The strange case of the cold, demand for justice and cricket

 

My train to Delhi was delayed by eleven hours. I had checked the status of the train on the web where it did say that the train had been delayed, but for some reason the tele-service mechanically proclaimed that the train was on time. This was a very real dilemma of who to believe and the kind of loss that would result from choosing one from the other. Finally I did go to the station with my luggage and lunch, and came back to have that lunch at the dining table. This gave me an opportunity to watch,later that evening, Sunil Gavaskar and Imran Khan - former captains of their national cricket teams - discuss that day's one-day-cricket match in Eden Gardens which India lost.

Sunil Gavaskar made some pertinent observations about the Indian cricket team. He said that the IPL is destroying cricket in general, which Imran Khan agreed to. Indian cricketers are choosing self before the nation in opting to play for the IPL. He explained that test cricket was the foundation for all forms of cricket and a cricketer who did well in test cricket would do well in the shorter forms of the game but this was not true in the reverse case.

Test cricket is a long dawn out affair; some of the qualities that a test cricketer builds from this game and needs to excel in this game are temperament, skill, perseverance, patience. I am sure he would agree that the game also needs the players to build and have stamina, concentration, unflagging team spirit and self motivation besides other things which a non-sportsman like me may not be aware of. What Sunil Gavaskar was indicating is that test cricket is the foundry which toughens the cricketers, enabling them to deal with other forms of the game. By cricketers and cricket management choosing to opt for the shorter and more lucrative forms of the game these sportsmen and administrators are building a team which is hollow in every aspect of the game as they havent gone through the winepress that builds and hones the skills and qualities of a good cricketer.

This philosophy as explained by Sunil Gavaskar can also be used in dealing with the current social problems facing our country. Take for example the case of the outcry for justice for rape victims post the brutal gangrape of a young women in a moving bus on the 16^th of December and her subsequent death. After the youth took to the streets with their demands for justice, stricter punishment which ranged from chemical castration to hanging others – from politicians to film stars followed suit. Jaya Bachan shed tears and the lawyers of Delhi declared that they would not represent the accused.

These demands and gestures are all forms of the IPL mindset that beset Indian cricket which have now come to roost within our society. Why do you think rape cases take so long in court? One reason is that lawyers themselves ask the court for adjournments. Lawyers in our country think of the legal process not as a way to get justice but as a method to ensure that the case does not come to trial and thereby allowing the accused to continue living within society.

What exactly was Jaya Bachan shedding tears about? The way women are treated in tinsel town – ala casting couch or the manner of their depiction in movies through vulgar item songs, lurid lyrics and scripts and the clothes worn?

Why is there a hue and cry by society and youth about police and government insensitivity? Dont these very people complain when they are stopped for minor misdemeanour’s? Dont they jump the line on occasion by asking for favours from powerful contacts? Why do they try to bribe their way through police sanction when they are caught transgressing – traffic rules for example? How do they tolerate young children working in homes of their own families or in families of their peers?

It is easy to paint ourselves out of a picture and put the blame on others. What is happening today to women is not something new. We need to ask some basic questions - why do mothers, and inlaws try to kill her as a foetus, why is she not allowed into religious places? And where are we in this picture? Rape is another form of brutality that the female sex has to endure in Indian society.

The point is that this is another instance of missing the forest for the trees. These demands are for quick solutions that do not question the systemic problems faced by women and our role in perpetuating them and our responsibility of preventing them.

This is much like another debate that is doing the rounds of some news channels – that of the cold and homeless. TV channels display shock and anger as poor outstation patients live on the streets of Delhi in the biting cold as they wait for appointments at India's best and largest hospital. The basic question that they repeatedly ask is why isnt the government and the hospital constructing more shelters? Another pointless question which is trumpeted is 'isnt the government shocked'? These half-baked questions do not resolve the problem and only depict the channel as being concerned.

The point is why do patients have to come to Delhi to be treated? Why are private hospitals not following the court's orders to provide beds and treat the poor? It is not enough to ask the government what they are doing, one should also question why government plans and schemes and court orders are not followed.

It is not enough to demand stronger laws and harsher punishments to stop rapes, nor will problems of the sick coming for treatment be solved by building shelters. What Sunil Gavaskar said about cricket has a lot of substance in the current issues faced by our society. We need to build a temperament that respects laws and each other. We as individuals and society need the skill and patience to prevent crimes from occurring and we need the perseverance to use our institutions in a manner that makes them work and deliver.

Seeking quick fix solutions will not solve the problem as they do not question our role in perpetuating a problem and our responsibility in fixing it. It is not without reason that 'be the change you want to see' and 'Ask not what your country can do for you - ask what you can do for your country' were words spoken by two people who are beacons for freedom and democracy.

 Tehelka Daily

A

Message aboard the Metro

  More by the author > November 28, 2012

 
THE DELHI Metro is a marvel of technology, no doubt about that. However, for a psychologist or a student of psychology, the Delhi Metro is an inveigling conundrum. How has it been to keep people from littering and spitting inside its premises while they do so outside, is a big mystery.
I take my visiting friends for a ride on the Metro to show them the two sides of the Delhites. Their response is always the same ‘it’s like travelling abroad’. There is order, there is cleanliness, there is an acknowledgement of duty of the self towards others and the common responsibility of each individual — things that are the glue of any society. Why then this surprise? Is it that we expect less from each other in some places and are surprised when we find that people have the ability to meet and surpass these expectations?

What has the Delhi Metro done to seemingly bring out the best in most of those travelling in it, in most instances? There are two things that the Delhi Metro does day in and day out — the first is that it provides a benchmark and the second is that it finds ways to ensure that the benchmark is maintained.
Take, for example, the case of cleanliness in the station and in the Metro compartments itself. There is someone constantly cleaning it — the floors, the walls, the stairs. This is a visual representation of the need for cleanliness. There are also the announcements in the train and in the station requesting travellers to maintain cleanliness. The audio messages reinforce the cleanliness aspect while pointing to the responsibility of the Metro users. There are also messages on the walls pointing to the monetary fines for dirtying the place.

The case of passengers asking their fellow travellers to get up from seats designated for women and elderly and in other instances getting up to give place to women and others is another aspect of travelling in the Metro. This form of altruism, if it can be called so, is a result of two things. The first is that seats are designated for certain individuals in a manner that all can understand it. The second is that there are audio announcements and other form of visuals which re-emphasise this. Thus, not only are passengers made aware of their responsibility, but also made to ackowledge when this responsibility is being shirked.

The question that needs to be asked is why don’t people follow what they have learned in the Metro in other spaces? There is no simple answer to this. Many would argue that this is a contained space that is quite unidimensional when compared to the outside world. Others would point out to the small population serviced by it as compared to what is happening outside it. However, these should not blind-side us to the manner in which the Metro has achieved what it has.

Take the case of responsibility. People learn about it by seeing others shoulder responsibility or by bearing the consequences of irresponsible behaviour. A child seeing a parent speaking on the phone whilst driving will learn to do the same. If the parent is stopped by the police and fined, it would teach the child a lesson — if not the parent. However, this does not happen and this habit is passed on to the child endangering himself and other road users.

The fact that police also break traffic and other laws with impunity serves to establish the idea that law has no value within society and therefore it is every person for themselves. Thus not only has responsibility to be assigned it is important that those delegating responsibility be seen as doing their bit too.
Another case is the overflowing bins on our streets. In the Lutyen’s part of Delhi, the bins are so clean that they can be eaten off. However, in other parts of the city one sees the result of apathy. As the garbage pile remains uncollected, its spread also increases. This is not because of the increase in garbage only. To avoid overwhelming their senses people begin throwing their garbage into the bin from greater distances thus spreading the garbage beyond the bin. Uncollected garbage becomes a disincentive for people to throw their garbage into the bin – which in turn leads to a greater sprawl of garbage.

If water is wasted in slums it is not because the residents don’t know the value of water, it is because the system for the maintenance of the tap lies decrepit. The apathy starts with those holding responsible positions not fulfilling their obligations. This antipathy then percolates down to the others.

IT IS human tendency not to take on responsibility where the benefits are either unknown or not accrued to the self. Thus there is need to teach citizens the value of responsibility. More importantly, it is vital that humans believe in the best in each other and the ability to meet and surpass expectations. Thus the Metro has been able to assign responsibility to people successfully and people accept this responsibility because they realise the benefits of shouldering it.

What the Metro teaches us is that people are capable to do more than what is expected off them. The first step to achieve this is to tell people what is expected of them by providing benchmarks. Then it is necessary to chart a way to meet these expectations with incentives and disincentives guiding them. And finally, and most importantly, those delegating responsibility should also be seen behaving responsibly.

Anna for PM

When Anna Hazare becomes P Minister,

One knows how he will deal with the public and the sinister;

With lashings and banning of all public musical score.

Tis the easiest way for India to transform into Singapore.

When Anna Hazare India lead's,

We will blame the others for all misdeeds.

Hunger will no longer be a national shame,

It will become corruption's bane.

All national ills will have an easy solution,

Cos Anna will pass a national resolution.

Everything be painted in a black monotone,

The others are guilty and shall not be condoned.

Anna says 'Will join politics if others desire',

A low turn out at Jantar Mantar – has it dimmed the fire?

Keeping a fast with nothing much to do,

Maybe it's time Anna and his ilk sang the blues.

Arvind Kejriwal is a - - - - - - - - - - -

Arvind Kejriwal is a 'thief',

Wanting others to turn into a new leaf.

Corruption, he says is a democratic disgrace,

With such noise he steals my mind space.

Does Kejriwal keep a promise?

Accepting cash and not cheques he was not averse.

For a hunger strike he does keep his word,

Has he returned that money he swore he would?

Kejriwal is a little 'coward'.

He has no problem with the violence of the word.

Hiding behind some aspects of Gandhism he is an expert.

From where he cast's aspersions and doubts on others for what it is worth.

Kejriwal is a 'misguided bloke',

With Anna and other 'brigands' a fire he tries to stoke.

Pointing fingers at others who he says are to blame,

Choosing to ignore he and his band are just the same.

We are a major missile power!

‘We are a major missile power',

Help! There is no water in the shower.

We are a rich country, on weapons we spend billions,

We grow food, but it doesn't reach our millions.

Our heroes are those who subvert the law,

But our moral accounting system has no flaw.

With enthusiasm and devotion to our god's we pray,

But it takes very little for us to stray.

'Recognise us' to the world we whine,

Building castles in the air is our national past time.

Religions and weapons keep us safe from harm,

But we ignore our participation in the rapacious swarm.

Problem

A problem rose, unhindered by a solution,

Mental calisthenics, now nobody’s bastard.

Was it concern for an unknown brother?

Cos, in this world who is the other?

What is said is what is believed and seen,

The question, not a form of protest?

There is a solution; maybe it’s with you,

No answer! Atleast a similar point of view?

What a luxury being a frog in a well,

A finger pointed out, ignore the other three.

Under the sun, big and small cast shadows,

Is there green? Has the land turned fallow?

Never taught to question but answer,

Now older, hear the coherent and logical hold stage.

From the pedestal, see the souls to harvest,

This war of world’s, it turns grotesque.

Me a capitalist!

Gandhi said 'be the change you wish to see',

That is for others but not for me.

I live in a big house with more than one loo,

But I aint going to say 'and so should you'.

I preach austerity that's what I do well,

I have an AC, washing machine; aint that swell?

I talk about equality, justice and opportunity lost,

The pay I give is lower than my laptop cost.

I talk about SEZ and acquisition of land,

A car manufactured in such a plot is my brand.

I think I live frugally and its for all to see,

I bought some land, I cant wait to be a retiree.

I zip across the world holding forth in foreign halls,

I make my money plotting capitalism's downfall.