by T.V.R. Shenoy

Thackeray ‘ko gussa kyon aata hai’
BAL THACKERAY ko gussa kyon aata hai? Shiv Sainiks, poor inarticulate folk that they are can only mumble, “Kuch kuch hota hai!”

by Harihar Swarup

Cricket emerges victorious
THE captain of Pakistan’s cricket team, Wasim Akram, has spoken the least but a few words he uttered over the vandalism of Shiv Sena goons sums up the spirit of the game.

from Batuk Vora

Rail project to hasten China-Tibet integration
CHINA has planned further integration of Tibet with China. A major step is to hasten the construction of the long-delayed railway link between China and Tibet.

75 Years Ago

Shoes thrown at Judge
THE Chief Presidency Magistrate has sentenced the Pathan who hurled a shoe at Mr Justice Crump at the High Court Sessions the other day to one year’s rigorous imprisonment.

by T.V.R. Shenoy
Thackeray ‘ko gussa kyon aata hai’

BAL THACKERAY ko gussa kyon aata hai? Shiv Sainiks, poor inarticulate folk that they are can only mumble, “Kuch kuch hota hai!” Their enigmatic leader, however, indulges in a veritable “Yaadon ki baraat”, beginning with, though not limited to “Kashmir ki kali”.... But I think I have managed to dig out something from his rambling answers. Decide for yourself if at least one of the following isn’t the “haqeeqat”.

Reason No 1: Balasaheb is a modern man. He knows that cricket isn’t exactly popular with the jet-set. Today, deals aren’t made by men lounging, around the galleries at a cricket stadium. No, it is on the golf link that the “movers and shakers” congregate to plot and plan. But there is paucity of space for 18 holes in our cities. Or is there?

Well, not any longer. Nobody really wants to play in Delhi after the Australians complained about the literally breath-taking pollution. So Thackeray decided to put Ferozshah Kotla to good use. He sent his soldiers marching in, shovels at the ready, and you had several holes ready. Now the Indian Capital has an excellent course.

Reason No 2: Bal Thackeray is planning to go back to his roots. People don’t remember this today, but back when the Shiv Sena was formed in 1967, Hindutva wasn’t at the top of the Thackeray agenda. No, he began by railing against what he described as South Indian domination of jobs. He didn’t particularly like Gujaratis and Hindi-speakers (“Bhaiyas” in Thackeray-speak) either, but “Madrasis” were his pet hate.

Marmik, the journal founded by the Shiv Sena chief, went to the extent of publishing large chunks of the Bombay telephone directory to prove how few affluent Marathis there were in the capital of Maharashtra. And when all else failed the ubiquitous Udupi restaurants became a target. But how, you may justifiably wonder, is all this tied in with today’s events?

Well, take a look at the Indian cricket team of 1999. The captain is Hyderabad’s Mohammed Azharuddin. The anchor of the squad is Karnataka’s Rahul Dravid, and the same state also provides the spearhead of the bowling attack in the form of Anil Kumble, Javagal Srinath, and Venkatesh Prasad. True, there is Sachin Tendulkar, but how many other Bombayites, sorry Mumbaikars, are there in the Indian XI?

In any case, the Shiv Sena chief probably wonders, what kind of a game is cricket? How can any self-respecting son of the soil possibly respect a game that didn’t even come in through Gateway of India, but through Tellicherry in Kerala? That is right, cricket was played in Kerala long before the Gymkhana, Brabourne and Wankhede grounds were ever conceived.

I rather think a young colonel called Arthur Wellesley played there. So the future Duke of Wellington didn’t really win the battle of Waterloo on the playing fields of Eton — which didn’t exist when he was at that school any way! No, the seeds of Napoleon’s downfall were planted in South India.

Reason No 3: Believe it or not, Bal Thackeray is a kind and thoughtful man who doesn’t want the Indian public to be disappointed. Surprised? Well, permit me to tell you a story I heard from Justice Saldhana of the Karnataka High Court.

He says he was once hearing a long and messy divorce case. Compromise wasn’t a word in the dictionary of either warring partner, both of whom insisted on taking custody of their four-year-old son. Ultimately, the judge got heartily tired of both parents and their lawyers. He decided to leave the issue to the person most intimately concerned and summoned the young lad to approach the Bench.

“How would you like to live with your mother?”

“Not at all,” the boy replied instantly, “she keeps beating me.”

“Ah, so you want to stay with your father then!” the judge said.

“No,” came the reply, “he is even stricter.”

“Well,” said the perplexed judge, “you certainly aren’t old enough to go around alone. With whom would you like to be?”

The boy’s eyes lit up. “Can I live with the Indian cricket team?” The judge decided that he was confronted by yet another man who chose to hero-worship Tendulkar or Dravid. But put to the question, the young man denied it.

“I want to be with Azharuddin’s men because they never beat anyone!” he said.spare us precisely such a spectacle and that was why he was so adamant about not allowing the Pakistanis to come over!

by Harihar Swarup
Cricket emerges victorious

THE captain of Pakistan’s cricket team, Wasim Akram, has spoken the least but a few words he uttered over the vandalism of Shiv Sena goons sums up the spirit of the game. Wasim’s message to the lovers of cricket is “to forget all that has happened, be ready to enjoy some good cricket and support the team that plays well”. More sensible was his statement on the eve of Pakistan team’s departure for New Delhi: “We are going there as ambassadors of goodwill and ..... only a handful of people are against Pakistan-India ties but I hope cricket will be the ultimate winner”.

Leaders of India and Pakistan will do well to draw a lesson from their cricket stars as they strive to grapple with bilateral issues. Cricketers of the two countries have demonstrated that nothing is insurmountable. The unity of purpose demonstrated by them is a rebuff to fundamentalists and religious bigots who have gone berserk in their attempt to thwart the visit of the Pakistan team taking place after 12 years.

The 32-year-old Wasim Akram is no ordinary cricketer and has his fans in India too: paradoxically their number is said to be largest in Bombay, the headquarters of that eccentric called Bal Thackeray who has now suspended his call for disruption of the Pakistan team. It was bound to flop in the wake of widespread condemnation. A world class bowler, Wasim is a “chela” of Imran Khan, who made history in the cricket ring and caused ripples in Pakistan’s dogma-ridden society. Even during the hey day of Imran, the young Wasim had come to acquire the sobriquet —” Prince of Pakistan”. The skipper of Pakistan’s team made his international debut in January 1985 when he was barely 18 years old.

Having matured and grown under Imran’s guidance, Wasim has currently become one of “the world’s best fast and most feared bowler”. Sheer speed of his delivery is even more amazing considering he has one of the shortest run-ups for a genuine left-arm fast bowler in recent history. Along with devastating pace and breathtaking accuracy, his ability to move the ball in the air and off the seam, make him the most lethal bowler in the Pakistan team, experts say.

Belonging to Lahore and initially playing domestic cricket for Pakistan International Airlines, Wasim holds the world record for the highest number of one-day international wickets. He appears set to have a shot at the world test wicket too. Although bowling is his top priority, Wasim has frustrated and destroyed bowling attacks with his occasionally sensational batting.

Wasim was appointed captain of the Pakistan team until the crucial 1999 World Cup and the current tour of India only early this month and he hailed the decision of the Pakistan Cricket Board to reinstate him as “a new year gift”. He was stripped of the captaincy in January last year after Pakistan lost in the Sharjah Cup one-day tournament amidst renewed allegations of match-fixing against him.

The year 1998 was unlucky year for Wasim. Allegations of corruption in Pakistani cricket were repeated and his name was dragged in an official report. An inquiry for the Pakistan Cricket Board alleged that influencing matches for betting had become widespread and a three-member panel, headed by a judge, recommended that Wasim and two other players, Salim Malik and Ijaz Ahmed, should not play Test matches until final conclusions were reached. On his part, Wasim consistently denied accusations of corruption and declared: “I have earned good money playing top cricket. I am not going to lose my credibility for a few pennies”.

Friday, October 9, last year, was a fateful day in Wasim’s life when he, along with former Test captain, Aamir Sohail had to appear in a overpacked courtroom to give testimony before the judicial commission investigating the charges of bribery and match-rigging. The questions posed by the judge to Wasim make interesting reading.

Describing the captain of the present Pakistani team as “a legend in your own time”, the judge questioned him about an injury before the 1996 World Cup quarter final in Bangalore. Wasim, who was the captain then, had missed the game and there were allegations of heavy betting on the match, won by India.

Wasim cryptically told the judge it was unbelievable any Pakistani could imagine him being involved in match-fixing of such national significance. He recalled that there had been allegation of Pakistan throwing one-day series in England in 1996 but the fact was that “we got beaten by a better team”.

Now that the peace has descended on the cricket pitch, the lovers of the game and cricket fans will witness some exhilarating batting and bowling by world-class players during the 10-week long tour. It hardly matters who wins the match; important is how they play. One hopes the spirit of Indo-Pakistan Test series generates goodwill and cordiality between the two neighbours.

from Batuk Vora
Rail project to hasten China-Tibet integration

CHINA has planned further integration of Tibet with China. A major step is to hasten the construction of the long-delayed railway link between China and Tibet.

The route of the proposed Qinghai-Tibet railway which is seen as marking further political integration of Tibet into China, will extend from Golmud in Qinghai in the North to Lhasa in Tibet, passing through Nagchu, Damshung county and Yangbajing county. It will be 1110 km in length, including 30.6 km of tunnels, according to a survey, the findings of which were broadcast on December 3 by the pro-Dalai Lama “Tibet People’s Broadcasting Station”.

The Quinghai authorities are pressing for construction work on the railway to begin at the earliest, arguing that it is essential for the economic development and “stability and security” in the region.

The proposed railway will have an estimated cost of at least 14 billion yuan ($ 1.7 billion). Officials are reported to have argued that while the railway cannot be justified solely on economic grounds, its completion would bring Tibet under greater centralised control and facilitate further tightening of internal security in Tibet.

Incidentally, the Tibet Autonomous Region is the only provincial-level administrative region that does not have a railway link to the rest of China. There have been discussions since the 1950s of a railway line connecting Tibet with the rest of China, beginning in Yunnan, Gansu, Sichuan or Qinghai. But, due to geographical and climatic difficulties and the huge cost of construction, the line has not been completed so far.

The railway will be the “lifeline” of Qinghai and Tibet. Reports say exploitation of mineral resources in Qinghai is an important economic development strategy. The chairman of the TAR, Legchog, confirmed in a speech quoted by Xinhua News Agency that China had “re-started an ambitious plan” to build a Tibet railway.

At an international development conference held in Zining city, Qinghai province recently, the feasibility and cost benefits of the proposed railway were discussed by Chinese and Western scientists.

A foreign delegate who was present at the conference told the Tibetan news agency that Chinese scientists admitted that the extension of the railway could not be justified on economic grounds, but said that there was a clear political need for the railway — particularly in order to strengthen border security following nuclear testing by India early last year.

A report in the Qinghai Daily on September 12, 1998 described the railway as the “political (front) line” in consolidating the south-western border defences and stabilising Tibet. The proposed railway will further remove the barriers preventing complete integration of Tibet into China in both political and economic terms.

Tibet holds a crucial place in the overall order of China’s political, economic and cultural development, being one of China’s key defence outposts and strategic points, So, speeding up economic and social development of the Tibetan region, to preserve its united and stable order, is of key significance to national security.

The construction of a rail link in Tibet will facilitate the supply of grain and other resources into Tibet, which has led to concerns about a greater influx of Chinese migrants into Tibet.

Strategically, the rail link will make deployment of troops to Tibet for border defence and maintenance of internal stability a lot easier. It may also lead to larger presence of military personnel in Tibet.

75 YEARS AGO
Shoes thrown at Judge

THE Chief Presidency Magistrate has sentenced the Pathan who hurled a shoe at Mr Justice Crump at the High Court Sessions the other day to one year’s rigorous imprisonment.

The Magistrate remarked that such conduct on the part of the accused should be severely dealt with having regard to the fact that within a few days there were two instances in which accused persons had thrown shoes at the presiding tribunal.