Mediocre Perspectives

The Greatest Match of all Time: I have to make a confession here. Close to a decade ago, Federer and Nadal met in 2008 Wimbledon final. Critics expected a classic but few would have declared that it would go down as possibly the greatest tennis match played in the Open Era. Being a fanatic of Federer's game I ought to have watched the complete match. Federer had lost the first two sets when he was leading 5-4 in the third, the match was suspended due to a rain delay. I did not know what came over me or maybe it was already late to bed or maybe I had an exam the next day (you know about the Indian schooling system). I draped the bedsheet over me and turned off the lights pretty convinced from the way the game had progressed that the match will be over soon. I was shocked to see the front page of ' The Hindu'  next morning. I vividly remember the picture, of Federer and Nadal with the title 'Grasscourt Gladiators'. The newspaper said that the match was into the f...

When Jallikattu was banned in 2014 there was a temporary furor in the State of Tamil Nadu. Two years hence few would have thought that widespread protests would engulf the State. In defiance of the SC orders, there were at least 30 isolated incidents of Jallikattu. In Alanganallur and Paalamedu predominant places where Jallikattu is organized saw protests close to a day with youth thronging from every corner of the State in spite of attempts by the police to block important routes. Keeping the flame alive: These incidents present an opportunity for introspection and analysis to understand and address fundamental issues which led to the ban in the first place.  The battle must be shifted from on-field protests and social media to discussion rooms and the court where the Supreme Court ban could be effectively challenged. The fundamental reason for the SC banning the rural sport was on the ground of ‘cruelty to animals’ empowered by the provisions of the legislation Prevention...

New Year’s Eve in Bengaluru proved to be a nightmare for women who were out in the streets. The event termed as ‘mass molestation’ involved reports of men groping and assaulting women in large numbers. Following this, the usual series of chapters which follow such horrendous events played out. Few politicians blamed women for being in the ‘wrong place and time’. As expected, ‘western culture’ was blamed as the reason why such incidents happen. Newspaper editorials blossomed with administrative suggestions to tackle such ‘incidents’ if they happen in future. You would broadly find the recommendations under four major heads: gender-sensitive education, effective changes in police administration, dedicated courts for handling cases against women for speedy disposal, call for legislations with stringent punishments. The above-mentioned measures are indispensable if we are to progress socially but they miss something fundamentally important. The incident highlights that there is a...

A few days ago the BCCI was put in its place by the Supreme Court of India. Though the organization has a definite working structure without which the strong Indian cricket team of today could not have been built there were specific flaws which brought about its downfall. It refused to implement the recommendations of the Lodha Committee which was an attempt to bring about accountability and transparency in the functioning of the board. Issues like opaque functioning, allegations of unethical practices, instances of conflict of interest brought the organization down to its knees. It would be difficult to predict the future of the organization but it was the BCCI’s unwillingness to change according to the demands of the civil society that resulted in the judiciary intervening in the organization. But it is disturbing not to think about the level of hypocrisy involved in the case. Last year, the Parliament legislated for the formation of a National Judicial Appointments Council (NJ...