MY ISSUES WITH ANNA HAZARE AND HIS “FIGHT AGAINST CORRUPTION” BRIGADE

From Poonam Pandey to the so called watchdogs of Civil society, anyone who goes against the system gets celebrity status in India.

I though, as usual, have a different take on the issue of Fight against corruption. I have issue at two places with this so called “Movement”.  One is the Cause itself and the 2^nd is the method.  I would like to address the method first

AUTOCRATIC METHOD:  PROBLEM IS IN THE PROCESS BEING ADOPTED

India is an “Unnatural Country”. I have used words of Ramachandra Guha from his book "India after Gandhi". He along with many others have always believed that we are a union of many “countries”, each with its own language, culture, social fabric, etc. I know it is a cliché but I will use it. There is nothing in common of a person in Chennai with that of Srinagar. A man from Mumbai many times cannot even pronounce name of a person from Tripura properly. Very few people gave India a chance to survive. The basis show it shouldn’t have remained one. Yet 63 years and counting we are one country. We have shown the world true mean of another cliché “Unity in diversity”. Having said all that we have had our set of problems in keeping the country one.  Especially during the recent reorganisation of states crisis, we have seen people have taken regional stands which has threatened the sovereignty of India itself. Demands from Kashmiris and those from Chennai  are all well documented. Mumbai and Hyderabad have had their share of problems. Apart from the above we have fought almost 6 wars during this period.

Unlike our neighbours, Pakistan, we have done one thing right ensuring we are the biggest developing nation of the world.  We have kept our processes and our democracy intact. In fact I am sure most of you will agree that without democracy we wouldn’t have reached where we have. Yes we as a nation have made some mistakes in the past. But it is we who has done the same. Our leaders are elected by us every 5 years and we write our destiny. I am sure not many will argue the value “Democracy” has bought to us. Having said all that, if you read my previous blogs, I would be among the very few who actually don’t enjoy the decision of the masses. I am not fond of the choices this country makes. But then thats for some other day. We as a country, I am sure, are proud of our democracy.

The recent “Fight against corruption” movement is denting “Democracy” in its core and that is what I am not happy with. I will use three examples that I faced today

On the social networking site Facebook, I read this as status message from one of my friend, Atul Ravi. “Its incredible and so fascinating that Gandhian methods are still relevant. A man with no weapons has stood against high and mighty. Ladies and Gentleman please take a bow to the greatest man of our times-Anna Hazare Saheb”

Then I was forwarded a youtube link of a press release of the “Jan Lok Pal Bill” drafted and forwarded by so called who’s who of civil society. The link of the video is here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SoYiYes01MU&feature=share. This is a hate speech. Mr. Arvind Kejriwal very passionately, in the 1st minute of his speech says, PM and leader of opposition have vested interests in ensuring corruption is prevalent. If this is not denting the very pinnacle of democracy then what will be.

Then I also had my brother in law, Alok  who was debating with me on the issue and according to him 

“You say its like maoist movement except violence. Yes it is. So what is wrong? Do you support only one group of the freedom fighters between those who chose satyagrah like Gandhi or those like Bhagat Singh who decided to kill them before getting hanged? I support both. The question is, was it right as per the rulers of that time? The Britishers. No, obviously Gandhi was putting them on ransome so was Bhagat singh. Its just that it was easier for them to hand Bhagat Singhs and alike. Besides, in a blanket statement you have colored the whole maoist movement as something evil. Who are we to do that? do we even know what they are fighting for? If Kashmir becomes a free state tomorrow (which in all likely hood it will), aint the terrorist of today will become martyr tomorrow?”

Now just for ease of understanding for most of you, the 1^st statement is by Atul Ravi, a Kashmiri Pandit whose family had to abandon Kashmir in the 90s. Interestingly, both Atul and Alok who do not know each other have same view on Anna Sahab. However on Kashmir violence I am sure, Atul will have a lot to disagree with Alok. That is complexity of India.

To me both of them are wrong. Both Alok and Atul forget there is a major difference from when we were fighting the Britishers and today. The problem that Mr. Gandhi had in pre 1947 era was fate of India was decided by “House of Commons” in London where we had no representation. We were “RULED”.  The stand of our leaders especially the revolutionary types was understandable then. I have never been a fan of Fast unto deaths but then at that time you could at least justify them.

Today things are totally different and my fear is people don’t appreciate or accept this. Please for God’s sake own up your government. Unlike in pre 1947 era, no one is ruling us. We are ruling our selves. Please read the previous sentence again because what I have found in the Genext- the youth is as if someone from a foreign country is ruling us. This is a process by which we elect our leaders and there is a process by which these elected members make legislation for the country. The govt which is executive, then executes the law made by the parliament.  If someone’s rights are violated, there is judiciary for that. There are various system for checks and balances. Again I repeat, your leaders have been elected by you.

If you have understood this only then read ahead. I couldn’t elaborate much as here I am assuming that people have read their civics. We also need to understand the mechanism present in the sytem when the legislative or executive fails to perform it functions. One of the easiest and most effective way to punish them is to keep them away from parliament when they come to you for election.

If one has understood the system, then one can easily understand that Shree Anna Hazare’s fast unto death is against the spirit of democracy. No individual can take government on Ransom and get his demands met. No matter how legitimate the demands may be. There is a way to put across demands and I am sure if they are correct, there are hundreds of methods one can get them implemented. We once gave in to the terrorists during the Kandahar crisis. We came out weaker and the incident haunts us to date. Lets not repeat that. Having built my case I am sure you have understood that we are on cross roads of history. If the govt will budge to “Fast unto death” or say “Maoist type violence”, this will set a very very bad precedence. An irreversible degeneration process will start. People argue that these are extraordinary times and hence require extra ordinary methods. No cause is bigger than the nation itself. Only if the nation survives, would question of corruption remain. If we listen to language of Mr. Arvind Kejrewal, he seems to be agent of some foreign country who intension is to destabilise the nation itself. When you target PM and leader of opposition with such hatred, you are romancing with the idea of Tahir’s Square. People forget political system of Middle East and India are quiet different.

Autocracy has no space in Democracy. Just because some individuals want a certain law and again I repeat no matter how legitimate their demands may be “Fast unto death” and violence have no place. In fact the way I look at it, both are the same. Peaceful protests, Cyber activism is ok. If you have people’s support go for Civil disobedience.

CORRUPTION: THE PROBLEM ITSELF

There is a view in public and a dangerous one. That is the problem of corruption is something created by the politicians. The astronomical figure of 2G scam seems to have got to people.

My take on this was and I put this on Facebook too

I sincerely feel fight against corruption is waste ..... I seriously enjoy getting away with Rs 100 been given to mama than a Rs 2000 traffic fine .... I enjoy a Rs 500 AC 1st class ride from Jhansi to New Delhi to Rs 1000 Ticket where I might not have got the seat any ways...... I enjoyed getting birth Certificate in 2 hours in Rs 250 when normal time is 7 days.....

The statement is cynical. I used my self as a metaphor for any normal Indian. We have been corrupt like  any other politician and the day we accept this fact, we might look at the problem a bit differently. To me that approach is required. 

BE THE CHANGE THAT YOU WANT TO SEE IN THE WORLD

One of my class mate from my school, Swati writes on my above stand

Vikas I have never supported corruption theoretically and practically, several incidences occurred where I had to give an immediate decision which decided my future, right from passing on my every proposal from one table to another for PhD or simultaneously alone procuring my fathers death certificate, I never bribed....in spite of situations making me collapse but i feel light and happy now, because I believe that charity begins from home, every genuine act should begin from 'u' then it would be 'us' and finally the 'country', as a citizen of India we should shoulder moral responsibilities irrespective of anything, superunlike Your  stand!

No one should like what I said.... it was cynical. But do we know whom we are fighting. Corruption or the politician or the Corrupt politician. How many of us can say what Swati said. Not me.

No one is against law against but will it be effective if the people don’t understand that they cannot pass on the buck to the politician when they have been part of corruption in each step of their life.  Trust me hundreds of Jan Lok Pal will not resolve India’s issue of corruption. The epidemic is in the DNA of the country and it needs more of an inside out approach and not the other way round. We as a country cannot shy away from the same.

My problem with the movement is that hate speeches as those given by Mr. Kejrewal are sensational and they do nothing to address the issue of corruption.  When I said the Fight against Corruption is wrong, I meant the fight against only the political corruption is a waste. This is because the only thing targeted by Mr. Hazare and associates are politicians and bureaucrats as evident from Mr. Kejrewal’s hate speech. Infact even they will find a way out of any law. When shall we address the problem that lies within us. How many of us will not bribe a traffic poilice man with Rs 200 when the actual fine would be Rs 2000/-. How many of us will not bribe the TC in a train when you don’t have a confirmed ticket and you so desperately need the berth to sleep?  How many of us will wait for 7 days for a marriage Certificate when you need to fly next day to Dubai with your wife with the certificate?

We are a responsible 21^st century super power and we need to act accordingly. We will continue having challenges but there is a way address the problems. I disagree to go the Anna Hazare way.

INDIA FAULTERED, PAKISTAN FOULED : CRICKET HAS BECOME POLITICAL

What happened today in Mumbai was shameful and every Indian must be ashamed to the treatment given by the IPL franchises to the 11 Pakistani Players on Auction. Pakistan is not slated to play any international Cricket in the IPL 3 slot and hence the excuse that availability of Pakistani players was an issue is totally false. The decision by the franchises is not only incorrect cricketing wise but has insulted Pakistan as a nation.

Why were the Pakistani Players asked to get NOCs from the Pakistani Cricket Board, why were they are to get their VISAs sorted out, why all the drama over the deadlines when you knew that the franchises would not be able to pick the Pakistani players under Government pressure.

India accuses of Pakistan of 26/11 but then we cannot be at war with our neighbours indefinitely. It is so easy in India to create an Anti Pakistan Environment. Activist television channels package anger. Many seek hot pursuits of terrorists and the destruction of terror camps across the border, the government finds itself besieged. Sending troops across the border is, of course, not an option, but the popular mood usually demands a demonstration of action, and it was very easy for our politicians to use cricket as a tool of appeasement. Today the franchises took an easy option ….. an option to please the people and the government.

In the end, I must say Cricket will be a causality. Make no mistake, Pakistan is World Cup T20 champions and they were runner up in the 1^st edition. No one knows to play T20 better than the Pakistanis. We have been stolen with an opportunity to see the best in action.

Pakistani Players and nation as a whole would be upset with the way they were treated by Indians. I, as an Indian apologise. Initiatives like Aman Ki Asha need to reach more people than they are doing right now. I hope common sense will prevail and we get to see people to people contact between the two nations.

India : A nation of Cowards

14 Incidents of terrorism in last 3 years have left us speechless. But I would like you all to study the pattern of these blasts


Oct. 29, 2005 – Delhi- 62 Killed, 3 Blasts
March 7, 2006- Varanasi, opposite to a temple - 20 Killed
July 11, 2007- 7 Blasts in trains in Mumbai, at least 200 killed
Sept. 8, 2006- Malegaon, Communally sensitive city – 31 Killed .
Feb. 19, 2007- blast in a train heading to Pakistan- 68 killed
May 18, 2007- Blast in a Mosque in Hyderabad –11 killed
Aug. 25, 2007- 3 Bombs- 43 killed in Hyderabad
Oct. 11, 2007- Ajmer, City of famous Dargah - 3 killed
Oct. 14, 2007- Ludhiana during Eid al-Fitr, killing six people.
Nov. 24, 2007- cities of Lucknow, Varanasi and Faizabad, killing at least 16
people. All Communally sensitive places.
May 13, 2008- Outside Hindu Temples, Jaipur
July 25, 2008- Seven small bombs hit Bangalore, 2 Killed
July 26, 2008- 22 Bombs in Ahmedabad at least 42 people.
Sept. 13, 2008- As many as five explosions, in Delhi during the Ramadan month

You don’t have to be a hardcore Intelligence detective to understand the patterns or the motives. Terrorists know for sure that India can easily be divided on communal grounds. Also they have attacked commercial centers like Bangalore and Mumbai. BJP ruled states are targeted more than others. Our Govt. has a standard “videshi Haath” reply. They also blame SIMI for all these terrorist activities.

But I have often wondered…. Why does this happen to us and why don’t we do something about it. Stringent laws like TADA and POTA are abolished without suitable substitutes. Is it easy to get away after committing a crime in India. When US found that Al Quaida was responsible, they ensured that the country that apparently protected them was bought to dust.

But then we do not do anything about it. We blame politicians for inactions, Politicians blame foreign Terrorists. Basically we are a weak nation… A weak nation in its very foundation. Our foundation is based on “Non Violence” and showing the other side of face when someone has slapped on one side. Dirty politics by Nehru Gandhi then and incorrect foundations are prime reason for we becoming a nation of cowards. Total inaction on part of our politicians is blood of today’s politicians. Otherwise how do u explain that our Home minister still does not think that we introduce stern laws. I know our blood does not boil when we read the above list. We got our freedom the same way…. Didn’t we …. The so called non violent way.

Films like “A Wednesday” in the recent past have depicted the that frustration is growing among common people like me and you. Its hi time that our internal defense system and intelligence do something about it.

These days I live in UAE, where hands are cut for stealing, where eyes are taken off for staring at women. I haven’t heard of a bomb blast in this country.

Strong laws and stringent implementation are badly required. Democracy in current form has made us ineffective against terrorism of this kind. Agression is the order of the day and we need to do something about it ASAP.

Till then, we should continue to live with fear…. A fear that when our loved ones leave our homes…. May be they wont return…. Because we and our Govt are a bunch of cowards.

A rivalry Rediscovers Down Under

Over the years India has been colonised, scorned and patronised. Inevitably, the hackles of its more abrasive citizens have periodically been raised. Always the struggle is between earnest reformers and rankled revolutionaries. It can happen on battlefields, in newspapers, on sports grounds, in the spirit and in the mind

And then comes the settling of scores. In some respects the recent series down under was such a settling, but to a much higher degree it was an assertion of fearlessness. India looked Australia in the eye and did not blink. And the look told not of temporary passion but serious intent.

By and large India has done extraordinarily well over the last 60 years. From the chaos of Partition, from the demonstrations and the slaughter, has come an enduring nation that commands respect. A country that has retained its independence in Independence. Although outbreaks occur here and there, India is intact. Still it plays the game of the coloniser, a game once described as an Indian game accidentally invented by the English.

To the embarrassment of some, but through economic inevitability, India has become the dominant force in the game, a circumstance that has released its entire character. Nothing builds confidence half as well as power. Suddenly India has no need to sue for grace for it carries a big stick. India does not need to protest about anything. Its task now is to apply the rule of law and to advance the principles of justice, for none takes such care of the underdog.

Nowhere was the changing of the guard more apparent than in the recent campaign down under. Always the true test comes when the champion steps into the ring, for then bluff is called and shallowness exposed. India arrived expecting to win. It was not a question of mere fragile hope. Nor did the various turbulences distract them from their purpose. To the contrary the Indians answered every slight with one of their own, joined every argument and added a few of their own making.

Australia is a land of fires, droughts, floods, flies, kangaroos and koalas. Even the birds there make a lot of noise. It is not sensible to expect its cricketers to tiptoe. It is a place that crushes the spirit or enhances it.

That India ended the campaign in better shape than it began confirms the impression of a nation whose time has come. It is idle to pretend that cricket does not tell us something about the state of a nation. To the contrary it offers a window into the minds of a people.

Of course sport serves other purpose as well. Nowadays it provides entertainment to all sections of society. Formerly it was regarded more as a craft than an adventure. Opening batsmen were not expected to hit boundaries in the first hour. These days they are supposed to strike three in the opening over. Twenty-over cricket has risen from the need to entertain. In any case, even Test cricket has awoken from its slumber. Cricket survives not because it has merit but because it has a market.

Competition is another part of sport's attraction. Men and women relish the chance to push themselves to the limit, enjoy pitting themselves against each other. Satisfaction of the sort obtained from a superb football goal, or a last-gasp winner is hard to find. Sportsmen also relish sitting in the rooms afterwards, all energy spent, skill released, divisions erased (unless Harbhajan Singh and Matthew Hayden have been playing), and only the reckoning remaining.

Yet the most significant role of sport is as an expression of the energies, talents and culture of a school, group, village, city, province and country. Cricket is an expression of culture and the clashes at the SCG reached into the depths of Indian and Australian self-knowledge. It turned out to be a battle between equals. The players looked each other in the eye. India did not blink!!!

Indeed, the visitors looked fresher by the end. Meanwhile the Australians suffered more mysterious withdrawals as Brad Hogg and Shaun Tait followed Damien Martyn into the paddock.

Australia has always played cricket by its own lights. Turning its back on English customs, yearning for action, Australian sportsmen must attack. So Australian cricket forged its own path forwards, formed its own ideology. India has never been as clear-minded about itself.

Whereas the Australian settlers had an almost empty continent on which to create a nation, India had proud memories of itself, traditions recorded in books or burned into minds - attitudes and customs strong enough to survive any empire. But hundreds of years of foreign influence were bound to leave their mark besides which no nation can stand still. Since 1947 India has been rediscovering itself. Of course the same applies on the cricket field and the triumph of 2007-08 lay not so much in the results as in the sense that an identity had been found.

Under the admirable captaincies of Anil Kumble and Mahendra Dhoni, India discovered a new, contemporary voice. Too much has been made of the various episodes involving Harbhajan. More significant has been the way the Test team fought back in Perth, and the manner in which Dhoni's men took the ODI finals. India was not broken on the wheel, was not affected by the local noise, did not take a step backwards. In short, it met the Australians on equal terms, as an united force.

The Indian team expressed the confidence of a nation. Consider the last over of the campaign. Australia needed 13 runs to win. Already Sachin Tendulkar had played another beautiful innings. Already Dhoni had played boldly and thought fearlessly, summoning an unsung swing bowler from a family of wrestlers, and a teenage legspinner, and throwing them the ball at critical times. Now he tossed the ball to Irfan Pathan, put his arm around him and muttered not the usual platitudes but a cheerful, "Irfan, you cannot be so bad that you give away 13 runs in the last over." Afterwards Pathan told that he had not felt the pressure as he had grown up seeing his father trying to put food on the table. That was pressure. Dhoni had grown up the same way, fighting for his place. It is also the Australian way. And who was Kumar except a boy from the rural areas who has risen through the ranks? Ishant Sharma's dad repairs air conditioners.

Indian cricket has found its voice. Not that the inheritance has been abandoned, for that is childish. Rather it has been interpreted and renewed. Australian cricket had always belonged to the people. Now the same applies to India. Australia had been crying for an opponent that plays cricket with sustained intent. The rivalry between the nations, Australia with its 108 years and India with its 60, both with booming economies, has just begun.

India Pakistan to Clash again : It doesn’t get any bigger than this !!!!

As a child, when I was growing, I was told that Ashes was the mother of all Series and that winning the Ashes was the most important thing in a career of a International Cricket from Australia or England. But even the purist have to agree that over the last 3 decades nothing matches the excitement offered by a Indo- Pak series. Fortunately or unfortunately, the clash between the arch rivals is just more than a just a game. It was very well depicted in the recent Bollywood block buster “Chuk De India” where it was shown that one game turned the life of a man upside down. Didn’t it reflect the career of Chetan Sharma whose life couldn’t be same again after the infamous last ball six by Miadad.

In fact the main reason for Indo Pak series are so famous are due to the fact that players from both the teams cross the limits of possible and go on to do things which are almost hard to believe. Who can forget Miadad’s last ball six, Prasad’s famous comeback in the Bangalore Quarter Final in 96, Sachin’s arrival in International cricket against Qadir, Shoiab’s Yorker to Dravid, Aqeeb Jawed’s LBW hattrick in Sharjah, Sehwag’s Triple at Multan, Kumble’s perfect 10 at the Kotla and the most recent Misbah’s flick to find a mallu at short fine leg to loose the T20 World cup. These are some of the finest moments in International cricket and hence no one can underplay the importance of a Indo- Pak series.

This year has been a mixed kind of year for both India and Pakistan.. Out from the world cup in 1st round. India then went on to beat Bangladesh in Bangladesh, S. Africa in Ireland in 3 match series, won the English test series, lost the One day series, Won the T20 cup and then lost a home series to Australia. Similarly Pakistan lost both One day and test series at home to S. Africa after having reached the finals of T20 Cup.

However, in this it does not matter what form a team is in nor does the reputation of a player matters and hence I am not going to tell you that on paper Indians look the favorites. But as it is very clear, it is just on paper. For all practical purposes, it is safe to assume that this series will be a cracker of a series. Players would be tested not just on their talent but mental resolve as well because these games separate the men from the boys.

This India-Pakistan series would be of the utmost importance because it is a series between two countries who share so much history between them. History that has blazed the two cricket fanatic nations with feverish excitement every time the two arch-rivals have met on a cricketing field, history which has epic battles that have set one nation in a frenzy while the other mourns and history which with every series has been recreated.

Come November 5 and the world will have its eyes on the mother of all series. As is said, 'It doesn’t get bigger than this.'

This is Vikas Gupta from the City that saw closest Indo Pak matches … Dubai (Sharjah isn’t that far :) )

Sorrow in the Sub continent: Final Frontier is lost !!!

A fortnight is a very big time these days in the world of cricket these days. Just a 15 days back we were all celebrating a historic Indian win at the T20 World cup and today I am voicing my concern over the losses of the sub-continent teams in their recent series.

Yes, indeed the verdict is out and it doesn’t look all too well for the teams from the subcontinent. India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka have lost their respective series in their own land. This is something we have not seen in the 90s and indeed the start of 2000s. This a sad and telling blow for the teams from the subcontinent where the spin web used to suffocate the best to death.

Lets take Sri Lanka first. The rise of this cricketing power can be easily attributed to individuals like De’ Silva, Jayasuriya, Murali and Vaas. With all these players in the twilight of their career, the lack of proper cricketing mechanism in the country is exposed. With the help of foreign coaches and some astonishing talent they have kept the cricket alive but the recent series defeat against the English have exposed the fact that Sri Lanka does not has a proper cricketing organization to breed and throw international talent consistently enough. With Jayasuria out of form and Murali not playing in the series, the Sri Lankans looked totally out of sorts. This English win was their first series win in Sri Lanka.

Pakistan on the other hand were handed over a 1-0 series defeat by the hands of South Africa in the 2 test series. The confusion over selection and the total mismanagement by the administrators there was the prime reason for the defeat. There is a bit too much happening in Pakistan cricket off the field for them to concentrate on their cricket. To be honest, the forthcoming tour of India will most probably sort things out. Also for me their biggest worry is batting. After Aamir Sohail and Syed Anwar, Pakistan have struggled with their opening batting. For last 5-6 years they haven’t have had fixed openers which cost them dearly in this series.

Indians are probably the unluckiest of the lot. After the celebrations of the T20 win, Australia would have been the last team they wanted to play with. Dhoni is new. The big three are assuming new roles in the set up. And believe me there is a huge quality difference between Australia and rest of the other teams. They are by far playing the best cricket world has ever seen. So Indians were pretty much helpless. Also a lot is being said about the utility of the big 3 in the team, post T20 win. My take on the subject is, the day u find better than Rahul, Saurav and Sachin, throw these guys off the team. However, till such time respect these guys. Post T20, people want their head with no logical reasons. Both Sachin and Saurav are playing extremely well this summer. People need to realize that T20 is different from ODI and these players are still the best in this country. Dhoni is learning bitter lessons on Indian captaincy now, but I feel with the forth coming Pakistan series, his caliber as a captain will be tested. India will have to think a lot about their team combinations and the mark the correct people to be backed as like Pakistan, frequent changes are being made in the team which is no good.

However, whatever may be the case, the frontier is lost and India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka will have to do a to regain the lost honor. A lot for the cricket administrators to think about

It takes two to Tango

Story of the Day after Day two of 3rd Test at Oval, London

• The story of the day was Anil Kumble's unbeaten 110.




• India's total of 664 is their highest against England, and their fourth-highest against all teams.




• Eight 50-plus stands, which is a record in Test cricket. There are 25 instances of six 50-plus stands, but no team had managed seven in a single innings.

In some of their warm-up games on this tour, India have used the 'retired out' option. Batsmen crossing fifty have trooped back voluntarily to the pavilion to give their team-mates more batting time. The tradition seems to have spilt over to the Test match arena, although with a slight modification. The first part, 'retired', has been forgotten - possibly because India's oldies are fed up with all this farewell tour talk - and replaced simply by 'out'.

India's plan, throughout this series, has been outstanding: reach a half-century, look good for a hundred, walk back, and watch the next person do exactly the same. No big gulps from anyone, just small bites from all. You get your fifty, I get mine. Liberty, equality. Anil Kumble was obviously dead against this policy of equality, carving out a most memorable maiden century, but the rest have stuck firm.

Four years ago India's batsmen shone so bright in Australia that experts compared them to England's Bodyline-winning batch of 1932. In four Tests Sourav Ganguly's men ransacked six sparkling hundreds, all of which were over 140. Batting feasts rarely come tastier.

This has been a series for hard-nosed cameos. Since they landed in Ireland, India have played ten matches, both first-class and international. It's produced 31 half-centuries and just two hundreds - Sachin Tendulkar's 171 at Chelmsford and Kumble's 110 here.

There's been lazy elegance (Wasim Jaffer's 62 at Nottingham and VVS Laxman's 51 in the 3rd Test at Oval) and youthful exuberance (Dinesh Karthik's three fifties); controlled assertion (Dravid's 55 in 3rd Test at Oval, Ganguly's 79 at Nottingham) and single-minded accumulation (Tendulkar's 91 at Nottingham and his 82 in Oval); guarded run-gathering (Jaffer's 53 at Lord's, Laxman's 54 at Nottingham); uncharacteristic stodginess (Mahendra Singh Dhoni's fifty at Lord's) and clinical destruction (Dhoni's 92 today at Oval).

Partnerships have been crucial. Batsmen have clung on to each other dearly with a staggering 16 50-plus stands. Unlike in Australia, where they rattled off one masterpiece after another, none of these innings will be termed 'great'. Yet they've made a collective statement. Like a swarm of bees, they've combined to make life hell for the opposition.

Jaffer and Karthik have gelled well at the top, both compact and fluent; Tendulkar and Ganguly have been like soul-mates out in the middle, chattering incessantly; Ganguly and Laxman have had to get through some crucial final sessions; Laxman and Tendulkar brought back memories of Sydney 2004 this morning - where the first brushed and the second sculpted; Dhoni and Kumble have gallantly shepherded the tail; the rest have chipped in at various points.

Ganguly has been crucial. He's been the most composed of the lot but, more importantly, he's the only left-hander in the line-up. Partnerships involving him read: 28, 21, 59, 96, 67, 11* and 77. Batting at No.5, he's split the right-handers perfectly. It's put the bowlers off rhythm. His own scores haven't been outstanding (thanks to two poor umpiring horrors) but his presence invaluable.

India's lower-order didn't promise much before the series but Kumble has led a resurgence. RP Singh slugged it out as a nightwatchman at Lord's. Zaheer Khan took his batting so seriously that external objects on the pitch fired him up for a matchwinning spell. Watching Sreesanth three successive fours off James Anderson was like watching a batsman in his prime. And Kumble's strung together vital partnerships: 17 and 16 at Lord's (the second helped India save the match), 50 and 9 at Nottingham (the first made a difference in the eventual result) and four special ones today: 91, 62, 21, 73.

India have long relied on individual brilliance, this one came with awesome synchrony. In batches of two they Conquered, when one left the other took over. Four years ago, in a series decider, India amassed 705 for 7 declared at Sydney on the back of Tendulkar's towering 240 and Laxman's magical 178. Here they almost matched that, with a partnership bombardment like few others.

Somebody should suggest a motto for the series: 'It takes two to Tango'.

Jai Maharashtra!!!!

Within minutes of Mrs Pratibha Patil being "chosen" as the UPA's candidate for president, a chain sms was floated: "After 300 years, the Marathas are finally set to conquer Delhi", a reminder that defeat in the third battle of Panipat still rankles. The next morning, the Marathi papers were equally euphoric: "Maharashtra's day in the sun has come at last!" thundered one headline. Even the Shiv Sena mouthpiece, Saamna, set aside political differences to celebrate what it described as a "historic opportunity" for the "Marathi manoos".

I must confess, my regional genes were riding high too at the prospect of a Maharashtrian lady occupying the highest constitutional post in the country.

Who then cared that Mrs. Patil had only been chosen on the presidential principle of the lowest common denominator, selected after half a dozen male candidates had been vetoed? Who was bothered that in her selection was also the humiliation of another son of the soil, Shivraj Patil, who must really wonder how he can continue in government as home minister after being so publicly rejected by the left ? Was anyone really interested in questioning how the very Maharashtra politicians who were taking delight in her choice had been responsible for banishing her from the state not so long ago? And what of the ultimate irony: Mrs. Pratibha Patil made it to the highest office, not because she was a Maharashtrian (or not just because she was a woman for that matter), but because she was also married to a Shekhawat from Rajasthan, and hence could neutralize her prime opponent?

And what of the other rather embarrassing circumstance of Mrs Patil's nomination, namely her unswerving loyalty to the Gandhi family? In an otherwise worthy political career, Mrs Patil has revealed no glimmer of threatening talent, no unsettling flamboyance, no unnecessary excellence or extraordinary charisma that her supporters and patrons might undoubtedly have hated or seen as a rival power centre. After all in our republic of mediocrity, flamboyance and star quality don't really get you very far (and nor should they, sniff the politically correct, in their constant hankering for "low profile "good people" ) Instead hers has been a textbook path to upward mobility in the Congress: stay quiet, work quietly, stay obedient to the "high command" and who knows the highest gaddi in the land may well be yours.

At one level, the collective euphoria in the Maharashtrian middle class over the rise of Mrs. Patil (or Patil-Shekhawat) is understandable. Maharashtra has thrown up great cricketers (more centuries have been scored by Mumbaikars than the rest of the country put together), outstanding musicians, playwrights and scholars. But in public life, there has been a feeling that post-independence India has not given the state its due. It's a sense of resentment that perhaps stretches back to 1920, the death of Lokmanya Tilak and the passing of the baton of national leadership to Gandhi. The shifting of the power base away from the Maharashtrian Brahmins led one strand in the direction of the RSS and Hindutva politics while another moved towards the intellectual traditions of the left. The dominant Marathas, on the other hand, embraced the Congress, captured power in the state, but were unable to translate their regional supremacy onto the national stage.

The Marathas will tell you of deep-rooted conspiracies, of how from Y.B.Chavan to Sharad Pawar, the ruling elite of the Delhi durbar refused to accept the authority of the regional satraps of Maharashtra. As a result, the prime ministerial chair remained a distant dream for the men from the Sahyadris. There is some basis for this grievance. The Indira Gandhi years in particular saw the deliberate marginalization of the regional warlords, and the imposition of puppet chief ministers, best exemplified by Babasaheb Bhosale who, it is said, was made chief minister by Mrs. Gandhi only to teach the squabbling Maratha leaders a "lesson they must not forget". In the high command culture of the Congress, regional leaders with a mass base have always been seen as a "threat"; national leaders are those who will draw in no votes, but will "manage" the political environment in the capital.

And yet, if Maharashtra's leaders were to truly introspect, they would have to accept their own role in squandering their inheritance. Take Sharad Pawar for instance. Once the country's youngest chief minister and a man gifted with administrative acumen, Mr. Pawar has always found it difficult to take the step up from regional boss to national leader. Poor communication skills and a compulsive tendency to cut a deal with rivals instead of fighting on principle has meant that Mr. Pawar has never acquired the kind of national stature he might have hoped to achieve.

Mr. Pawar, in a sense, exemplifies the failings of the contemporary Maharashtra political elite. If the Bengali left has been burdened with an innate superiority complex (many of them still genuinely believe in the Gokhale dictum of a century ago that what Bengal thinks today, India thinks tomorrow), the inward-looking attitude of the Maratha leadership has bred a certain inferiority complex, and made it difficult for them to adjust to a wider, more complex world (which is why Mr. Pawar needs a Praful Patel as his political brand manager).

Even the "progressive" Maharashtrian middle class has failed to rise above its origins. Instead of embracing the cosmopolitanism of Mumbai, they were convinced that they were being encircled by the "outsider". The rise and growth of the Shiv Sena over the years is stark evidence of the decline in the intellectual traditions of the Maharashtrian middle class. That Bal Thackeray's demagoguery and anti-minority rabble-rousing has proved more durable and effective than his "secular-liberal" critics is a reminder of the ideological bankruptcy of the social movements that were once Maharashtra's badge of pride.

How can Maharashtra reconcile its progressive ethos with the banning of books, the selective targeting of journalists, the victimization of minorities, and the growing incidents of attacks on Dalits? Where is the vigorous debate in the state when students from north India are beaten up in the name of Maharashtrian asmita? Or when one of its most prestigious libraries is ransacked by a mob, destroying valuable archival material, allegedly because the image of Shivaji has been tarnished? Is this a state genuinely committed to a forward-looking society, or one which seeks to prey on animosities and past hatreds?

Indeed, when some of Maharashtra's politicians now speak of Mrs Patil's ascent as a symbol of women's empowerment, there is a certain hollowness to their claims. This, after all, is the state whose politicians seem to spend more time debating a slip-up at a fashion show and the closure of bar dances than the brutal murder and rape of a Dalit woman in distant Khairlanji. This is also now a state which has just one woman cabinet minister in a 40 member cabinet and where a 288 member state assembly has just 12 women MLAs, well below the national average.

Unfortunately, who cares about these ground realities when a woman from Maharashtra is about to be anointed the country's first woman Rashtrapati (or patni)?

Perhaps, there are two Maharashtras: one is a state of intellectual and social ferment, which produced the men and women who lived by the ideals on which modern India was built. The other Maharashtra is a far less noble entity, it is provincial, it is small minded, and it no longer produces original thought. I still don't know which Maharashtra Pratibha tai represents since we still havent heard her speak out on any "real" issue (and not a manufactured controversy like the veil comment). Till one decides, maybe its safe to join the chorus and say Jai Maharashtra!