I begin by putting forward a simple question to you. Which Indian state in the recent past has witnessed that maximum political agitation over the most trivial, divisive and inconsequential issues? You would not have to be a ‘paanchvi paas’ to reach the correct answer. It is Maharashtra of course. Trace the course of Maharashtra politics over the last few years and you would traverse such glorious and nationally relevant milestones such as digging up of the pitch to protest Pakistan’s cricket tour, renaming Bombay into Mumbai, agitation over disenfranchising of Bal Thackeray for vituperative writings, Mee Mumbaikar campaign, a lot of song and dance (pun intended) over the dance bars and the girls who perform there, the whole anti-North Indian protests on the road and now this fresh political initiative to curb the skin displays of cheerleaders at the IPL games. For a nation that revels in trivializing its political debates, Maharashtra sets the benchmark. You could scarcely imagine, following the course of the above events, that this is a state whose capital was sunk under water for two days a couple of years back, that the security of the sate capital is constantly under threat, that its farmlands are dry and farmers eating pesticides to end their lives as crops routinely fail and that its status as the prime industrial state of the nation in the last decade has now been taken over by Gujarat and Tamil Nadu. As Maharashtra has decayed and declined, so have its opportunist politicians. In a game characterizing the most crass form of competitive reactionary politics, the parties involved have routinely stirred up the pot and tried to grab media space through non-issues.

Perhaps Maharashtra’s problem stems from the multi-polarity of its political landscape and that, unlike the cow belt states in the north, its political parties have seen their dedicated vote banks being shaken over the past few years. The Shiv Sena has been on the far right of the political space for four decades, yet has not been able to establish itself as the most dominant party of the state simply because of its reactionary agenda, propensity of violence and inability to offer a mainstream developmental platform. The one time when Uddhav Thackeray tried to adopt a more centrist position, he found himself being jostled out of the far right by an even more reactionary and narrow minded cousin Raj. As both the Thackeray cubs (or pussy cats as we may call them more deservingly), fight for the same space, each shall try to outdo the other by engaging in similar tactics of targeting outsiders, minorities and anyone else whom they can paint as a devil for all the problems of Maharashtra.

What surprises one in all this is that in the recent past, it has been the NCP and the Congress who have been at the forefront of pursuing mindless and irrelevant. The Home Minister RR Patil went after the bar dancers with a missionary zeal and it is the NCP itself that has now assumed the BJP and RSS’s mantle of guardians of the Indian culture and protested against the IPL cheerleaders. And while one may grudgingly grant the Home Minister the leverage of his ideological and cultural affiliations, it is clear that the NCP is clearly trying to expand its space and be a milder version of what the Shiv Sena used to be. The idea of course is clear, push the Sena into a further corner and marginalize it more as it grapples with dipping popularity, a revived Raj Thackeray and a new leader who can’t replace the old and aging patriarch. The Congress instead of the occupying the Centre space and adopting a conciliatory position has backtracked, observed without any action, not made an effort to focus attention on more burning topics of the state and dilly dallied and prevaricated in its response to everything. In all the Congress position has been to bury its head in the sand and wait till the storm passes or plead helplessness in the face of a hostile opposition and alliance partner.

The central issue is not whether cheerleaders in skimpy costumes are an offence to Indian sensibilities or whether cricket has been trivialized by having them around (basketball and American football wasn’t and T20 would also not be). NCP and Congress leaders frequently occupy front rows in Bollywood functions where actors in skimpier outfits perform on the stage and those who have performed on the screen are honored with awards. The moot point is whether the costumes of a few young women looking to make some money by doing a perfectly legitimate activity in public space is a matter worth debating in our assemblies and parliament when the nation grapples with a rising inflation, an impending slowdown in the economy and an agricultural slump. Are IPL cheerleaders more important for our politicians than these pressing concerns and if yes, then is there something wrong in the way we elect them or have we simply failed to get the message across to them that all that they need to do is govern and make our lives simpler and not pretend to govern and find helpless scapegoats to exercise their supposed moral assertions on?

A decade ago, in the context of its industrial development, it was said what Maharashtra is today India should aim to be tomorrow. Today, India would serve itself well to show Maharashtra the light.

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So the IPL is up and running and whatever the critics may say (Mukul Kesavan wrote a scathing article lambasting the concept on Cricinfo last week), the tournament has been a hit. Attendances may not have been full (it was close to 85% in the first game at Mohali that I witnessed myself) but the television ratings have been high, despite Sony’s shoddy production values. Like DD in the past, Sony too does not believe in showing you the activity after the last ball of the over or the replay immediately after a wicket falls.

My only concern with the format thus far - the boundaries are pulled in a little too much turning even mishits into sixes and fours. IPL can avoid shortening the dimensions of the grounds simply to broaden the egos of the batsmen. The talented ones will clear the ropes anyways. My picks thus far – Warne (for the way he has lead an unfancied team), Ravindra Jadeja (for all that he brings to his team), McGrath (still as sharp), Dhoni (he ain’t no fluke as a captain), Rohit Sharma (for reaffirming his talent) and all the Aussies who have demonstrated that they do remain the ultimate professionals in the game. On current form and player strength Chennai, Delhi & Kolkata look set to reach the semis while Mohali/ Jaipur/ Deccan might battle for the last spot. Mumbai have been the biggest disappointment. Sachin’s injury and Bhajji’s slapping have made more news than their actual performances. At $110 mn they seem to be the most expensive failure of the tournament. After retail, another example of Reliance getting a business wrong? Chotte bhai Anil must be laughing away in some corner. Mukesh’s team won’t last this marathon for sure.

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