There is much said, written, discussed
and deliberated over the Indian Prosperous... ahem...Premiere League (IPL)
which is in its 5th consecutive season this year. It has been popularly branded
as the marriage of Bollywood and Cricket- 2 staples of the Indian psyche, It
has also been referred to as the ultimate (obnoxious) tamasha or the in your
face bazaar where everything is for sale! However, for all the adjectives and
more… I am willing to put on record why- at the end of the day (post 8 pm
mostly!)- it is a far healthier spectacle to get addicted to then most of the
other avenues around.
1) “I am watching a match honey/mom”:- It
is- after all- a sport and hence makes for a guiltless and harmless addiction
for all those(guys) watching! On any day, one is subjected to much less flack
from the elders(read women) when watching a sport of any kind as apposed to any
other program on the tube!
2) Healthy Imitation:- Anything on TV or
films is definitely influential. As such what would you rather be influenced
by- Sportsmen or Actors? What would you rather have the mind think about- a
cricket match or facebook? Most people on watching the game feel like playing
it- kids and elders. If not directly then through the talk-a-thons which-
thanks to IPL- are now dominated by Sachin Vs Ganguly rather than anything from
the latest video game to buy, family gossip, facebook profiles or any such
other forms of occupation post sunset.
3) Perfect Unwind:- After a days work
(hard or otherwise), there is no better way to unwind then watch a couple of
hours of the game. It is a billion times better than the cacophony created by
the Breaking News fanatics on any news channel!
4) Peace @ the Bar:- There is a very large
drinking community that would otherwise get drunk, argue and create
considerable violence every night over 'emotional' issues. The IPL maintains
peace amongst this community as they now drink happily while either cheering
their team or by simply enjoying a match with familiar faces and most times
have nothing to get disheartened as they have someone to cheer for in either
sides!
5) Convenient:- Unlike other sports like
soccer or wrestling that go on round the year, it is so much more convenient to
follow the IPL. Firstly, it is at a time when none of us have to set alarms or
keep ourselves awake past midnight. Secondly, there is no homework to do or
tongue twisting names to remember. Most of the players are known to us and the
sport is what we grew up on along with sweat and dust and of course the angry
neighbors' screams!
6) The Noise:- We have forever been proud of
the noise we make. It is always directly proportional to our happiness quotient
and the IPL keeps the decibels high and rising. From the call of the Bugle horn
to the beats of the DJ, there is everything there which keeps our Indian blood
pumping through clogged arteries and accumulated trans fat!
7) The Women:- Those men that were otherwise buried in their newspapers in the evenings or at the society office downstairs
or even worse were never home for dinner despite free from work are now home
for the match. They now, sit with their wives and watch the game- even if in
between the commercial breaks of the serials that their wives watch and CANNOT
miss! Some even successfully pretend to listen as their wives rant about their
day, while they watch the match on mute!
8) Vacation:- While the elders squabble and
reason over the IPL and call it names to justify their intelligence, can you
imagine the thrill the IPL must get to the kids who have just got liberated
from studies on account of summer vacations? What did we do after bad light or
a lost ball abandoned the play for the day? Cant remember! Imagine having an
IPL to go back to after the daily game of cricket and even better- imagine
having the IPL with no place to play that daily game of cricket!
As such, with the above few reasons and
some more that i may have missed- (for i have not even mentioned the benefits the players are getting from it- monetary, exposure, conditioning etc.). I believe this spectacle- or whatever else it
might be- is here to stay... just as the malls and fast food chains!!!!
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