CRICKET IN INDIA

I knew it was an insect, before I knew it was also a game. Cricket is the most popular game in South Asia. It is a long and boring game. I could never get myself to watch a full game. People look at you in disbelief, if you say you have no interest in the game. The sports pages in the newspapers are full of cricket news and if you don’t follow the game it can be irritating.

Cricket is one of the few games where players do not wear shorts and so they don’t have to reveal their legs. It is a game suitable for lazy people. In football, except for the goalkeeper, all the players are constantly on the move. In cricket, only two players are actually active, the person who bowls and the person who bats. Only two players from the side that is batting are on the field, the others are watching the game along with the spectators, till it is their time to bat. On the other side, one player bowls and the others are fielding, which means they will try to catch the ball if it comes their way. If it doesn’t, well, they just stand there.

When a batsman hits the ball, he is not eager to run between the wickets, since he doesn’t have to, if it is a four or a six. They should be made to run six times to get six runs.

GODMEN OF INDIA

All of them are fraud. Some are exposed, some will be exposed later and some will never be exposed. They claim to have the answer, when there is no answer. Their disciples are rich and poor, foreigners and Indian politicians. There are so many godmen in India because there is large scale poverty, illiteracy and deep rooted superstitious beliefs. Even presidents and prime ministers of India have been followers. Some politicians cultivate these godmen so that they can get the votes of their followers.

There is a godman who performs magic tricks, like producing Rolex watches out of thin air, to impress his followers and another was an arms dealer. Most of them are involved in shady businesses. There are some godmen who also run hospitals which give free service to the poor. This is the only good thing they do, though it may be a public relations ploy.


Foreign disciples are given more importance and seated in prime locations during functions so as to attract more of them. Also, Indians who see them are impressed and come in larger numbers, thinking that there must be something in it, if people from distant countries are also coming as disciples. Foreign disciples are useful because the gullible among them make large donations and also help the organization to grow abroad. Sometimes their addresses are used as foreign offices for the organization. Some foreign disciples prefer to stay on in India since the cost of living is lower here. Some of these disciples are actually very astute and occupy key positions in the organization so as to swindle the money.

Some godmen have very large organizations, but when they die, it collapses or gets reduced to a small setup and the disciples who held key positions live luxurious lives in different parts of the world with the money they swindled.

Though billions of dollars are involved, the income tax department which harasses the common man will not dare investigate the godmen because of their political connections.