Burning Train or Burning India?

The desecration of the statue of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, Messiah of the downtrodden (Dalits), triggered an unprecedented outrage in India. Dalits went on a rampage in many states, particularly in Maharashtra, state of the commercial capital of India, Mumbai. Violent protests brought the normal life in several parts of the country to a standstill.

Public properties worth millions of rupees were destroyed. Ironically, the police and the state administrators remained mute spectators because of the compulsion of vote bank politics. When the Deccan Queen train was gutted, there was hardly any security arrangements to counter the mob.

Worst, when police arrested the culprit who damaged the statue, it was discovered that the youth himself belonged to the Dalit community. However, people are not willing to believe that the actually culprit was arrested. There are several broken links and contradictory statements made by the police officials, which make us to believe that there is something they want to hide.

The conspiracy angle cannot be ruled out keeping in mind the upcoming polls in the politically important state, Uttar Pradesh where the incident actually took place. Some sources also pointed out towards the underworld's role in the violence that occurred in Maharashtra. Whatever may be the truth, it seems that the democratic system of the country is always taken for granted by a fistful people who have the patronage of their political bosses.

Indian Cricket: Battered, Shattered and Bruised !!!

The humiliating defeat at Durban gave a massive jolt to India's World Cup preparations. India's formidable batting line-up crumbled like a pack of cards before the South African pace battery. The sound of India's crushing defeat was echoed in the Indian Parliament where members across party line expressed grave concern over Indian cricketers' declined performance. It seems that Indian cricket is heading towards a premature death under the leadership of Greg Chappell and Dravid. The Indian "tigers" are answerable to the billions of this country who gave them the status of god.

(Photo: Getty Images)

Indian cricketers were never comfortable against a genuine pace attack on bouncy pitches. However, yesterday's performance only showed their lack of confidence and inability to learn from the past mistakes. If things continue to run this way, Indian cricket will meet the fate of hockey, which has almost become a dead game in the country despite bringing glory to the country for several decades. If performance is the key, then what players like Sehwag and Raina are doing there? It's time for the selectors and BCCI officials to take lessons from Lara who single-handedly converted an inexperienced team to a powerful force to be reckoned with.

Arrogant Aussies

There is little doubt that Australia is the Champion of world cricket and no country can challenge its supremacy. However, the Australians are not at their best when it comes to politeness and humility. Success and fame made the Australian cricketers arrogant and rude, which is clearly visible from the incident occurred during the prize distribution ceremony of the ICC Champions Trophy final.

In a shocking gesture, Australian captain Ricky Ponting waved his fingers at BCCI president Sharad Pawar, asking him to come to him and hand over the winner's trophy. Pawar gave a smile and asked Ponting to come forward to receive the trophy, which is customary. The issue did not end there. After receiving the trophy, Ponting and his teammates pushed Pawar out of the stage, which sent a shockwave across the cricketing world.

Now the question is whether the action was accidental or deliberate. Even if the insult and disrespect shown to Pawar are not intentional, the Australians cannot be forgiven. They should immediately apologize to Pawar and more importantly to their fans, who celebrated with crackers and drum beating at Australian victory. However, it is most likely that the Australians deliberately insulted Pawar to avenge the removal of Darrel Hair from the Umpires' elite panel. Cricketers including Anshuman Gaekword, Kiran More and Sachin Tendulkar have condemned the rude behavior of the Australian cricketers in hard terms. Now it's time for the BCCI to fight for its dignity and take the matter with the ICC and Cricket Australia. The haughty Australians must be brought down to earth. Otherwise, there will be no let up in such incidents.