THE INDEPENDENCE DAY FOR INDIAN CRICKET

It was great to see Mr. Sharad Pawar win the elections for the post of the President of the Board of Cricket Control of India thereby putting to an end the Colonial rule of Mr. Jagmohan Dalmiya and winning freedom to Indian Cricket.

This is not to undermine the achievements and contributions of Mr. Jagmohan Dalmiya to Indian Cricket. He has definitely done a lot to the cause of Indian Cricket and Asian Cricket making it a power to reckon in the World map of Cricket culminating in his becoming the Chairman of the International Cricket Council (ICC).

But as we call it in Economic terms that anything beyond certain levels result in diminishing marginal utility, the same was the case with the administration of Mr. Dalmiya too. Power is healthy only so long as it helps you in being a good leader. Beyond a certain level Power becomes unhealthy when it makes you an autocratic leader. History has it that autocratic leaders have never survived for long and never contributed to the success of their empires. It was no different with Mr. Dalmiya when he tried to become the Sole Proprietor of Indian Cricket.

As a cricketer of yesteryears had rightly put it, one must retire when everybody asks ‘Why’ and not ‘Why not’. Mr. Jagmohan Dalmiya would have been regarded in high esteem if he had chosen to retire after his tenure as Chairman of the ICC. The President of BCCI is an honorary post meant for people with a passion to serve the cause of Indian Cricket which Mr. Dalmiya did perform splendidly for quite some time. But when the passion to serve transforms into passion to own, that is when the diminishing marginal utility sets in.

Finally Mr. Jagmohan Dalmiya definitely deserves a special honour for the great and long service he has rendered in the Promotion of Indian and Asian Cricket, but at the same time I am sure he would appreciate the “Retirement” as a concept also has a lot of relevance in the life of every human being.

MAKE RURAL INDIA AS BACK OFFICE OF URBAN INDIA

This idea was conceived by none other than the Mr. Sam Pitroda, the author of Telecom Revolution in India. The whole idea is that when urban India could benefit so vastly in terms of economic and infrastructure development by becoming a back-office to the world economy on account of cheaper labour and infrastructure costs, why not try and make rural India as the Back-office of Urban India for the same reasons.

I was very impressed by this idea the moment I read it in “The Business Line” which to me had much wider ramifications than would be highlighted by mere economics a few of which is cited below.

· This would go a long way in stalling the increasing social and economic gap between urban and rural India.

· This would be of immense help to stem the growth of Terrorists and Terrorism in our country, the seeds of which is mainly sown in the Rural India on the fertile soils of Unemployment and Underemployment in Agriculture sector.

· Alternative sources of employment in rural India would not only take the pressure out of the Agriculture sector, but by making them socially and economically more at par with Urban India, the Rural India would be led to believe that the country cares for them and they are very much a part of mainstream economy. As of now there is definitely a feeling that the Government reaches out to the Rural community only during elections, otherwise the country, the economy and its policies is limited to the benefit of urban India.

Jammu and Kashmir is a typical example where the total lack of promotion of economy has led the people in the state to believe, that they are not treated at par with Indian citizens of other states in India resulting in people taking to terrorism first and then terrorism taking over the people.

· Another major advantage of this idea is that lesser dependence in Agriculture would mean more per capita income from Agriculture which would in turn lead to scientific improvisation in Agriculture practices resulting in improvement in quantity as well as quality thereby more income. So a healthy cycle would be set in motion which would not only improve the Rural economy but would ultimately result in making the large Agriculture sector (in terms of cultivated area) a Science and a Profession rather than just a means of subsistence as it is right now.

All these can be made a reality not by the Government of India but only by the India Inc. and why not since they are going to be the biggest beneficiaries out of this idea too. So let us see whether India Inc. behaves like a child who agrees to drink milk and eat fruits only for an incentive or does it act on its own understanding its long term benefits.