"If you want to make sense of socio-political shifts in our country, look no further than our cricket team", said BeeVee, with a flourish, when we finally managed to catch up over dinner.
BeeVee and I went to school together, and our meetings today are almost as rare as the unrigged election or India winning the cricket World Cup. Social media helps us stay connected with each other once awhile.
The conversation had moved on to present times once nostaligia made an appearance and left, almost coinciding with that of the maitre d's with the menu.
"Remember there was a time when the entire team was filled with players from the big cities, with very rare exceptions. In fact, back in the day, the captain would be chosen first and then, the team. Starting with Nawab of Vizianagram to both the Nawabs of Pataudi to CK Nayudu right down to Lala Amarnath, Bishen Bedi, Gavaskar or the Prince of Calcutta, they had all come from big cities, mostly from wealthy families, had a decent education, and were comfortable in the language of the Raj - English. Kapil Dev was the exception here".
This, of course, has been well documented.
"The confidence of a new-age, economically liberated India began to manifest in the emergence of players from mofussil centres - Virender Sehwag, Zaheer Khan, the Singhs Yuvraj and Harbhajan, the Pathans Irfan and Yusuf, leading the charge. This, of course, was sparked by rise of Saurav Ganguly, as princely as they come, who shepherded this motley bunch by allowing them the freedom to express themselves with their game, empowering them without being beholden to the textbook narrative. There was a counterbalance here, set up by the presence of the old school in a Tendulkar, a Dravid, a Laxman and a Kumble".
This has been part of the public consciousness too.
"Hot met Cool. The impetuosity of youth, with the practicality of wisdom. Brash with diplomacy. Heavy Metal combined with jazz as the dirge of the match fixing scandal at the turn of the century gave way to more uplifting notes in Indian cricket"
"Out of this petridish emerged Mahendra Singh Dhoni. Nothing about his game would have found a place in the textbooks of the gentleman's game, effectiveness and outcome ripping apart aesthetics and puritanism. His flashy off-field demeanor - long hair and flashy bikes was, however, in stark contrast with his impeccable conduct on the playground"
"It's interesting how we look askance at anything ostentatious", I chirped, "we just assume anything that's flashy has no depth"
"Just like we make a virtue of austerity", BeeVee counters, " the truth usually lies in-between, doesn't it? Perhaps even a bit to the right of centre"
" A-ha", I could sense some deft footwork into another subject here.
"For a nation obsessed with the socialist framework, it is unsuprising that the air of feeling repressed should be rent by the fumes of intemperance. Badges hitherto accessible only to a charmed circle in the cities were now making a beeline to the doorstep of the opulent in the hinterland. Big automobiles, fancy homes, designer clothing, accessories - everything now was within arm's length for those who had the means. Hell, why wouldn't they want to flaunt it? "
"The tiny pin-hole that Kapil created in the glass ceiling of Indan cricket got the roof blown away at the inaugural T-20 World Cup, where city slickers like a Robin Uthappa and a Gautam Gambhir were far outnumbered by those from smaller centres, like a Sreesant, Joginder Sharma and the rest of the names mentioned above"
This was getting interesting now, because that win shifted the locus of the very core of a 100 year old game with the launch of the IPL. Day gave way to night. 5 days gave way to 5 hours. Staid white gave way to technicolour. Ovations reserved for the very best performances gave way to cheerleaders celebrating every single moment of the game. Bling had the sedate on the mat, in a chokehold.
The man who was riding the crest of this wave remained unflappable. The brashness of a Lalit Modi and an emerging Virat Kohli had the balm of Dhoni's insouciance to balance out the emerging new landscape. His letting Tendulkar hog the limelight in the aftermath of the bigger win at the 2011 World Cup or his handing over the reins to Saurav Ganguly on the latter's last day as an international player were indicative of a graciousness that is a throwback to a more genteel era.
"Ushering in change, sans the posturing, while retaining the best of both worlds - that's a tricky tightrope to walk. It's an effort that calls for leadership and integrity of the highest standard", proclaimed BeeVee, as he reached out for a napkin.
The comparisons with the other most coveted job in the land began to jump out of dessert that was now being laid out.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi can singularly be credited with smashing the iron-like grip of Lutyens' Delhi - someone from the outbacks so to speak, who bulldozed his way into the inner sanctum of Indian politics and went about dismantling the existing power structure.
"I wonder if there are lessons our political leadership can take out of this", I offered.
"Tell me more", BeeVee said, with a glint in his eye, " I'd rather listen than talk about this one"
"The contrast in demeanour couldn't be more stark. The chest thumping, self congratulatory shenanigans that attempt to cover up gargantuan follies in policy, coupled with the intent to grind down to dust an already vanquished opponent is probably reflective of the worst of this new-age attitude. The decorous baby has been thrown out , retaining the churlish bathwater"
"I agree", says BeeVee with as straight a face as I've seen him put out. "I think that we should take the Pakistan route and give World Cup winning captains a wild card to Prime Ministership"
That was when the bill arrived. There was a little tussle about who'd get the tab.
"After all this, I'd feel terrible if I let someone from the hinterland pay for the meal"
And so, he did.
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