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Journalism of Courage
Had Graeme Smith read The Wasteland before the Kanpur test match he8217;d have known April is the cruellest month 8212; for cricket. He8217;d have been forewarned by T.S. Eliot8217;s prophecy: 8220;I will show you fear in a handful of dust8221;. As it was, the square-jawed South African warriors 8212; did you notice how grim they looked; how would you feel if your brains were sizzling in midday 36 degrees centigrade? 8212; were dusted up in the heat of a Sunday afternoon. It was kinda hot to play cricket.
Even Anil Kumble was caught, apparently trying to sneak off to cooler climes at 5 am, no matter the convoluted and thoroughly unconvincing explanation BCCI8217;s Rajiv Shukla tried to bamboozle Headlines Today with the channel, as nocturnal as Kumble, just happened to be hanging around his Kanpur hotel foyer waiting to grab its catch 8212; odd, uh?. According to Shukla 8212; now hear this 8212; Kumble was simply leaving with all his luggage to visit a friend where? and returned to the hotel in time to accompany the team to the Green Park stadium a few hours later. Shukla really must have more respect for the viewers8217; intelligence.
While we appreciate the need to make moolah don8217;t we all?, we8217;d like to watch the match. Sponsors paying the channel should say this to them: show them the match and we8217;ll show you the money.
We may think it is cruel to play cricket in April but not so the IPL that starts Friday. The matches will be played in the evening, making 8216;cool cricket8217; a distinct possibility. However, if you have seen the promos, it8217;s anything but cool. In a delightful creative effort the dentist one is a personal favourite, the promos are hot and happening with the players pumped into gladiatorial beasts. Hrithik Roshan lends his six packs to Mumbai Indians and that8217;s just the beginning. It8217;s got all the makings of a circus. You may not think that is cricket, but it is, it is.
Everyone is invited to the party, none more so than the news channels, the first to drown the event in coverage and then squeeze it for all its worth. Times Now has a special segment every night of its schedule already devoted to the IPL. The others will follow. We will have so much cricket coming out of the tube, why you could brush your teeth with it. Okay, poor joke.
Speaking of poor jokes, wonder what the girls who present the entertainment segments of CNN-IBN, Headlines Today and Times Now, find so funny on air: could it be their being there? They8217;re always beaming so, their smiles could transmit the TV signals. That8217;s not all. They8217;re always squirming so, seemingly with the pleasure of our company. And puffing out their hair or their cheeks. They have attitude and an accent straight out of, well, we don8217;t know where. They pun, they fun and shun anything that sounds remotely sensible. A change from anchors who take themselves so seriously. Still, after 10 minutes, you want to essay a headstand 8212; maybe they8217;ll look better upside down.
shailaja.bajpaiexpressindia.com
