match was any indication, and the one guy who will benefit from Dhoni’s elevation to the captaincy is Dinesh Karthick, whose dodgy form with bat giving many a heartbreak or two.
As in the case with Sonia Gandhi’s choice with Manmohan Singh, the BCCI and the chairman of selectors Dileep Vengsarkar wanted a malleable fellow to be captain. Dhoni, hitherto carefree in approach, may not be as stubborn as Dravid proved when he believed in something or someone. Comparisons can be made to Mohammad Azharuddin, who at the time of being anointed as captain looked a virgin.
Will selectors go the full distance and give Dhoni the honour of leading India in the Tests too? Vengsrakar can happily hold the remote control and be the oracle of Indian cricket for one more season.
But one thing is sure, captain Dhoni’s sexy mane will soon be a thing of the past. The cares of captaincy will take care of it.
Meanwhile, Dhoni gets a perfect opportunity in today’s Twenty20 World Cup semifinal against Australia to prove his captaincy credentials.
Who knows what tomorrow brings?
Dhoni is just two matches away from matching Kapil Dev’s feat of winning a World Cup. The title triumph in the Twenty20 World Cup will force Vengsarkar to give Dhoni the reins of the Test team, ignoring the original candidate, Sachin Tendulkar.
Chak De Dhoni, Chak De India.

Why did Dravid throw away the cares of captaincy?

By John Cheeran
Why did Rahul Dravid quit the Indian team’s captaincy?
Obviously this was the story of the recent times, and a much speculative Indian media, did not get a whiff of it till Dravid made it clear to the BCCI supremo Sharad Pawar that enough is enough.
I’m not a mind reader, but Dravid must have thought a lot about the leading job. That Dravid has not discussed the subject with individuals such as Chandu Borde, who accompanied the team as a mascot to England, fits in with the Bangalore man’s character. But Dravid would have discussed the matter with his closest pal in Indian cricket, Anil Kumble, the man who should have led India instead of Sourav Ganguly.
Dravid’s critics say that his timing of the decision to step down as the captain is puzzling.
Some of them even have dared to insinuate that Dravid has scared away from the forthcoming series against Australia and Pakistan.
I have only contempt for them. The man who led India to series wins in West Indies and most recently in England should not worry about assignments similar in nature. And if you can recall it was Dravid who captained India’s first Test wins not just in Pakistan but also in South Africa.
It would be silly to point out that Dravid’s batting has suffered during the last Test series against England. How could anyone argue with those who judge form only on the basis of scoreboard?
There was never a shadow of doubt regarding Dravid’s batting during the England series. It is true that he was a victinmg of a series of poor decisions should be taken for what they are instead of linking with the so called pressures of the captaincy.
And one should admit that the intrigue that botched India’s World Cup campaign in the West Indies is still at work in the dressing room. And chief villain is none other than Sourav Ganguly. It is with Ganguly’s tacit support that Indian pacer Zaheer Khan told a television crew that he was not at all tired after the Oval Test.
Zaheer’s statement was out of sync with Dravid’s argument that he knew his bowlers were a tired lot and hence he preferred not to to enforce the follow on against Michael Vaughan’s England. No captain likes a situation such as this.
And I can directly link Dravid’s decision to throw away the cares of captaincy to the fourth day of the third and final Test against England this summer, when Indian skipper had to play an ultra defensive innings of 22 off 92 balls to ensure that India did not lose the match, and forego the opportunity to win the series.
An earnest captain such as Dravid is justified if he nursed doubts regrading the commitment of Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly, who played a cavalier second innings at the Brit Oval. Such sudden outbreaks of loss of batting form among his senior colleagues should have concerned Dravid, who gave his best for India, under the leaderships of Tendulkar and Ganguly.
And to add to the situation the BCCI has not helped the matters either. It is six months after the World Cup, still Indian team does not have a coach. Dravid who believes in a studied approach to the game would not have enjoyed the ad-hocism of the BCCI.
Is there a better time to let it go when you have emerged from the ashheap of the World Cup fiasco with a refulgent Test series win in England and after rallying the side to thrilling finish (3-4) in the one-day series?There are few things left for Dravid to prove as a modern-day batsman. He has, unlike Tendulkars and Gangulys, played his defining innings much, much earlier.
Even if Dravid quits playing for India with in the coming season, there will be another shock for Indian cricket. And I’m sure those days are fast approaching when Dravid will say enough is enough at the end of the series Down Under. It is for Tendulkars and Ganguly’s to go on and on.
It is for men to stop when they see the writing on the wall.

India outsmart Pakistan in Twenty20 shootout

From Durban, South Africa
India outsmarted Pakistan in a bowl-out after the arch-rivals played a heart-stopping tie during the Twenty20 world championships here on Friday.
With Pakistan needing one run to overtake India's 141-9, Misbah-ul Haq was run out off the last ball of the innings to leave his team on 141-7.
In the bowl-out, Pakistan's Yasir Arafat, Umar Gul and Shahid Afridi failed to hit the stumps at the other end.
Indian bowlers Virender Sehwag, Harbhajan Singh and Robin Uthappa hit the wicket each time to give their team a 3-0 win.
Both Pakistan and India qualified for the Super Eights round after ousting Scotland from the race.
A sell-out crowd at the Kingsmead watched a slug fest between the two teams that swung from one corner to the other before the match ended with the scores level.
Pakistan appeared on course to victory when they restricted India to 141-9 after captain Shoaib Malik had won the toss and elected to field in overcast conditions.
But India hit back to reduce Pakistan to 103-6 in the 18th over, leaving the batting side needing a challenging 39 to win off the remaining 14 balls in the low-scoring match.
The seventh-wicket pair of Yasir Arafat and Misbah swung the game Pakistan's way by adding 38 off the next 13 balls, but failed to complete the crucial winning run.
Misbah, who made 53 off 35 balls, patted the last ball from Shanthakumaran Sreesanth and ran but failed to beat the throw from the infield to the bowler, who broke the wickets.
Left-arm seamer Irfan Pathan, returning to the Indian team after nine months, took 2-20 in his four overs.
For Pakistan, seamer Mohammad Asif returned the second-best figures in Twenty20 cricket to restrict India to 141-9 in the first session.
Asif used the overcast conditions to wreck India's top order with 4-18, second behind New Zealander Mark Gillespie's 4-7 against Kenya earlier in the week.
India were reduced to 36-4 before Uthappa retreived the innings with 50 off 39 balls.
Indian skipper Mahendra Dhoni hit 33 and Irfan Pathan made 20 to boost the total amid three frustrating stoppages as light showers swept the ground.
Asif struck with his third delivery when he put out his right hand and grasped a return catch as Gautam Gambhir drove uppishly.
In his next over, Asif bowled Sehwag, who made five on his return to international cricket after being dropped for the recent England tour.
Yuvraj Singh holed out in the deep in Asif's third over and the seamer met another success in his fourth and final over when he forced Dinesh Karthick to edge a rising ball on to his stumps.
Uthappa fell soon after reaching his half-century when he was caught behind to give debutant left-arm seamer Sohail Tanvir his first international wicket.
Afridi clean bowled Pathan and Harbhajan Singh towards the end to restrict India's total.
Scoreboard:
India
Fall of wickets: 1-0 (Gambhir), 2-9 (Sehwag), 3-19 (Yuvraj), 4-36 (Karthick), 5-82 (Uthappa), 6-116 (Pathan), 7-123 (Harbhajan), 8-139 (Dhoni), 9-141 (Agarkar).
Overs: 20
Pakistan
Fall of wickets: 1-12 (Nazir), 2-44 (Butt), 3-47 (Akmal), 4-47 (Younis), 5-87 (Malik), 6-103 (Afridi), 7-141 (Misbah)
Overs: 20
Match tied
India won bowl-out 3-0
(India's Virender Sehwag, Harbhajan Singh and Robin Uthappa hit. Pakistan's Yasir Arafat, Umar Gul and Shahid Afridi missed.)
Toss: Pakistan
Umpire: Billy Doctrove (WIS) and Simon Taufel (AUS)
TV umpire: Steve Davis (AUS)
Match referee: Mike Procter (RSA)

Indian cricketers react to Dravid's resignation

Jolted by Rahul Dravid's out-of-the blue decision to relinquish Team India captaincy, the cricket fraternity today reacted with shock and wondered what made him quit the job.
Former India opener Chetan Chauhan had no doubt in his mind that, for once, Dravid got his timing wrong.
"This would definitely affect the team. He's leaving at a time when the side was gradually settling under him," Chauhan told PTI.
"He was a decent captain who was improving with every game. He did well in the series against England and leading India to a Test series triumph after a 21-year gap is no mean achievement," he pointed out. Chetan, however, still clings on to the faint hope that Dravid may still give it a second thought.
"I would request the selectors first to persuade Dravid to continue and in case he does not relent, only then you should explore other options."
And in case Dravid is adamant, Chetan said, it would leave the selectors with no other options but to fall back on either Sachin Tendulkar or Sourav Ganguly.
"For the time being, I guess may be another two years, you have no other options but go back and appoint either Sachin Tendulkar or Ganguly. Personally I would prefer Tendulkar, he was the vice captain in the Test series in England."
Former captain MAK Pataudi, however, believes the Board should not pressurise Dravid to revert his decision. "If someone doesn't want to continue, he should be allowed to do that. India has done exceptionally well this year in England under his leadership.
But if he does not want to continue as captain and wants to be there only as a player, we should respect that," he said.
Member of India's 1983 World Cup winning team Madan Lal was also shocked by the news. "It must have been a hard decision. It surprised me because he was having a good run as captain. He has won so many matches for the team," Madan said.
The former player felt public pressure and constant criticism could have played some part in influencing Dravid's decision and said, "The trouble is the public pressure is such that it doesn't allow you to settle down. Coaches and captains are always targeted when we lose."
Two other former players, K Srikkanth and Kiran More, who served as chief selector when Dravid was captain, were also baffled by Dravid's decision. "More than surprising, it was shocking," Srikkanth said. More said he too could not foresee it coming and said, "It's his personal decision, maybe he was not liking the weight of captaincy on his shoulder."
Former player and India's manager in the recent UK tour Chandu Borde was equally shocked. "The decision has come as a complete surprise to me, a bolt from the blue. He never discussed this even once when we were on the long tour. I don't know why he has taken this decision," he said. "He must have given it a lot of consideration. We have to respect his decision," the former Test middle order mainstay said in Pune.
Asked if the criticism for not enforcing follow-on in the final Test at the Oval could have anything to do with Dravid's decision, Borde said, "No, I don't think so. It was a collective decision."

Dravid abdicates Indian captain's throne

NEW DELHI
Rahul Dravid has stepped down as India captain just a month after leading his team to a rare Test series victory in England, the country's cricket board said.
Dravid, who took over the captaincy from Sourav Ganguly in 2005, said he would continue playing for India, but wanted to concentrate on his batting.
"Rahul met (Indian cricket chief) Sharad Pawar on Thursday and expressed his desire to step down as captain of the Indian team," board secretary Niranjan Shah said in a statement on Friday.
"He requested that he should not be considered for the job for the ensuing Australia series.
He further assured that he would extend his full co-operation to his successor and contribute as a batsman and a senior player. "Rahul wanted to concentrate on his game."
Australia will arrive in India for seven one-day internationals later this month.
Dravid, 34, is the second Indian after Sachin Tendulkar to quit captaincy for batting in the last seven years. Tendulkar stepped down after a two-Test home series against South Africa in 2000 and was replaced with Ganguly. India won eight Tests under Dravid, including series victories in the West Indies, Pakistan, Bangladesh and England.
The success in the Caribbean in 2006 was India's first in 35 years, and last month they won their first Test series in England in two decades. Nicknamed "The Wall" for his solid defence, Dravid has scored 9,492 runs in 112 Tests with 24 centuries and 10,534 runs in 327 one-day internationals with 12 hundreds.
He is only the third Indian after Tendulkar and Ganguly to score more than 10,000 runs in the shorter version of the game.
"He has discussed the issue with me twice. I think we need to respect his decision," said Pawar. "He has recently told me that captaincy was affecting his game. He has said he would like to continue playing and improve upon his performance."
The Board of Control for Cricket in India was expected to discuss Dravid's resignation at a meeting next Tuesday.
"I think the reasons are personal. Every captain has his prerogatives. I think he was feeling the burden (of captaincy)," said Indian board vice-president Rajiv Shukla.
Dravid's most disappointing moment as one-day captain came in the World Cup in the Caribbean early this year when his team were knocked out in the first round after a shock defeat against Bangladesh in the opening match.
He opted out of the ongoing Twenty20 World Championships in South Africa and was replaced with wicketkeeper-batsman Mahendra Singh Dhoni.

BCCI's bouncers to ZEE: IPL and Champions League

Indian cricket board has made its move. In a step that will effectively take the sting out of the Indian Cricket League, the BCCI has launched its own Indian Premier League (IPL) and an international Champions Twenty20 League.
The leagues will start from next year.
Matches are scheduled for 5pm or 8pm, for your convenience.
The board lined up Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid, snatched Warne and Glenn McGrath from the ICL's grasp, and paraded ICC honchos and the cricket bosses of seven nations in a show of money and political muscle.
The IPL, which starts next April, will have eight city teams vying over 44 days for a prize money of $3 million (Rs 12.13 crore).
The top two teams join the top two clubs from the Australian, South African and English T20 leagues for an eight-team Champion's League in October. The prize money for the nine-day, 15-match event equals that of the 2007 World Cup - $5 million or Rs 202 crore - which is nearly three times the current T20 World Cup's $1.9-million purse. The cash award announced by the ICL is $1 million.
"I hope this will be successful, if the people on the dais cannot make it work, then it's just not going to work," Dravid said. McGrath and Warne chose the known devil after being terribly tempted by the ICL's alleged offers of $700,000 (Rs 2.88 crore), sources said.
New Zealander Fleming apparently turned down $500,000. Sachin, Sourav, Dravid and Anil Kumble are said to have been made even bigger offers. None has signed up yet, but the BCCI showcased them to reassure potential bidders that they were "available".
Board vice-president Lalit Modi said, "This (the IPL) is towards the end of the season. Cricketers are mostly free at that time."
The league's most revolutionary aspect is a franchise system under which the eight teams will be owned by companies, which can list them on the bourses. The franchisees must pay the BCCI a fee but will get to share revenues. Modi said the model was inspired by the US basketball and baseball leagues. "The franchisees will get marketing rights... will be entitled to local revenues like ticket sales." There will also be a draft allowing the buying and selling of players. "The concept of franchise is mind-blowing," McGrath told the news conference.
Warne said from London: "I am pretty much excited to join." Modi said over 30 companies and individuals had approached the board for IPL sponsorships.
"IMG will be the event manager," senior board official Ratnakar Shetty said. Both Sony and SET said they were confident about bagging the telecast rights. Nimbus was undecided but CMD Harish Thawani said, "As the current domestic telecast rights holder for the BCCI, we have the first right to the board's new domestic property."
The advertising industry was happy. "The player pool will expand and more opportunities will be available to more cricketers. With localised teams playing, it can throw up local stars," McCann Erickson India's Prasoon Joshi said. Each team must have at least four local players and not more than three foreign players.
The rest of the squad of 16 will be non-local Indians. Four players must be under 21. Each IPL team plays seven home games and seven away.
The 56 league games are followed by two semi-finals and the final.
The Champion's League divides teams into two groups of four. The 12 group matches are followed by the semi-finals and the final. Sunil Gavaskar, whose son Rohan has joined the ICL, will be in the IPL's governing council with fellow ex-skippers Ravi Shastri and M.A.K. Pataudi.
ICL head Kapil Dev was reluctant to comment. "I don't want to say much," he said.
Modi, who had a lot to say, slipped up once, requesting board chief Sharad Pawar to unveil the logo of the "Indian Cricket League". He quickly realised the mistake, smiled and sat down.

No Twenty20: Zimbabwe take it all from Australia

An outraged Ricky Ponting blasted his team after Australia were stunned by Zimbabwe in their opening match of the Twenty20 World Cup on Wednesday.
The skipper held nothing back in his summation of the shock five-wicket loss, even heaping plenty of the blame on himself as Australia's top order failed miserably in Cape Town.
After restricting Australia to 9-138 from their 20 overs, Zimbabwe - needing 12 runs from the final over - claimed an amazing victory when they scored four leg byes from the penultimate delivery.
Opener Brendon Taylor was the star for the Africans, picking up the man-of-the-match award after a superb 60 not out. Zimbabwe celebrated as if they had won the World Cup, rushing onto the field in jubilation before doing a lap of honour while Australia licked their wounds in the dressing room.
The humiliating defeat leaves the one-day world champions in danger of crashing out of the tournament at the first hurdle, with their only hope of advancing past the group stage and into the Super Eights lying with a victory over England on Friday.
Asked if he felt embarrassed by the loss, Ponting forthrightly replied: "Yeah of course, and we should. We rightly should. "There might be a lot of Australians back home who feel the same way as well. "It's not been that often that I've walked off the cricket field feeling that way, but I think if you went into our rooms and asked every other player in there they'll say the same thing.'' Ponting admitted his team was outplayed and needed to show more respect for the game.
"It is a mental thing for us, we have to start respecting the game a bit more and thinking what we have to do,'' he said. "We have been outplayed today no doubt about that.''
While they did have two warm-up games at the weekend, the match was Australia's first international fixture since winning the World Cup in April, and the rustiness of that four-month break showed.
Ponting, who told his side after the match "if that's not a wake up call to all of us, then nothing ever will be'', was particularly scathing of the top order. After winning the toss and batting, Australia were 3-19 in just the fourth over after Matthew Hayden (4), Adam Gilchrist (4) and Ponting (8) all fell cheaply. "If we look at the way that we played, our batting at the top just wasn't good enough,'' Ponting said.
"No doubt today, being 3-19, that's probably where the game was lost. "So particularly the top three batters have got to have a bit more respect for their own games and make sure they get some more time in the middle and some more runs.''
Brad Hodge (35 not out off 22) and Andrew Symonds (33 from 25) ensured Australia set a competitive target. But they were well held by a disciplined Zimbabwe bowling attack - led by Elton Chigumbura (3-20) and Gary Brent (2-19) - which in turn was well backed by some at-times brilliant fielding.
That discipline seeped through to the run chase, with Taylor keeping a steady hand despite the disruption of a 30-minute rain delay in the 12th over. Needing 12 from the final over, Taylor hit Bracken for four from the first ball before whittling the equation down to four runs from two balls.
Bracken fired his penultimate delivery at Taylor's legs, with the ball flicking the pad and racing to the fine-leg boundary - just evading the fingertips of a diving Stuart Clark.

When India Dar (Aleem) gaya at Lord’s !

By John Cheeran
India lost the one-day series in England, but no one is perturbed. Rahul Dravid’s men fought hard indeed to make the seventh match at Lord’s meaningful. But Pakistani (yes, I’m not forgetting the fact he should be seen as ICC’s choice) umpire Aleem Dar’s two rotten decisions against Dravid and Sachin Tendulkar (both off the bowling of Andrew Flintoff) made it a no contest.
India lost the one-day series 3-4 and the pulsating run chase that culminated in a thrilling win in the penultimate match at the Brit Oval washed off many of their sins – including patchy bowling and atrocious fielding.
India should thank Sachin Tendulkar for the series of splendid scores he has logged at this age and stage of his career. India should also be proud of youngsters such as Robin Uthappa who converted a crisis situation into an opportunity to establish himself as a pro. It was the first match for Uthappa after the Sri Lanka encounter in the West Indies during the World Cup.
The match at the Brit Oval was one of the most dramatic ones in recent times. India had lost all hopes of winning the match once England tail ender Dimitri Mascarenhas smashed all the six balls off Yuvraj Singh, who bowled the last (50) over of the England innings.
It was another of captain Dravid’s decisions that came under fire. When you are forced to carry a bowler such as Ajit Agarkar as your opening bowler, any captain may get exasperated. And a hitter such as Dimitri will exploit the chances that come his way.
And for Aleem Dar, he is not the first umpire to give rotten decisions. It is time the International Cricket Council got its act together to root out the kind of subjectivity on umpire’s part that ruins the game.
Clearly, the way out is to give more powers to the third umpire and rely on the advantages of television replays. There is no doubt that such a move will make the on field umpires mere scarecrows.
But if it adds to quality of cricket, so be it.

Ganguly's grit tells a story

By John Cheeran
Having heaped scorn Sourav Ganguly, I should recognize and admire his gritty efforts with the Indian cricket team on his comeback trail.
A set of factors paved the way for Ganguly’s comeback. I will not discuss those now. What’s important is that Ganguly, when faced with challenging situations has performed for the team, overcoming his limitations. With huge slice of luck and an equal dose of pluck Ganguly has come up a string of half-centuries and that last one was at Leeds against England in the one-day series.
I must grant that Ganguly has a sense of occasion. Playing in his 300th ODI, Ganguly scored runs (59) and took two wickets that helped India beat England by 38 runs to cut their rivals lead to 3-2.
Let me quote India’s leader Rahul Dravid on Ganguly. “ Playing 300 matches is not as important as performance. He has performed for more than a decade – that is really a big thing.”
Anyway, you have been picked to perform only.
In Ganguly’s case, in the past, many had overlooked that aspect and had treated him as a talisman. Tragedy was that Ganguly himself believed in that fiction.It gladdens me and the rest of the Indian cricket fans that Ganguly has seen the light, or to be more precise, the twilight.
But it also saddens me that Ganguly has not improved an inch from an embarrassing fielder. One cannot overlook that Ganguly dropped Ian Bell in the slips off the first ball the English batsman faced at Leeds.
That’s a measure of the commitment and attitude of an average Indian cricketer.

Zee's Indian Cricket League (ICL): It's all about dollars!

By John Cheeran
What is the Indian Cricket League, floated by the Zee Group, is all about?
Is it about strengthening the Indian cricket? Or is it a long-term business venture to win telecast advertising?
No doubt there is excitement in the air. I become cagey when Kapil Dev talks about values and strengthening the Indian cricket. Kapil is after for a bigger slice of the money cake in the Indian cricket. He could not realize his grand designs with in the BCCI, whether it is Ranbir Singh Mahendra or Sharad Pawar.
Let me tell you, all these worthies including Zee’s Subash Chandra, and our illustrious veterans such as Kapil, Sandeep Patil, Bawinder Singh Sandhu and Kiran More are chasing dollars. And they are free to do that. Just as you and me are chasing dollars.
The only point is that you cannot expect to cry over and win the game. You cannot expect the Board of Cricket in Control for India to make things easier for the ICL. The BCCI will, and they have the right, fight to protect their turf. For them things are easy since the nature of cricket is such that it arouses patriotism in its followers more than the boundaries of scoreboard.
Organised sport is half reality, and half fantasy. That’s why the BCCI when questioned with another moral crisis of sorts told the Indian supreme court a few years ago that they are selecting not the Indian team but only the BCCI team. At that stage, unfortunately, India’s sport editors, hollow men all of them, looked elsewhere.
Do you have any stake in the BCCI? I don’t have. Do you have any stake Indian cricket team? I do have, and therefore I watch Rahul Dravid and company. Not because they are Jagmohan Dalmiya’s boys are Pawar’s henchmen.
Can anyone challenge the rights of the BCCI to run the cricket in India? Can Subash Chandra do it? The ICC will deal with the BCCI only. Malcolm Speed has made that explicit. And in a year’s time Sharad Pawar will be the ICC supreme. I cannot see the ICC offering a helping hand to the ICL. And without the veneer of nationalism, none is going to watch the Indian Cricket League. As it is there is hardly any free day without official cricket. Subash Chandra will have to wait a long time. No doubt, Chandra is a canny tycoon. He has the resources to play a Test match in this battle of Twenty20s. The ICL will be in limbo despite the odd international has beens such as Brian Lara, Damien Martyn and assorted Pakistani cricketers.
For the ICL to take off, Chandra has to shake up the ICC. To conquer the ICC, the easiest route is to conquer the BCCI. Well, all said and done, the BCCI holds annual elections, and Subash Chandra can contest the elections. For that he has to become the candidate of any affiliated unit. May be Dalmiya could help him. But even Dalmiya is searching for a foothold in the Cricket Association of Bengal.
One thing is sure. ICL’s emergence will force the BCCI to shed its flab. One should not fear competition, on the field and off the field. But floating parallel bodies with a heap of currency notes is not the way to boost Indian cricket.
Everyone is busy comparing the Zee’s ICL to Kerry Packer’s World Series. But what those pundits in their hurry are forgetting to point out is that Packer dismantled his circus tent soon he reached an agreement on telecast rights with the Australian Cricket Board.
Tell me how long did Packer series last? Where is the Packer Series now?Much in the same fashion, the ICL too shall pass. Pawars may come and go, but the BCCI and the ICC and so-called official cricket will go on and on. Till India discovers its Maradonas and Peles.

Chak De Dravid: Thicken the One-day plot by winning at Headingley

By John Cheeran
After living through the harrowing experience of a botched World Cup campaign, this Indian team, led by Rahul Dravid, should be able to take abuse and adulation with a touch of indifference. I do not presume they would be an enervated lot as they step on to the field at Headingley for the fifth one-dayer against England.
The point is that Paul Collingwood’s England enjoy a huge lead of 3-1. India must win the remaining three games to clinch the seven-match one-day series.
Again, those who are watching the Indian team are naturally losing patience, especially after Indians let go the Manchester match out of their hands after holding England by the scruff of their neck.
India have been good in parts like the curate’s egg during the one-day series. Sachin Tendulkar and skipper Rahul Dravid have been among the runs; Piyush Chawla has found his rhythm. But India’s fielding has been slack at its best. Where is fielding coach Robin Singh hiding? Indians were not able to convert their dominance into victory in the last two matches. And I must say that Dinesh Karthick’s, whom I consider India’s best batting bet for the future, failure with the bat cost India the last two matches.
Indian bowling tends to be licentious once again, giving away runs when the batsmen should be exposed and sent back to the pavilion.
And look at in wonder the refreshing approach the young Stuart Broad carries on his shoulders. Four wickets and a 40-odd run effort from this youngster upended the match in England’s favour.
Where are India’s Stuart Broads and Ravi Boparas?
Have they all gone to Subash Chandra’s Indian Cricket League?
It’s time the BCCI and Dilip Vengsarkar came up with a nice rehabilitation package for Ajit Agarkar, the veteran of three World Cups, so that India can plug the gaping chinks in their bowling armour and start winning a few more One-dayers. It is important to have patience with the tried ones, but it is also important to test some – guys such as Robin Uthappa and Ranadeb Bose deserve a chance in these one-dayers.
Aren’t they in the one-day squad?

NP Pradeep: From pauper to Prince of Indian football

By P I Rajeev / Indian Express
KOCHI, AUGUST 30: A bit dazed by all the back-thumping and adulation ever since he landed at the airport here this morning from New Delhi, Naduparambil Pappachen Pradeep is still to come to terms with his overnight stardom in this soccer-crazy state.
It’s been a long journey for Indian soccer’s best defender in recent years, whose one blistering long ranger fetched India the Nehru Cup last night: from a frail school kid who learnt to go without food on occasions when his labourer-parents could find no work, to the tearful 16-year-old who nearly abandoned his soccer dreams because he didn’t have the money to buy a pair of football shoes.
Even his passport application fee had to be paid for by his village football club in Thodupuzha before he put on the India Under-19 colours in 2001. And this ex-captain of India’s under-23 team lives in an unfinished little hut that he had begun constructing with the Rs 28,000 that the local Moolamattom panchayat had given him.
“It was tough, very tough. I really had to struggle to remain with football until the State Bank of Travancore team took me in,” said Pradeep, who now plays for Mahindra United.
“Football is what the poor play, the rich have cricket, and the difference shows” says I M Vijayan, former Indian soccer ace who himself had come up from as poor a background.
Pradeep had played with him for Kerala once in the National Football Championship, before Vijayan retired.
“Take my word, this boy is a great player, a total footballer, probably the best among the country’s younger crop. There aren’t many who can shoot as good as him with both the left and the right,” says Vijayan.
Ironically, Pradeep could not make it to even his college football team while he did his pre-degree at the Kerala Varma College in Thrissur, where Vijayan was his senior. “I dithered. I wasn’t sure if I could really afford to get into football then,” says Pradeep. But things changed after someone spotted the youngster at a youth camp that the Kerala Football Association held in Thodupuzha, and his friends pitched in to help.
As he prepares to fly off to Mumbai tomorrow to join his team, Pradeep has only one regret — that his father, who toiled hard in the village farms to let him chase his dream, is not around.
He died a week before Pradeep was asked to join the national squad’s conditioning camp for the Nehru Cup.
Pradeep says he dedicated his goal last night to his father.

For the record: India beat Syria to win Nehru Cup (football)

NEW DELHI, August 29, 2007
Hosts India won the five-nation Nehru Cup football tournament with a 1-0 victory over favourites Syria in the final here on Wednesday.
Pappachan Pradeep scored the winner a minute before half-time with a powerful right-footer from the top of the box that caught a diving Syrian goalkeeper Musab Balhous on the wrong foot.
Some 10,000 home fans at the overflowing Ambedkar stadium cheered loudly when the final whistle blew to signal a rare moment of triumph for Indian football.
It was the first defeat in the tournament for Syria, ranked 122 in the world against India's 151, after they had won all four round-robin matches.
"The boys deserved to win because they worked very hard for the tournament," said India's English coach Bob Houghton.
"The atmosphere in the team is excellent and we just loved the support we got from the crowd. It's a great night for Indian football."
Cambodia, Kyrgyzstan and Bangladesh were the other teams in the tournament.