World Cup toh aa gaya, par tu ne kya kiya?

World Cup toh aa gaya, par tu ne kuch kiya?


The Big Q of April 2011. Hallo ji, The Warld cup may come to THE India , par aap ne bhi kuch kiya?
For sure. Every one is doing something, real , imaginary, corny, funny. Or if they hadn’t already, now. A week of wearing blue, thanxgiving prayers, even naming babies dhoni—well, sounds better than vishva kap anyday.
When my sister, a self-styled lucky mascot doesn’t take a call even if it is from nature till break time, or makes my b-i-l wait on her hand and foot, claiming a wicket will fall if she gets up , I think its cute. When my senior citizen friend shies away from watching the match till the very end (but takes guilty furtive and VERY frequent glimpses throughout) coz she believes her watching will make India loose, I think that is magnanimous of her. When Amir Khan who must have a zillion tees, wears the same lucky one for semis and finals, I say, that’s the spirit!
When BCCI announces I crore to each, I think its very fair that they should share some of that ad revenue they rake in. And when Hyundai offers sleek numbers to the players, I think cool! Then I read Mamta offering life time free first A/c berths I think, chalo, light leh loh --Dhoni aur Sakshi train meh kub jaana? (now if Mallya were to offer free lifetime rides on king fisher, I’d say uber cool—but that’s not public money you see, and cannot be bequeathed so easily). When I read that Karnataka government is offering 4000 SFT of government land to each player I frown at projects that will be stalled,people who will be deprived and I think man, this is really not done. Then other governments follow suit and announce freebies chappar phad ke, blowing tax payers money I think they are pushing it .
And this morning I read that saddi dilli government waives off taxes for cricketers , because they have “done India proud” , I think the country has completely lost it. So tax waiver is a reward and payment punishment, is what they are implying? Do the cricketers with their assets need these waivers and subsidies? Isn't it the honest tax payer and ticket buyer who does India proud, rather than the priyankas , the hasan ali’s and all those evaders? Maybe Mayawati will now give them the Taj Mahal? Orissa their beaches? Whatever happened to a basic commonsense premise -you cannot give away what is not yours? Or do I not love my country or my cricket enough to think like this? Am I just plain spoil sport? Please tell me I am not alone in feeling outraged!
Dhoni , can you find it in you to lead Team India again to say a polite thanx but no thanx to all the freebies with government land and tax payers money, donate it to development projects in that state-call it World Cup 2011 Bridge/slum relocation/night shelter/school for street children. make each project give a progress report to Team India ensuring timely and corruption free completion and commission? You already have won our hearts, now our minds and souls will be yours too.