A Fistful of Salt

seeking sense within all this noise

Messi Magic & the Fairy Tale Ending

Posted on December 20, 2022 by SV Rao

22^nd November 2022. The first World Cup Group C match in Qatar. Score-line Saudi Arabia 2-1 Argentina. A stunning upset. A huge disappointment and shock for the millions of Messi fans across the globe rooting for his first World Cup victory with Argentina in his fifth appearance. The dream seemed to have ended before it even began. Social media trolls brutally took over and the GOAT (Greatest Of All Time) was ridiculed by comparisons with the Camel; unflattering memes became viral with graphic references to what happened to the GOAT.

Not winning the World Cup with Argentina has long been the albatross around Messi’s neck. Many pundits have derisively called him out with, ‘What has he done for the national team?’ For the record, he won the Olympics gold medal with the Argentine squad in 2008. In 2005, he won the U-20 WC and picked up both the Golden Boot (top scorer) and Golden Ball (player of the tournament). He carried an average team on his shoulders to the finals of the 2014 WC where Argentina lost 1-0 to Germany. Pictures of a forlorn Messi holding the Golden Ball trophy, looking at the one which mattered the most, made headlines around the sporting world. In 2015 and 2016 he again powered an ordinary national side to the finals of the Copa America. The defeat by Chile in 2016 devastated him to such an extent that he retired from international football. Thankfully, he changed his mind a few months later. Even in his home country, he was not embraced wholeheartedly as he had moved to Barcelona, Spain as a young teenager. The huge shadow of the flamboyant legend Maradona, who won the WC in 1986 for Argentina, seemed to follow him everywhere on the international stage.

In 2021, Messi finally broke the jinx by captaining Argentina to the Copa America trophy and once again being adjudged as the Golden ball winner. In the same year, he won a record 7th Ballon d’Or trophy putting him in the stratosphere of one of the greatest footballers of all time. He graced the Barcelona jersey from 2004-21 scoring 672 goals with 266 assists in 778 games and winning 34 trophies. The intensely loyal Messi would probably have played his last game at Nou Camp. However, shockingly the talisman player’s contract was not renewed by the Catalan club due to a financial crises, aggravated by the pandemic. Very few sportsmen have achieved such glorious success over such a long career at the high levels of competitive sport. But after winning his 5th Ballon d’Or our sporting icon said, “I would prefer the World cup over five Ballon d’Or trophies.” Vamos Argentina!!

Over these years Messi’s magic has been such that it has added another X factor to the beautiful game. Exponents like Pele, Garrincha, Jiarzinho, Zico, Ronaldo and Ronaldinho from Brazil instantly come to mind. Osvaldo Ardiles and Diego Maradona also spiced up the South American flavour and servings. Messi’s artistry and ball skills have often been called ‘Insane’, ‘Other worldly’ and ‘Alien’. His vision, balance, sudden turns and acceleration have stupefied both defenders and spectators. His saucy dribbles, sublime free kicks and the art of the chip finish have brought gasps and smiles and sheer jaw drops. Take his assist to Alvarez for the goal against Croatia in the just concluded WC. A great solo run, dribbles and feints and even stopping once before making that lethal pass backward from outside the goal post for the goal strike. The Croatian defender Jorko Gvandiol is recognised as one of the best in the business. But the Argentine maestro simply outclassed and outmanoeuvred him. The Brazilian great Ronaldo has observed that the 35-year-old Messi has changed his game with his age, “The 30 scoring actions and passes are now reduced to 10 but he remains the decisive player. His sporadic entries into the box but he is the killer. He plays on the minds of the opponents all the time.” The Brazilian champion pays Messi the ultimate compliment that, “He is happy that Messi has won the WC with the caveat that otherwise the 2 Latin American nations are bitter rivals on the football field.”

Lionel Messi, the idol, is adored by his Argentine teammates. They passionately worked and played to hold aloft the Holy Grail of football for their country, their team and especially for their captain. Angel Di Maria who impressed and scored in the final with a Messi assist had this to say, “I always dreamed of playing with him, having him by my side every day. Every time we go with Argentina national team it seems very short.” Martinez, who won the Golden Gloves award as the best goalkeeper, is even more heartfelt, “I want to give him life. I want to die for him.” Please check out the viral video when after the penalty shootout against the Netherlands, the entire team runs towards the goal scorer but Messi crosses the field to hug Martinez who is lying on the ground. The goalie’s saves had won them the match. Messi the match-winner has scored 98 goals in 172 games for Argentina. Equally critical has been his role as a team player and creator with 58 assists. Assist refers to that final definitive pass to a team-mate or setting up a team-mate to take the goal shot. It is worth pointing out here that Brazil, France and England were favoured to win the WC. But coach Scaloni built up a team around Messi with the likes of Martinez, Di Maria, Hernandez and upcoming star Alvarez who scored 4 goals. Lionel Messi was blessed to have a team which grew from strength to strength with every outing.

What about the Messi Mania? It’s a global, social phenomenon rarely witnessed. The world went bonkers. Not only did the sale of the No 10 Messi T-shirts break all records but there are social media posts of guys getting married in these T-shirts. Prayers were conducted at places of worship across the world for the folk hero to achieve his dream. Kerala, Goa and Kolkata saw huge cut-outs of the star with fresh garlands put on every day. What is there about the Argentine football legend which has touched millions of hearts across the planet?

His humble upbringing was in Rosario, Argentina. His growth hormone disorder (GHD) and the medical treatment his modest family could not afford. Then Destiny intervenes. FC Barcelona (thanks to their scouts) sign up a 13-year-old Messi and agree to pay for his medical treatment. Probably, the best deal in the history of football. Then, the youth team at the Barca Academy and the rest is history. Still, it astounds many many football fans as to how a 5 ft & 7 inches Messi has been outrunning and outsmarting much taller and better-built opponents for so many years. There is also the undeniable fact that very few human beings have carried the burden of expectations this man has and has ultimately triumphed on every count. During all his struggles, he has shown that a monster competitor lurks within him co-existing with his sublime skills and sporting nature. Despite the intense pressure, he has conducted himself with grace, poise and a sportsmanlike attitude. The private Messi has kept a low profile about the outstanding work of the Leo Messi Foundation in the areas of health, education and sports. Many pundits are now hailing him as the greatest athlete on the planet and not just the GOAT footballer. How the hell can a 35-year-old play all the matches full-time in the high-pressure WC and still rise to the occasion whenever it mattered? Lionel Messi has transcended his sport.

Let’s listen in to another great sportsman cast in the same mould. Roger Federer, “Fairy Tale stuff, Argentina. Time and again you Leo Messi have redefined greatness. It’s a privilege to watch you. Congrats, Leo. Special and historic.”

So it is that most of the footballing world and fraternity rejoiced when Messi and Argentina lifted the WC trophy. It was both relief and ecstasy after the greatest final game ever played. A fairy tale ending for Messi and his team. A small nugget of interesting trivia. Both Messi and Mbappe, the French star, play for PSG (Paris Saint Germain) which is owned by the Emir of Qatar through the Qatar Sports Foundation. Some things are meant to happen. As Messi’s ( Golden Ball winner) incredible career draws to a close, the 23-year-old Mbappe (Golden Boot winner) will be looking forward to more goals and glory.

It’s a Strange and Bizarre World

Posted on December 14, 2022 by SV Rao

Pedro Castillo, the Peruvian President under the legal scanner, declared a national emergency, dissolved the Congress, and anointed himself as the dictator. Half the capital’s populace came out on the streets to save democracy, the Congress convened to impeach the despot and by the night he had been arrested and jailed. Popular protests continue to dissolve the Congress and hold democratic elections.

In Germany, 25 persons were arrested in a plot to storm the Reichstag parliament, seize power and overthrow the government. The conspirators included members of the extremist Reichburger group (Citizens of the Reich) who do not believe in the legitimacy of the German State. A crackpot movement, harking back to the days of the Kaiser Emperor and then the Fuhrer, was stopped in its tracks because of good intelligence reports and the law and order machinery cracking down. This seditious group was already known for violent protests and racist and anti-Semitic attacks. A cache of 100 lethal weapons was recovered. Also uncovered were plans to execute and arrest people in the government, media and business. Those arrested included an ex-Member of Parliament, a sitting judge, a celebrity chef, and Wilhelm XIII, the ring leader, and an aristocratic real estate baron. Loony times?!! The German police estimate the committed cadres to number around 30,000.

On the 6^th Jan 2021, the US Capitol was stormed by right-wing mobs fed on deranged conspiracy theories of a stolen election. The MAGA coup attempt egged on by Trump was supported by Senators and Congressmen, civil servants, and some media outlets. The evidence is all over the place. During the insurrection attempt, there were chilling chants of ‘Hang Pence’ (the VP) and ‘Where is Nancy?’ (Pelosi- the head of the Democratic-controlled House). Almost 2 years since the shameful event no top conspirator has been arrested and thrown in jail. The venal Trump is going to stand for re-election in 2024. His cult base of almost 30% white adult Americans are rooting for him. Simply put, neither the Justice Department, Congress or President Biden have the balls to indict and arrest this most dangerous of ex-Presidents. His powerful accomplices have also got away with acts of sedition, exposing an impotent legal and administrative system. MSNBC, and CNN have finally started drawing parallels with Peru’s fight for democracy and the German crackdown on the plot to oust the elected Government. Not the normal B.S. about ‘this is not who we are as a people’ or about being the greatest and oldest democracy. Take a leaf out of the Peruvian book. Peru is not ‘the banana republic’. Get the point?!

The USA is a highly polarised nation but it is getting even crazier. Amongst Trump’s fervent supporters are the lunatic Q’ Anon who avow the belief that Trump is waging a secret war against elite Satan-worshipping pedophiles in government, business, media, and entertainment. This cult has grown to scary proportions since its origins in 2017. Also, many rabid evangelical leaders embraced and endorsed the corrupt Donald as the man to right things, especially for the white folks-abolish abortion, and LGBTQ rights and clamp down on immigration. The ‘land of the free and the brave’ also has a rigged and subverted Supreme Court- SCOTUS- which would be a disgrace in any other civilized democracy. Filled with ultra-conservative Trump appointees with lifetime tenure. So SCOTUS has turned the clock back 50 years (Roe v Wade) by declaring abortion illegal except in the rare case of rape victims. The USA has moved even ahead of Indonesia which recently declared sex outside marriage as a criminal offense.

When there is a coup plot in Deutschland (Germany) can Italy be far behind? Giorgia Meloni, the PM is inspired by Mussolini and heads a far-right government. The fascist II Duce (the leader) still has his fan base in Italy. Definitely not good news in 2023 for gay rights, abortion laws, and especially for minorities and immigrants.

We have heard a lot of sermons from the European Union Headquarters in Brussels on democratic values, human rights, freedom of speech… Now the Qatar corruption scandal has blown open the sleaze at the Brussels Institution. A Vice President at the EU along with a few others have been arrested for alleged illicit lobbying for Qatar, money laundering, and for a soft stance in the run-up to the World Cup. Euros 1,50,000 were found in cash at the VP’s apartment and her PR for Qatar in the lead-up to the World Cup and other issues are trending on social media and news channels. The hypocrisy is deafening.

The controversial allotment of the ongoing World Cup to Qatar happened in 2010. The sordid story is well documented in ‘FIFA Uncovered’ on Netflix. This premier sports body is again managed and controlled by major European countries. The scale of greed and manipulation is staggering. Now that the tournament is well on its way, the deaths of thousands of migrant workers whilst constructing the grand stadiums and infrastructure facilities will be reduced to a mere statistic. The appalling living and working conditions will all be forgotten.

The Russia-Ukraine war takes us back to the tense decades of the Cold War. NATO’s reach-out to countries like Ukraine and Finland which border Russia has had Tsar Putin fuming. After all, he was a mid-level KGB operative in East Berlin when the Wall fell in 1989 leading to the collapse of the Soviet Union. If this totally unnecessary war continues Ukraine will be reduced to rubble as is the case with the unfortunate Syria and Yemen. It’s the 70-year-old geopolitics of brinkmanship being played out again and again. No mature diplomacy or well-thought-out response from both sides. The world is certainly not a better place in 2022.

After 2 years of the Covid pandemic seriously undermining the world economy, Putin’s switching off the Nord Stream gas to Europe has ushered in a fresh crisis. A cold winter, double–digit inflation, and looming recession and unemployment.

It’s been 3 years since the outbreak of the Wuhan virus in China through a lab leak. The independent figure of the pandemic mortalities is over 6 million globally, with the World Health Organisation finally admitting to 3 million deaths. Remember – the Secretary General of WHO played PR for China and played down their negligence in the spread of the deadly virus which then mutated into other forms. Recently scientists and researchers from the USA and Europe have admitted to the leak from the Wuhan lab where a ‘Gain of Function’ research was on without adequate safety and security measures. Briefly, the virologists control the ‘serial passaging of micro-organisms to increase their transmissibility, virulence, immunogenicity and host tropism by applying selective pressure to a culture.’ Both the USA and China have conducted these experiments for bio-chemical warfare also. A top US epidemiologist who worked closely with the Wuhan lab for 2 years has recently spoken out that ‘what he saw at the lab terrified him.’ Many US & European scientists have been part of the cover-up as they benefitted from the huge grants in this space- ‘Gain of Function research.’ The close association of some US institutions and private firms with the Wuhan lab is now being exposed. At least an apology from China, WHO, USA, and the top researchers in the know, if no reparations- wishful thinking, what?! The double standards and sheer sense of entitlement are shocking. The Dragon nation is now facing a resurgence of Covid and a record-high number of cases. Leading to Zero Covid lockdowns and unprecedented public protests. The Chinese vaccines are not effective and the wheel has come full circle.

Anti-hijab protests started in Iran more than 4 months back after the tragic death of a young woman in the custody of the moral police. After more than 450 deaths, 2 public executions and thousands of arrests by a brutal, repressive regime, the young and the women agitators remain unbowed. Shockingly, women have been shot in the face and genitals by pellet guns. The movement has now morphed into a resounding call for democracy, equal rights, and a modern State. Yet another nation where the rulers have turned the clock back to 1979-80 instead of progressing forward.

Now, a take on our erstwhile colonial master, the United Kingdom. The Brexit vote in 2016 was a narrow one- 51.8% to 48.2%. Russian hackers swayed the ‘Aye’ voters through images of hordes of brown and black immigrants. The pitch for regaining British sovereignty was a pure hallucination. Within 3 years the volume of British Trade with the EU has slumped by almost 20% and it has had an adverse impact on the labor market in the UK. It’s just a matter of time before foreign investment takes a hit as also the pivotal position of London as a financial capital. As of now, London is the most attractive refuge destination for financial scamsters from across the world. You see the extradition process is tedious and difficult as in the case of Vijay Mallya and Nirav Modi. The country is facing a bleak winter further aggravated by strikes by nurses, rail employees, and many unions. And lest we forget, in the last 5 years there have been 4 Prime Ministers at 10 Downing Street, all from the Conservative Party. Not becoming of a civilized, mature, functioning democracy, is it?!

The West has long patronized and dominated the ‘Third World countries. They have created a lot of hotspots and war zones through their manipulative geo-political games. They have exploited natural and human resources for their own gain subverted emerging democracies and installed puppet rulers. But their hollow preaching and high moral ground stands have gone unopposed and unquestioned for decades. Not anymore. There are many developing nations asserting themselves in a multi-polar world and many voices cutting through these hypocritical posturing. Social media is also exposing the rot with real reporting from the ground. It’s time to reset the equation with the so-called First World. Peru’s tryst with democracy is showing the mirror to the United States of America. The island country of Mauritius not only boasts of a growing economy but has a high literacy rate of over 90%, a life expectancy of 75 years, provides free health care and schooling, and is a beautiful and safe African country to visit. Brazil is a leader and the largest job creator in renewable energy and one of the most respected experts on climate change on the global stage. India’s leadership is being accepted globally not only as the 5th largest economy and a soft power to reckon with but as a responsible military power, especially with hostile neighbors in China and Pakistan. A multi-polar world does not necessarily mean a more peaceful and collaborative world. But it does open up an opportunity by dismantling the old order and having more seats at the global geopolitical table.

The Litmus Test for the Men in Blue

Posted on October 22, 2022 by SV Rao

“The Redeem Team,” currently streaming on Netflix, makes for a fascinating and gripping watch. It documents the humiliating losses of the US basketball team of NBA superstars at the FIBA (International Basketball Federation) Games in 2002 & 2006 and the Athens Olympics in 2004. The dominant Americans had slipped into ‘the bronze age.’ Then followed the mission of the national team to redeem themselves in the eyes of their fervent home fans and regain the respect of the world of basketball. Culminating with the gold medal at the Beijing Olympics in 2008.

At one point in this docudrama, a sports commentator asks whether ‘the money and greed of the NBA’ had diluted and undermined the competitiveness of Team USA on the global stage. So I started connecting the dots between the IPL and the underwhelming performances of the Indian cricket team on big occasions in world cricket. NBA is a huge business and the IPL is now touted to be the second richest sports league in the world. The US national coach says in the film, ‘We have to learn their game to be able to beat them.’ Just as India cricketers have to step out of the IPL celebrity bubble to take on the raw, relentless, and hard-nosed competition at the ICC championships. A US Olympic team player says that ‘the coach has told them to forget about Cleveland, Lakers, Chicago Bulls on their jerseys. This is all about the national team.’ Read- forget about MI, CSK, and RCB on the jerseys. The Men in Blue represent India. Most interestingly, “The Redeem Team’’ refers to 2 Alphas on the court- Kobe Bryant & Lebron James. ‘Also, we don’t care as to who the Alpha is so long as Team USA wins.’ So be it. Does it really matter if 6 or 7 of the Indian team hit a purple patch or 1 Alpha takes us through the semis or finals or 2 new heroes emerge to take India to the ICC T20 championship trophy on the 13th of November in Australia?

In 2007, Kobe Bryant was widely regarded as an arrogant, controversial loner. The best in US basketball and by default the best on the planet. The ‘Kobe, Kobe’ madness in Beijing in 2008 spoke about his global super-stardom. The gold medal at the Olympics took him into the stratosphere- a huge impact player, a team leader, and the man who stepped up his game when it mattered the most- as in the exhilarating finals against Spain. Will Virat Kohli step up to the crease and win key matches for The Men in Blue?! Will he stamp his majesty and class at the ICC T 20 tournament Down Under to universal cheers of ‘King Kohli’?! The moment is now and here.

The great Kapil Dev has rated India’s chances to enter the semis at a mere 30%. Other experts like Sehwag feel that Babar Azam from Pakistan (who has never played in the IPL) will be the highest run-getter at ICC T-20 2022. The Indian team had lost the last tourney without qualifying for the semi-finals. In 2019, in England, India exited the ODI tournament at the semis stage. At the World Test Championships final at Lords, the Kiwis lifted the trophy. There is no silverware to adorn the BCCI cabinets since 2013. Hopefully, this is going to be our very own ‘Redeem Team.’ Bringing back the Winner’s Cup and the medals and the glory.

Quiet Quitting & Why It is Trending

Posted on October 3, 2022 by SV Rao

The phenomenon of ‘Quiet Quitting’ has to be seen in the right perspective. The first, dismissive take was that an increasing number of the workforce is psychologically detached from their jobs and are doing the bare minimum. But in reality, ‘Quiet Quitting’ does not mean that people are spending a miserable 8 to 10 hours a day at the job. ‘It refers to quitting the idea of going above and beyond and no longer subscribing to the hustle culture that work has to be your life.’ The 2-year global pandemic ‘was a pause on the constantly running treadmill.’

The Wuhan virus emerged from a lab leak in China. So does the Quiet Quitting Syndrome. There is a great similarity and link to recent trends amongst Chinese millennials such as ‘touching fish’ (mo yu) in which young people chat about how to pass time by drinking 8-10 glasses of water a day or dancing and exercising during breaks in the office. Such Tik Tok videos became the rage in a country where the ‘Factory to the World’ has many labour camps. Jack Ma, the tech billionaire, had publicly pushed for 12-14 hour work days. The founder of the e-commerce behemoth Ali Baba, who has now been side-lined by the Chinese Communist Party, has now toned down to say that tech advancements would help people work for fewer hours and live longer.

There is enough evidence to establish that this has become a global phenomenon. 50% of the US workforce have defined themselves as Quiet Quitters-doing what the job requires, no more and no less. Setting healthy work boundaries and not working outside routine job hours unless adequately compensated. No emailing after work hours, not responding to messages on the weekend and no off-the-clock meetings. In a sense, this acknowledges the global workforce burnout (52% per Gallup polls) and is being projected as the ultimate mantra for work-life balance. Sadly, India has the lowest well-being worldwide, a measly- 11%. (Gallup 2022 State of Global Workplace Report.).

Whilst Companies continue to talk about employee-centric initiatives to help fight burnout, disengagement and overwork, there is enough research to show that people are working way too much in today’s hyper-connected world. Most employees are fed up with a system that insists on taking their personal time without giving anything in return. So they are reclaiming their powers by just doing their job.

This unhealthy, silent battle is essentially rooted in ‘low conscious leadership’ which creates the Us vs Them dynamic. Organisation leaders are not accepting their crucial role in creating a burn-out culture which now pushes their team members to set the work hours boundaries. Such leaders, and unfortunately their numbers are growing, do not empathise with vulnerability, champion open dialogue, welcome diversity of perspective or ideas or encourage self-care or dignity in the workplace. In a way, quiet quitting is a misnomer for 2 words- ‘toxic culture. The participants are not doing anything radical. They are not sleeping at the wheel. They have just drawn the line- going about their business and performing their functions as required during their agreed-upon work timings.

Quiet Quitting is less about a lack of interest in work than about a Manager’s inability to build bonds. Where are the people who invest time in building one-to-one relations with their teams? Where are the leaders who ask themselves, ‘How best can I support my team members? There are some but their breed is declining. This trend is putting the spotlight on a mechanical work culture where even the manager-employee relations have become transactional. One of the big reasons for Quiet Quitting is the feeling of being underappreciated or even disrespected. To reverse this crisis, a supportive environment has to be created where the employees feel comfortable in voicing that they are deadbeat or that their bandwidth is exhausted; or in taking time off for personal wellness or family; having fun collaborating with colleagues and coming out with innovative solutions for their challenges.

To be an Advocate for the Greater Good, the Manager has to say ‘NO’ to projects and assignments which are beyond his team’s bandwidth. Mobilise more resources to be more efficient and productive instead of piling even more work on employees who are already sorely stretched. Proactive leaders may free some employee capacity by scrapping unproductive meetings; bringing some flexibility to Work from Home norms; by simplifying and streamlining processes. The leader has to become an example for the team for work-life integration. If she/he is addicted to sending emails during the night or calls during lunch break or reviews during weekends, it’s time to sit back and reset the boundaries.

There are, of course, downsides to this trending trend. There are corporate leaders and HR coaches who simply see it as symptoms of tardiness and laziness. Some also suggest that such employees lack the motivation to ladder up or grow as professionals. They are also sarcastically compared to the chronic over-achievers in this all-pervasive all-on culture. Some of these Star-employees tend to be loud and morph into Yes-Men for the Boss. Some others manipulate and project themselves into the Boss’s good books. A co-worker who often stays late at the office or responds to e-mails on Sundays gets the attention & appreciation of the Senior Management. The attitudes and choices of these chosen ones quietly become the norm for the workforce. The flip side is that many figure out that there is no point in channelizing all energy into work where there is a lack of career growth opportunities as they have not signed into the hustle culture. If there is no suitable opportunity outside they settle down quietly under the radar.

Yes, every office and workspace has its share of underperformers and even troublemakers. If they do not mend their ways, they have to be shown the EXIT door. There are HR pundits who castigate the entire bunch of Quiet Quitters as people who are missing out on a chance to feel a real purpose in their lives. In polite lingo, they are branded as ‘Slackers’ or ‘Shirkers’. Many corporate honchos call them out as ‘lazy bums.’ The quiet response is that they are trying to locate their sense of purpose and identity outside their jobs- with family and friends, in hobbies and social work, through spirituality and meditation.

Quiet Quitters are at risk of losing their jobs and being passed over for promotions and salary hikes. But corporates regularly pass over deserving candidates for promotions and salary hikes. They also lay off hard-working people all the time because they have to ‘cut flab’ or because of factors like seniority, personal relationships, failed strategy or just to slash costs. Then, there are leaders who penalise and ignore employees in the hope that they leave off their own accord. This is called ‘Quiet Firing.’

The other real concern that psychologists point out is that emotional detachment at the workplace cannot be confined to the workplace alone. It spills over into the other areas of a person’s life. It permeates into home and family, friends and social life. It can lead to alcohol and drug excesses or even addiction. Well-meaning HR counsellors suggest taking a break, re-evaluating career options, upskilling and doing nothing which undermines the professional reputation or the individual resume.

Quiet Quitting has a big downside for the bosses, who have long relied on employees for extra-long work hours and doing work that is not accounted for in their salaries or job descriptions. Companies may be forced to hire more to achieve productivity goals or business targets rather than expecting current employees to put in 12-hour work days without appropriate rewards or compensations. Hence, there are likely to be massive downstream effects for corporates and industries across the spectrum. CEOs will have to mull over and decide whether they can rely on their existing teams to deliver during a downturn or whether they can afford to fire and replace seasoned quiet quitters in a tight labour market.

Interestingly, an AI start-up claims to offer a solution- analysing emails & slack messages to detect the level of engagement, burn-out and turnover risks amongst employees.

Corporates, Industrial houses, large firms and Institutions can only ignore ‘Quiet Quitting’ at their own peril. A more open-minded, engaged and grounded leadership can stem the flow of this malaise and can even turn the growing tide of employee disenchantment.

The Sinister Art of Covert Warfare

Posted on September 10, 2022 by SV Rao

John Adams, the second US President, had prophetically said, “The two ways to conquer and enslave a country is by the sword, the other way through debt.”

The USA, the undisputed super-power after WW2, suffered humiliating military defeats in Vietnam and Afghanistan after many years of occupation. But for decades their geo-political strategy, as supposed leaders of the Free World, was to install puppet rulers to do their bidding. They rolled out 800+ military bases across the globe in a show of sheer power. US controlled institutions like the IMF and the World Bank doled out loans to the developing and poor countries. As they got sucked into the quicksand of debt, the Americans took over their natural resources and cheap labour. Arms sales further pushed these nations into US subservience. Colonization- without the burden of actual occupation. Please read ‘The Confessions of an Economic Hitman’ by John Perkins to get the real picture.

Xi Jinping, the Chinese strongman, has delusions of being the Emperor of China. In 2013, ‘The One Belt One Road’ (now Belt & Road) initiative was launched with grand fanfare. To supposedly promote trade, commerce and development in partnership with over 100 countries across the world. What happened? The $ 300 million power plant in Tajikistan has made the country a China vassal state. Default has led to take-over of the gold and silver mines. A debt-ridden Angola is now supplying cheap oil to its benefactor. The Hambantota port in Sri Lanka is’ a white elephant’, adding no value to the local economy. The corrupt ‘Gotta Go’ Rajapaksa family perfectly fits into the profile of leaders the Chinese government wants to deal with. The Chinese research vessel which docked at the port for a few days is a naval warship used to track down satellites and missiles. China has already established a naval facility at Djibouti on the Horn of Africa. It’s said that the Sri Lankans are reeling under a $12 billion debt from China. In fact much more. The Chinese banks, monitored by the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) have also loaned big.

Pakistan has become a willing pawn to the Dragon’s scheme of things. Govt to Govt debt of $ 26 billion has made it a basket case. The majestic African Union (AU) headquarters in Ethiopia has been built by Chinese loan money, Chinese contractors and workers and even their food sent over from mainland China. As the African countries cope with the debt, the Chinese have already cashed in. Also Huawei cameras have been installed to spy on their African brethren leaders.

The factory to the world plans to rule the world. Markets + Natural Resources + humongous geo-political influence. Many of these countries are being coerced to vote for & support China on critical issues like Taiwan and human atrocities in the Xin Jiang province.

Vladimir Putin was a middle level KGB operative in East Berlin when the Berlin wall fell in 1989. Followed by the collapse of the Soviet Union. This trauma has dictated his world view and it helps that millions of Russians think the same. The Ukraine invasion was triggered by the NATO overreach. But control and supply of oil and gas to Europe is what the news headlines are now all about. Europe and especially Germany are in for a harsh and long winter. Putin has turned off the Nord Stream gas pipeline. The Continent is now reeling with the heat-wave and high inflation and is bracing for the inevitable recession. If you add the fact that Russia and Ukraine are amongst the world’s major wheat exporters, the consequences are even more alarming.

Trump has always been Putin’s puppet. The Tsar probably has the dirt on him-peeing on the bed occupied by President Obama during his Moscow visit or doing something more in keeping with the Donald’s playboy image. Russian oligarchs also got together to secretly bail out the distressed Trump Org through a major European Bank. Likewise, the Saudis sent $2billion to Jared Kushner’s (Trump son-in-law) dwindling account to control the fall-out of the brutal murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi reportedly at the behest of MBS.

The army of hackers in St Petersburg have attained cult status. They delivered Brexit to Putin with the Ayes at 51.9%. Social media was flooded with images of hordes of immigrants from the Middle East & Asia. In 2016, the same ploy had helped to get Trump into the White House. Only, then the hordes were from Mexico and South America. Indian economic institutions, corporates and infrastructure utilities are major targets of hacking, mainly from China and North Korea. A hack attempt on JNPT port was thwarted a few months ago. Imagine if the ATC (Air Traffic Control) of a major airport like Dubai or Heathrow is hacked- with flights grounded for days the financial losses will be huge. A few years’ back 60 trusts of UK’s NHS (National Health Service) bore the brunt of a cyber- attack with ransomware demands. 20% of the UK Health Service was crippled. It has still not been established whether the Russian State or a criminal group from the US were behind the attacks.

In this age of frenzied social media, misinformation by hostile powers is the name of the game. Take for example the controlled propaganda narrative about the prolonged Farmers’ Agitation in India. Public protests and rallies are an integral part of any democracy. Yes, the genuine grievances of the farmer community deserves to be heard and addressed with sensitivity and respect. But it soon became obvious that a very grim picture was being created, hyped and funded by controllers in Canada, USA and UK. As if the entire country had come to a stand-still. The underlying objective was to create chaos and malign and embarrass the Government of the day. Even PM Trudeau jumped on to the bandwagon to satisfy a segment of his vote-base as did some western celebrities for the lure of Mammon. But Karma hit back. The transporters strike in Canada against some Covid-19 regulations saw Trudeau hiding from the public eye for days and then emerging to declare a national emergency. Hence, spreading toxicity, stoking social unrest and fanning law and order problems is the subversive agenda of such ‘warriors.’

The proxy war through radicalised terrorists has been going on for more than 30 years. Major outfits like the Ku Klux Klan (now morphed into Proud Boys), Red Army, Black September, ISIS, Boko Haram have done their work and spread their message . Young men, brainwashed on-line, are now weaponizing motor vehicles to kill and maim and to spread terror as they did in London and Spain in 2017. Interestingly, after 9/11 an unknown assailant sent weaponised anthrax through US mail in an unsuccessful attempt to kill members of the US Congress. Disruption, fear, instability and more free lancers recruitment ensues.

Insidious infiltration of the political parties, journalists and academia has been the game-plan of the CIA & KGB from the 1950’s onwards. ‘The Mitrokhin Papers’ (KGB archivist who fled to the UK) reveals how top Indian leaders and bureaucrats were compromised by the KGB in the 60’s. The Comrade ideology was soon embraced by journalists, writers, poets, professors and even some in the film industry. Vodka, honey-traps and money did the trick where Ideology did not deliver. Now the Chinese are up to the same tricks. Besides India, Australia, Indonesia, Philippines, Eastern Europe and South America are on their radar. In India, we have heard some netas screaming that the People’s Liberation Army has occupied over 2500 square km of Indian land over the last 2 years. Debunked by international intelligence agencies of standing and repute. The Lab leak of the Wuhan virus and gross negligence by China has been downplayed by some of our top TV channels and newspapers. Moreover some human rights activists and NGO’s have kept eerily silent on the brutal pogrom run by the CCP against the 1 million Uyghur Muslims in the Xin Jiang province of China. Surely, the Comrade-rie is growing.

The Wuhan Lab leak happened when a ‘Gain of Function’ research was on.” This refers ‘to serial passaging of micro-organisms to increase their transmissibility, virulence, immunogenicity and host tropins by applying selective pressure to the culture.’’ A Red Flag alert to the scary scenario of bio-chemical warfare. The USA sprayed Agent Orange and napalm bombed Vietnam with brutality. They weaponised and stockpiled 7 bio-agents by the time they shamefully exited Vietnam. Saddam Hussein’s stockpile of chemical weapons was unleashed on the Kurds and during the Iraq-Iran war. Russia used Novichock nerve agents to murder political opponents in Salisbury, England in 2018.

The other intriguing facet enabling the Art of the unconventional power-scramble is the undermining of independent international institutions. The IMF & the World Bank were run by the US for decades. The WHO played tango with China to cover-up the country’s responsibility in the origin and spread of the pandemic which cruelly enveloped the world for 2 years. The UN and the Security Council are clearly impotent in dealing with tragic crises like Yemen, Syria or the Ukraine war. This has led to an unstable and untrusted world order. India as the largest democracy, the most populated nation and the 5^th biggest economy in the world does not have a seat as a Permanent Member of the Security Council. This tells the whole story of the power struggles in the elite, self-serving club and the overwhelming desire for control.

Conventional war-fare is no longer the preferred option for the big powers. If wealthy Europe can be brought to its knees by shutting down the Nord Stream gas line, why not?! Hacking and disrupting the Pentagon or a financial powerhouse sends an incredibly strong message. A much wanted terrorist in Kabul can be taken out by a drone attack. Planted news articles and relentless social media propaganda can diminish a country, manoeuvre an election there or even topple a legitimate government. Sinister disinformation and conspiracy theories can lead to riots and even civil wars. The Remote, covert way of warfare is now the espoused strategy by both States and fanatical groups. The world may not be on the brink of WW3 despite all the noise and posturing but the world is certainly a very troubled and uncertain place.

The Men in Blue 2.0

Posted on September 5, 2022 by SV Rao

The Asia Cup cricket tournament is on and the Men in Blue are serving their customary fare. Flatter to deceive. Winning their opening outing against arch-rivals Pakistan in a thriller and then just succumbing to them in their next encounter. This does not augur well for the national cricket team in the T 20 WC to be played in Australia in October-November this year. The only positive takeaways have been the return to form of master batsman Virat Kohli and some high adrenaline performances from Hardik Pandya and Surya Kumar Yadav.

Let us set the bar high. Win the Asia Cup to propel the side to win the Major-Down-Under. With our cricketers getting the VVIP treatment both in money terms and fame, should we settle for less? With an abundance of talent, with an amazing bench-strength the National cricket team is underperforming on the biggest stages of all.

Men in Blue 2.0. A lot is expected from the players under the mentorship of Rahul Dravid. But his innings thus far has been a mixed bag. The highs have been the 2-1 ODI win and 2-1 T 20 victory against a resurgent England side in England earlier this year. The down-side was allowing them to draw the Test series 2-2 in the one-off Test. One may add beating the West Indies on their home turf in the ODI 3-0 and T 20 by 4-1. The Windies are a very combative side in the T 20 format. They won the ICC trophies in 2012 and 2016. The loss to South Africa 2-1 in Tests and 3-0 in ODI’s hurts. Remember-Kohli resigned from captaincy after the loss of the Test series. There are Statistics and then there are Impact Stats. Winning matches on SENA (South Africa, England, New Zealand, and Australia) tours define the aura for the Indian cricket team. The conditions+ pitches+ opposition take these contests to another level of grit, flair and competition. Plus, plus, plus lifting the ICC World Cup trophies across formats- Tests, ODI’s, T 20’s. These test the nerves and temperament, the skills and adaptability of the best of cricketers. The best that can be said as of now is that the Indian cricket team under Head Coach Dravid is still to find its mojo. Let’s hope that the unit hits top gear soon. A trivia worth sharing- in his 10 month stint thus far Dravid has worked with 7 Indian captains.

Bilateral series wins on Indian turf cannot be discounted. But Indian teams across the last 2 decades and more have stood tall on home pitches. A couple of years back the bombastic coach Shastri hailed the Indian team as the best ever to represent the country. Really?! A reality check is in order per the SENA tours and the big ICC trophies. We lost the Test series 4-1 to England in 2018; ODI 2-1; T 20 2-1. Lost the Test Series to New Zealand 2-0 in 2020. The high point has been the never-say-die Test tour of England in 2021 where India led the Test Series 2-1 with the hosts levelling the series 2-2 earlier this year. And the T 20 away win in Kiwi-land in 2020. Much hype has been created about our 2018-19 victory tour of Australia. To spell out the context. The Aussies were still shamefully coping with the cheating scandal called ‘Sandpapergate’- ball tampering on the South African tour. Their top players Smith and Warner had been suspended for a year. Morale was at a grim low. Players were booed by their own people across all the venues. The Miracle Down Under under Rahane in 2021 is the real thing. The 36 all-out in the First Test. Losing top players to injury. Against All Odds. The rest is history.

World Cup silverware has not adorned BCCI shelves since the Championship trophy of 2013. Losing the Test Championship at Lords to New Zealand in 2021. Exiting the ODI semi-final in England in 2019. Not making it to the knock-out stage at the 2021 T 20 tournament. Let’s hark back to those who wore the Indian cap and colours in the earlier years. Winners of the ICC World Cup in 1983 and 2011. The T 20 WC in 2007. The Champions trophy in 2002 and 2013. Runners up at the ODI WC in 2003 and T 20 in 2014.

Stats can be spun to suit the narrative. Social media can amplify and distort the same. Is the Indian cricket team in the same league as the majestic Windies team of the late 70’s and 80’s? Or the great Australian side under Waugh and Ponting? These teams dominated the game for almost a decade. The Caribbean Calypsos did not lose a series for 10 years and more. Beyond the wins and the silver-ware they influenced and changed how the game of cricket was played. Interestingly, it was India that stopped the Windies juggernaut at Lords ’83 and again India that shattered the Aussie dreams of capturing the Last Frontier in 2001.

Shrug, shrug. In the opinion of many the challenge of the SENA tours and losing out on ICC majors does not seem to matter. After all, India is the centre of gravity of the cricketing world. Are we suffering from the Super Bowl syndrome of American football?! The IPL is the second richest sports league in the world after the English Premier League. Hope that Indian cricket is not affected by the curse of English football. The most followed football league on the planet but no major trophy for the English team since WC 1966. The powers that be and the Influencers of Indian cricket should understand that the fortunes of the IPL are inextricably linked to the fortunes of the Men in Blue.

Let’s look at other sports. The Spanish football team dominated the world of football for 5 years from 2008 to 2012.They won the European Championships in 2008 and 2012 and the World Cup in 2010. The 2010 team is considered by some pundits as the greatest of all time. Now 12 years on, can you remember any marquee names? Possibly one or two in one of the best football squads ever. To quote from one of the experts, “the journey of the treble of trophies was a long time coming for La Roja. After years of near misses and underachievement, Spain’s golden generation-produced largely by Barcelona and Real Madrid- became an unstoppable force.”

Let’s look at individual icons in a team sport. Lionel Messi is right up there in the stratosphere of football all-time greats. Some consider him the G.O.A.T. (Greatest of All Time) for his magical skills and abilities on the football field. But what haunted this Superstar was that he had not won any major tournament with the Argentina team. Till the Copa America in 2021. That he propelled his national team to the WC final in 2014 (1-0) loss to Germany or 2 successive Copa America finals in 2015-2016 did not count. At the top levels in international sports- the World Cups, Grand Slams, Continental Championships, Olympics- it’s holding aloft the trophy or wearing the gold medal that matters.

Domination of the game in all 3 formats is the only ticket for the Men in Blue into crickets ‘Immortal Hall of Fame.’ As ardent well-wishers we hope that the time starts now and continues for a few years on.

Is The IPL Losing Its Appeal??!!

Posted on May 7, 2022 by SV Rao

Is the popularity of the Indian Premier cricket League going down? The tell-tale signs are all around. Even 2 or 3 years ago, millions of fans were glued to the TV whenever their favourite player or team was in action. The next day, the match was the talking point amongst friends and in colleges and offices. Bars and Pubs were packed during key IPL fixtures for the high of the collective sporting spectacle experience. Such was the draw of the tournament that no major film was released during this period. Going to the stadium to watch a game with family and friends was an event to celebrate and to revel in through multiple shared selfies. Now, all that buzz and chatter has gone. Even many devout cricket followers are not clued in to which teams played the previous night. Those animated discussions have died down. The charm of the game has in a sense worn off.

In the first week of IPL 2022, TV viewership (as per BARC) dropped from 267 million to 229 million. The second week took the decline to 33%. The huge success story of the IPL is wrapped around TRP and TV viewership. Now there is a growing concern amongst advertisers and sports marketing professionals about the monetisation potential of this 2 month-long tournament. Public interest is waning; eyeball counts have dropped. But the BCCI lives in a bubble. From 2023-27, the Board is seeking to double the media rights from Rs 16,500 crs to Rs 33,000 crores. The same over-the-top spirit persuaded the RPG Goenka group to bid more than Rs 7000 crs to get the rights for the new franchise-Lucknow Super Giants. Dr Goenka believes that LSG will be worth more than $ 2 billion in just 2 years. I say, talk about hitting the ball out of the park!!!!!! The CVC Capitals won the rights for the Ahmedabad based Gujarat Titans by shelling out a mammoth Rs 5625 crs. Look at even the supporting cast of players. Pruthvi Shaw, who has not yet proved to be an Impact player or crowd-puller has been retained by DC for Rs 7.5 crs. Venkatesh Iyer (KKR) and Abdul Samad (SRH) who were auctioned for Rs 20 lakhs just a year back have moved into the Rs 8 crs and Rs 4 crs zone, I suppose on the basis of potential?! Hard-nosed businessmen seem to have been bowled over by the allure of cricket.

Some of the stakeholders and pundits have shrugged off this slump as a temporary phase. The heat wave and the exam season have not helped matters. Scheduling of afternoon matches has been a blunder. The blip is because favoured teams like CSK and MI have been underperforming; superstars like Virat Kohli, MSD and Rohit Sharma are having a lean patch. And all the matches are being played out in Mumbai, Pune and finally in Ahmedabad. The local fan fervour is missing. Point taken.

But are we missing the willow wood for the trees? Is there an overdose of cricket in India?? The IPL now has 10 teams-74 matches- over 65 days. The Indian cricket team has a busy schedule and tours across the 3 formats. So the volume of cricket served to the Indian cricket fan is very heavy. Is this overdose of cricket not being digested?! Furthermore, the fare served in the Premier League has become monotonous and predictable. Intensity and competitiveness are lacking. Those tight, edge-of-the-seat matches have become rare. Rather than hard-fought team contests with flashes of brilliance and super skills, the tournament has become more about PR and hype and a glamour circus. The loyal and even frenzied following enjoyed by a Manchester United or Arsenal in the EPL or Barcelona and Real Madrid in the La Liga have been built up over decades. There is a glorious history and tradition attached to the clubs with classic rivalries and the marquee players. The IPL is only 15 years old. Most of the viewership has not been built around the teams but around the celebrity personas of King Kohli and Thala MSD. Players like Chris Gayle, ABD or Rashid Khan have added to the TRP ratings. But the celebrations or disappointment is not acute or heartfelt as most fans are not really invested in any team. For instance, the vociferous support on social media for RCB to win the trophy for the first time is driven largely by the cult of Kohli. But I do hope that the Bengaluru team wins. If only to see Virat Kohli back with match-winning knocks in India colors.

It is high time that the format be changed to make the game more interesting. Commentator Aakash Chopra has come out with some game-changing ideas. The key one being that a team winning the game comprehensively within 10 overs should get bonus points. This will keep the competition simmering till late into the league matches phase as an X factor. Another oft-heard recommendation is the inclusion of 5 foreign players in the playing XI to boost the standard and quality of the cricket. Likewise only the most experienced and best umpires should take the field in this elite league, helped and supported by the best solutions technology has to offer. Another interesting idea is that of a strategic substitute. A batter or bowler can voluntarily retire to make way for a substitute from the dug-out who can best deliver in that game situation with the rider that this be a one-off option with the substitute player having not yet actively played in the match.

It is also high time that the powers that be introduced the football yellow and red card practice in this tournament. The yellow card as a caution or warning to a cricketer who sledges, curses and abuses, throws tantrums or wastes time or cheats. The red card to evict a crass player who has really crossed the line of acceptable behaviour. With no substitution allowed and the guilty being benched for the next match also and with a punitive monetary deterrent in place. The celebrity bubble-dom of IPL cricket has taken its toll on good sportsmanship which once enhanced the charm and dignity of the game of cricket. The raw aggression of Kohli has found many, many admirers amongst his legion of fans but has also rubbed off on many of our younger stars. In IPL 2022 itself, we have seen a seething Pant send his coach Pravin Amre onto the field to protest an umpiring call while possibly gesturing to his batters to come back; KL Rahul’s consistent breaches of fair play as captain; Hardik Pandya’s gaalis at his own senior team-mate Shami; most disappointingly Rohit Sharma’s expansion of his coarse vocabulary even as he fails to score runs. The players need to be held to a higher standard. The blatant commercialisation of the IPL and its vacuous culture has to be reined in. Perhaps with cricket marketed as entertainment, the IPL is going the WWE way. Unfortunately, our TV experts and even well-known ex-cricketers have morphed into cheerleaders and PR spin masters as they have jumped onto the gravy train. The game of cricket is the loser. An interesting aside is that in a recent of his never-ending interviews ex-coach Shastri declared that he had moulded the Indian cricket team to match the relentless aggression of the Australians, “If the other sledged, give back to him threefold. Twice in your own language and once in English.” The young stars are certainly making their mentor proud. Wonder what ‘Indiranagar ka goonda’ thinks about all this.

The dark side of the tournament is fairly recent history. Match-fixing and spot-fixing, which resulted in CSK and RR being banned for 2 years. But the biggies involved got away without even a slap on the wrist. The danger lurks around the corner in the form of the underworld betting and drug syndicates. The IPL is very vulnerable and another major fixing scandal can take down the entire IPL edifice. Even the most passionate Indian cricket followers will lose their faith in the game. This is one area where the administrators and security people cannot take their eyes off the ball. The Sharjah tournament of the 90’s was controlled by the D Company with Asif Iqbal, the Pakistani cricketer, as the flagbearer.

Indian and world cricket have certainly benefitted manifold from this cash-rich league. The fitness of cricketers is now front and centre and this is clearly seen in the fielding agility and the athleticism on the cricket field. It will be befitting if this third dimension of the game- fielding- is given more prominence through the IPL cameras. With our youngsters rubbing shoulders with foreign greats, their confidence levels and cricketing skills have primed up. Plus the opportunities that the tournament has opened up for talented aspirants from across the country- remember Bumrah was spotted by MI scouts and nurtured by the franchise before he became India’s strike bowler. Then there is the heart–warming story about how it has helped put Afghan cricket on the world map.

India is at the epicentre of global cricket with BCCI being the richest cricket body. But the Board may well be killing the goose that lays the golden eggs. The Indian passion for cricket has been ignited and fuelled over generations by the achievements of the national cricket team. The fortunes of the IPL is irrevocably tied to the performance of the Men in Blue. Over the last many years, the team has flattered to deceive at the majors. The entire focus and planning should be on winning the trophies at the ICC tournaments across formats and being triumphant on the SENA tours. Our best players should be rested to avoid the fatigue and burn-out of non-stop cricket. There should be acclimatized- warm-up matches in the run-up to an important overseas series. The Miracle Down Under with Rahane at the helm was savoured and feted by cricket followers all over the country and served as a humongous boost for the game. The Indian cricket fan will have no patience or regard for get-rich-quick IPL players if they do not give their all for the India cap and flag. Sincerely hope that the cricket administrators, selectors, players and pundits see beyond the glitter and the money; that they value and respect and appreciate what the game of cricket really means to the people of this vast land.

Why Bollywood’s Profits Are Going South?

Posted on February 11, 2022 by SV Rao

Bollywood has long been considered as the Big Brother of the Indian film industry. Today, the Mumbai based film world is synonymous with glitz and glamour; big money and scandals; pan-India reach and an expanding global footprint; some hits and many more misses; a well-oiled PR machinery to spin the make-believe; and of course the mellifluous appeal of Hindi film music and songs.

Indian cinema, in other languages, were dubbed as Regional cinema. Yes, there was recognition and awareness about the Titans- MGR and Sivaji Ganesan from the Tamil film world, NTR and ANR from Andhra Pradesh, Kannada film star Dr Rajkumar and the prolific Prem Nazir from the State of Kerala. The last named holds the Guinness Book record for playing the lead in 520 films. But all these legends did not have an All India audience for their movies.

The other X factor or dimension was that Raj Kapoor with his ‘Laal Topi Russi’ (from the song Mera Joota Hai Japani– Shree 420) had won a lot of hearts in the erstwhile Soviet Union and China. Amitabh Bachchan wowed audiences across the Middle East and South East Asia and clicked with the Indian diaspora everywhere. But the Bollywood media did not acknowledge the fact that the Rajnikanth phenomenon was not confined to Southern India but had spread to Japan- with the release of his film Muthu in 1998- or as the Japanese called it – Odura Maharaja or Dancing Maharaja.

But now the landscape has dramatically changed. By 2020, the combined revenues of the South Indian film industry had surpassed the collections of the Hindi film industry, with Tollywood (Telugu) and Kollywood (Tamil) leading the pack. The game changer has been the release of Baahubali –the Beginning in 2015 and Baahubali 2 in 2017. Part 1 grossed Rs 650 crs at the global BO and the Part 2 collected a staggering 1810 crs. Pipped at the post by only Dangal with Rs 2024 crs, with 60% coming from the China market. But in the Indian market Baahubali 2 The Conclusion reigns supreme at the cash counters with a net lifetime collection of Rs 510 crs. It also registered the highest estimated footfall for any film in India since Sholay in 1975. The ambition, scale and sheer imagination of these S S Rajamouli movies are in sync with the title. They delved into both the Indian tradition and the Epics and hence resonated across the country. Even those generally not interested in the movies flocked to the theatres to soak in the experience. Baahubali 1 & 2 did not feature any major Bollywood star but won a pan India audience. Instead Prabhas, Anushka Shetty and the character called Kattappa became household names. Even more significantly, the Baahubali mania earned respect for South Indian film makers and the technicians.

Other movie makers from the Regions stepped in to break the mould. Shankar’s Tamil sci-fi opus 2.0 was made at a budget of Rs 400 crs, probably the most expensive Indian film ever. KGF cost Rs 80 crs to make and market, unheard of for a Kannada film. The recent super-hit Telugu film Pushpa The Rise worked on a budget of Rs 180 crs. All these producers and financiers have shattered the local barriers and dreamt on an All India and even global scale. All the films have been released, dubbed in 3-4 South languages plus Hindi. All have broken records and ejected the status-quoist and even patronising mind-sets. The Rajnikanth starrer 2.0 with its special VFX effects comes in at no 2 on the Indian BO ratings and pulled in around Rs 190 crs on the Hindi circuit. KGF has broken ground on both counts- breaching the Rs 100 crs barrier on home turf and crossing Rs 250 crs in total collections. The slow burn gangster drama, led by the charismatic Yash, had mixed reviews but resonated with single screen audiences well beyond Karnataka. Allu-Arjun’s Pushpa has scored a century in BO terms in the Hindi belt and again mostly through single screens. A story about red-sandalwood smuggling it has the smell of the soil and has appealed to cine-goers especially in the tier 2 towns. Whilst many Bollywood producers are stuck in their multiplex ivory towers. Another key factor in the success story are the peppy songs and the dance numbers which have gone viral on You Tube. The Hindi film industry has lost its feel for even catchy songs and groovy dance numbers which had contributed so much to its growth and appeal.

The theatrical release of Rajamouli Garu’s next magnum-opus RRR has been deferred because of Covid restrictions. This saga of freedom fighters in the India of the 1920’s has created huge hype and expectations. How times have changed. This time around the Bollywood bigwigs will carefully plan the release of their films after knowing when RRR is going to hit the cinema halls.

The OTT platforms and the prolonged Covid lockdowns have played a seminal part in changing both audience expectations and awareness. Now, with just 2 or 3 clicks they are watching a regional film or a foreign movie with sub-titles or dubbed in their preferred language. Good films from the South have piqued the interest of millions of film buffs and have ticked a lot of boxes. The natural acting of the Malayalam film icon Mohanlal in Drishyam 2 has simply blown away the watchers and social media has kicked in to spread the good word. Fahadh Faasil has created a fan following outside Kerala on the strength of his performances and especially his chilling portrayal in Kumbalangi Nights. Audiences woke up to the talent of Vijay Sethupathi after watching his depiction of a trans-woman in Super Deluxe. Then there are the inevitable comparisons with some much –hyped Bollywood stars who are trapped in their comfort zone and keep repeating themselves.

Film audiences are also raising the bar on content. Even a masala film has to be entertaining, not mindless fare. Like Jathi Ratnalu the rollicking Telugu film of the Andaz Apna Apna genre. Take Jai Bhim the social-legal drama based on a true story in Tamil Nadu- It has the highest IMDb ratings of any Indian film on an OTT platform-9.3. And one of the lowest IMDb rating goes to- Salman bhai’s Radhe at 2.1. Tamil star Suriya who produced and acted in this intense and controversial film had earlier backed Soorarai Pottru, a fictionalised version of the book Simply Fly by Capt Gopinath the founder of Air Deccan. It was the only Indian film eligible for the Best Picture Oscar nomination in 2021. The political satire made for television, Mandela, is worth watching on Netflix because of the sheer quality of filmmaking.

The Bombay/Mumbai film industry owes a lot to the Southern fraternity. Studios like Vijaya Productions and Devar Films bankrolled major films like Ram aur Shyam and Haathi Mere Saathi. Of course, Padmalaya Productions kept a fit Jeetendra going through his PT exercise dance sequences with Sridevi and Jayaprada in loud, family melodramas. Let’s take a dekko at the never ending list of remakes. Hrithik Roshan”s next is Vikram Vedha based on the Tamil hit of the same name. Shahid Kapoor’s career was resurrected by Kabir Singh, a remake of the Telugu film Arjun Reddy. Ajay Devgan has featured in 10 such projects, the latest being Kaithi. And lest we forget the roll call of honour for famous Hindi film heroines- Vyjayanthimala and Waheeda Rehman, Hema Malini and Rekha, Sridevi and Jaya Prada….

Other than the big producers and financiers, the people who really call the shots in Bollywood are the distributors and theatre chain owners. They have burnt their hands badly over the last few years with debacles like 1983, Radhe, Thugs of Hindustan, Zero and Bombay Velvet all featuring the elite stars of the Mumbai filmi duniya. The South has taught them umpteen lessons on how mega films can deliver mega results. It is not a coincidence that Karan Johar who invested in Baahubali 2 The Conclusion is backing the much awaited Brahmastra with Randhir Kapoor. They are also keenly aware that the Return on Investment ( ROI) is much higher and the Risk factor considerably lower on movies shouldered by the second-line star actors like Ayushman Khurana (Andhadhun) , Vicky Kaushal (Uri) and the late Sushant Singh Rajput (Chichore). Made at modest budgets ranging from Rs 50 crs to Rs 35 crs they have grossed Rs 435 crs Rs 285 crs and Rs 225 crs respectively. Despite having limited screen release in the range of 800-1200 screens. These movie mandarins are also clued in to the big Hindi movie release formula- Eid-Diwali-Christmas. 4000 screens and hiked up multiplex ticket rates. The footfalls dropping dramatically in the second week. And those with their ears to the ground know that the days of the Super Star may well be over. Actors like Manoj Bajpayee in Family Man and Pratik Gandhi in Scam 1992 have created a large viewership, who eagerly awaits their next venture, albeit on a streaming channel.

For Bollywood, the writing is on the big screen. The language barrier is no longer holding. Their hold on the pan-India market is diminishing. On the world stage, the Indian film industry has a long way to go to feature on the same page as Hollywood or the Chinese film industry. China with 70000+ screens grossed over $9.3 billion in movie revenue in 2019 (pre-Covid). The Hollywood North America box office gross was $11.4 billion in 2019 plus the rich overseas collections for their Superhero and Fantasy offerings. Movies like Spiderman and Avengers with their multiple language release have a huge market in India. With 44,000 screens in the US of A there is a robust infrastructure for the cine-goers. One of the biggest challenges for our film industry is the paucity of screens-only 6327 single screens and 3200 multiplex screens for the approx. 1700 films made every year. Many of them do not even find a release date. The overall revenue of Indian cinema reached $2,7 billion in 2019. That same year the global box office was worth $42.2 billion.

It’s also just a matter of time before a Bengali or a Marathi film becomes an All India rage. Some of the best Hindi film classics have been made by masters like Bimal Roy and Hrishikesh Mukherjee. And Marathi movies have come of age with offerings like Tumbaad, a horror fantasy, Court, an intimate social-legal drama and Natsamrat which is influenced by Shakespeare’s King Lear and showcases Nana Patekar in the role of a lifetime. Also don’t be surprised if a Punjabi, Odiya, Bhojpuri or Gujarati film makes the breakthrough and punches far above its regional weight.

It’s a happening, exciting time for the Southern India film industry. Also a wake-up call for Bollywood to get its act together.

(Soures: Box Office Data/Stats/Figures sourced from- Box Office Diary, Box Office Hungama, Indian Cinema-Wikipedia, SACNIK, Statista, Hollywood Reporter)

It Takes Guts to Be in this Racquet

Posted on February 3, 2022 by SV Rao

Photo by Cristina Anne Costello on Unsplash

Rafa Nadal’s epic win at the Australian Open (AO) has sent seismic waves through the sporting world. The MARCA Sports News aptly captured the moment, “… when someone tells you something is impossible, think about Rafa.” Just 6 months earlier he was on crutches. He tested Covid positive in December 2021 and went into home quarantine. Beating the world no 2, Medvedev, 10 years younger and raring to go; 2 sets down and 3 match points down in the 3^rd set; winning a gruelling 5 setter in 5 hours and 24 mins. Boris Becker had once said,’ the fifth set is not about tennis. It is about the head and the heart.’

His good friend, arch-rival and tennis legend Roger Federer paid this classy tribute, “Never underestimate a great champion. Your incredible work ethic, dedication and fighting spirit are an inspiration to me and countless others around the world. I am proud to share this era with you and honoured to play a role in pushing you to achieve more as you have done for me for the past 18 years. A few months ago we were joking about being on crutches.”

The first few years for the young Nadal on the professional circuit were brutal. Stress fracture to the left ankle in 2004, foot injury in 2005, knee injuries in 2007, 2008, 2009. In his book ‘Rafa’ published in 2011, he admitted to contemplating ditching the sport and play golf instead. The trauma continued. A lengthy lay-off after Wimbledon in 2012; missing the US Open in 2014 with a wrist injury; sitting out Wimbledon 2016 because of a torn tendon in the left wrist. The Spaniard wryly started talking about an expiration date. But he returned to sweep the French Open from 2017-2020 and win the US Open 2017&2019. Plagued by injuries!! In June 2021, he pulled out of the Wimbledon and the Olympics- ‘to listen to his body and recuperate.’

The tennis experts have marvelled about his game. The spin and bounce that he creates especially through his forehand, often causing the ball to bounce more than expected. His ability to return almost anything with incredible speed. But the Nadal Effect is far bigger than the sport he represents. The Croatian Real Madrid midfielder Luka Modric had this to say after the famous AO win, “How well you represent the value of sports, Mr Rafael Nadal.” An emotion shared across the world of sports. A B De villiers, Mr 360, remarked, “Rafa always shows us what sport is all about. Respect for the opponent and the game. Incredible fight till the end. Humility, irrespective of his achievements.”

The way Rafa has conducted himself on and off the court has been remarkable. When repeatedly pressed on his 21^st Grand Slam win he shrugged it off with “I don’t care if I am the GOAT (Greatest of All Time). I am super satisfied and feel like a very lucky person in general for all the good things that happen to me in life. I am not going to be frustrated if Novak or Roger finish careers with more Grand Slams than me. Let’s enjoy the situation. We did very special things in our sport. The other things don’t matter.”

It’s not surprising that way back in 2008 the tennis champ and his mother founded the ‘Rafa Nadal foundation.’ ‘To try to help and give back to society all the luck we have and how well life has treated us. To bring into play the transformative power of education and sports. For the disadvantaged children.’ The Foundation has also embraced the care of the children with intellectual disabilities and the cause of social integration of vulnerable kids. A Nadal educational and tennis school was set up at Anantpur in India in 2010. The students from poor communities are assured of academic support, tennis coaching, nutritious meals and basic health care. Toni Nadal, his uncle and well known coach heads the Tennis Academy which opened in Mallorca, Spain and is now home to 130 youngsters. The Academy courts have since rolled out in Greece and Kuwait also.

The other much feted tennis star Roger Federer has transcended his sport to become a global cultural icon. His 20 Grand Slam triumphs and innumerable ATP tournament wins have just added to his aura- oozing cool, charm and charisma. But the young Roger was prone to outbursts and tantrums and bouts of laziness. At Roland Garros in 2000, his first year on tour, he created an unseemly racket by throwing his racquet 4 times in succession. In 2001, his loss at the Hamburg Open was exacerbated by his unsportsmanlike behaviour. The emotional turning point came with the death of his coach Peter Carter in a car accident in August 2002. The young Swiss tennis player was devastated and bawled his heart out. He made a decision to change his life amidst ferocious grief. Now with an acute sense of mortality, he started seeing a sports psychologist (The Roger Federer Story- the Quest for Perfection by Rene Stauffer). “So… so his phenomenal mental strength was not a natural gift but a learned skill. He decided to combat Fire with Ice. Have fire and the burning desire to win but also the ice-coolness to absorb losses and bad matches.” Hardly surprising that his peers voted him to receive the Sportsmanship Award 13 times.

When tennis was becoming boring with power dominated baseline games, Fed Ex with the sheer beauty of his game and the fluid movements took the game of tennis to another level. The touch and the finesse , the subtlety and the artistry took our breath away. Roger Federer was the master of reading his opponents game and manipulating spaces on the courts through sublime movements. What has stayed with me is an article in a sports magazine describing him as, “a combination of Zorro with a flashing blade and a graceful ballet dancer.” The Swiss Master, 5 years Nadal’s senior, has gone through foot and back injuries in 2007 & 2008 and 3 knee procedures in 2020-2021.

It is not sufficiently well known that he is the author and the driver behind the ‘Laver Cup’- pitting European tennis players against their counterparts from the rest of the world. Inspired by the ‘Ryder Cup’ in golf but graciously named after the Australian maestro.

The Roger Federer foundation has been working effectively for 18 years to help poor and handicapped children in Switzerland and across 6 southern African countries. It has delivered meaningful primary education to more than 2 million kids to give them a fair shot at life. More than $ 52 million have been invested over 7000 schools. For education and nutritious meals. More than 10000 teachers have gone through mentoring programs to make a real difference in the class rooms. During the Covid lockdown 64000 children in Africa were sustained through the injection of $1 million for their welfare. His Humanitarian stature is further enhanced by the fact that a world-wide poll listed him at no. 2 amongst the most respected and trusted people. No. 1 was Nelson Mandela.

The third member of the Holy Trinity is the Serb, Novak Djokovic. Despite his current travails the odds are that in a year or so he will be anointed as GOAT amongst mens’ tennis players. At least another 2 or 3 Grand Slam majors silver ware will adorn his expanding trophy cabinet. He is regarded as the greatest counterpuncher and possibly the best returner of serve of all time. A lethal backhand and awesome all-court agility makes him the force that he is. The pinpoint accuracy and depth of his shots overwhelm even his ranked opponents. Another interesting aspect of his game, pointed out by pundits, is his uncanny ability to raise the level of his game. And when it’s about the ‘big points’ Novak sails through. Rafael Nadal has admitted that the difficulty in playing Djoko is that there is no clear game plan because there is no clear weakness. He is unique in the sense that he is an implacable defender at heart who mutates into a dominant attacker at will.

Djokovic, who is not held in the same esteem as Federer and Nadal, received the the ATP Arthur Ashe Humanitarian Award in 2012. He and his wife Jelena have been hugely supportive of good and inclusive early childhood education in Serbia. Some may be surprised to know that this anti-vaxxer has donated 1 million pounds for purchase of ventilators and other medical equipment to support hospitals in his country during the pandemic. An eye-brow raising nugget is that Novak is an 80% promoter in a Danish bio-tech firm which hopes to come up with a cure for the Covid virus.

Over the last few years the tennis ace has made some poor choices which have landed him into controversy. At the height of the pandemic he organised the Adria tennis tour in the Balkans. Thousands of tickets were sold and players like Cilic, Thiem and Dimitrov signed up. The tournament had to be cancelled after some of the players tested positive. In 2021 he made a list of demands to Tennis Australia before the AO. Like private houses for the players and private tennis courts and reduction in the quarantine periods. This attitude of self-entitlement continued at this year’s AO when a confused and incompetent Aussie establishment finally deported him on ‘Public Health and Good Order’ grounds. The bad times go back to the 4^th round of the 2021 US Open where Novak defaulted the match for hitting a line-umpire with the ball, albeit inadvertently, in frustration.

Sports has its great players and athletes who are not so great role models. And there are the hallowed few who embody the soul and spirit of Sports through their masterful skills and amazing grace. Game, set and match. Despite the number of tennis majors’ trophies on Novak’s shelves, Roger and Rafa will remain the most admired and respected tennis players.

The Sense of Humour

Posted on January 17, 2022 by SV Rao

Photo by Danilo Batista on Unsplash

A sense of humour is the ability to see the funny side of things and revel in the experience. Enjoy the moment. Different people and cultures may find different things funny. RK Laxman’s Common Man and You Said It cartoons published daily in the Times of India did it for me. The subtle digs at our socio-political system with its antics and posturing’s and travails hit home. The entertaining wordplay in the Amul ads had a charm of their own. Chuckling through the Life’s Like That and Laughter is the Best Medicine features in the Reader’s Digest became a monthly dose of humour. Moving on to the witty metaphors and quirky humour in the PG Wodehouse novels. It helped that many amongst friends and family were already on the same bandwagon.

Comedy films have a lasting and refreshing impact. Be it the vintage Modern Times with Charlie Chaplin or the Hindi film classics like Padosan, Chupke-Chupke, Angoor, Golmaal or Hera Pheri. One can watch these movies again and again and still laugh out loud at familiar scenes. This is the effervescent power of humour. Recently, I viewed on YouTube filmmaker Rajkumar Santoshi relive the making of Andaz Apna Apna which has now acquired cult status. One couldn’t help but laugh with the Director as he laughingly narrated what craziness transpired behind the scenes. During Covid times in 2021 the rollicking Telugu film in a similar genre, Jathi Ratnalu, captured an all-India audience on the OTT space. As did the Tamil comedy-drama-political satire Mandela.

A book called The Wit of Cricket delightfully revealed that the game has so much more to offer than statistics and records and trophies and controversies. At the Headingly Test in 1952 the Indian team were in dire straits- losing 4 wickets for no runs in the second innings. Fiery Fred Truman was bowling to the hapless batsman. He beat him with sheer pace and then hit him on the shoulder. The 5^th ball of the over then found the sensitive spot-you know where- the box guard. The batter collapsed to the ground in pain. After a few minutes he got up to face the next delivery. The commentator dryly remarked, “Good Man. One ball left.”

Humour in the work-place. A great way to alleviate stress, make work enjoyable and build camaraderie. As a fresher and trainee at National Insurance Company Ltd in 1981 I went through one of the first issues of the Company magazine. The last page caught my eye as it referred to the Funny Side of It. Capturing some of the amusing reasons given by customers in a claim form after a motor vehicle accident. One said, “the only and immediate reason for the accident was a small man in a medium car with a big mouth.” Years later with the newly formed Bajaj Allianz General Insurance I was at the meeting hall of a Corporate Finance Company with whom we had signed a tie-up. The senior Manager- probably struggling with the word Allianz- introduced me as “He… is … Alien.” There was laughter for many, many minutes. But then I had the opportunity to make an informal pitch to a receptive group, happy to hear from an extra-terrestrial.

Even at official conferences and presentations light-hearted wit often wins the day. A friend of mine who is an Actuary told me about a conference he had attended in London. One of the main speakers projected his PPT on screen. It introduced him as say, John Woods, MA FIA (Fellow of the Institute of Actuaries). This brought the roof down and as the laughter subsided, he dryly remarked that there was actually little difference between the MAFIA and Actuaries. The latter estimated the number of mortalities in an area whilst the Mob actually decided who would depart. A rapt audience listened to a 60 minute presentation on a dry subject like Data Analytics as it was peppered with some more amusing anecdotes.

Even serious messages have more impact and recall value when packaged in ironic terms. Like some Indian Road signs, ‘Better be late than Mr Late’ and ‘This is a Highway, not a Runaway.’

We have the 5 senses and Intuition or Instinct is at times referred to as the sixth-sense. Some psychologists have characterised Humour as the 7^th Sense whilst many others refer to it as a character trait or virtue. Empirical research has supported the fact that a person with a good sense of humour will be in a better position to handle difficult times, enjoy more cohesive relationships and benefit from more positive mental and physical health. The singular attribute is the relief from stress and worry with laughter serving the function of a steam pressure valve. The muscular and breathing process connected with laughter plays the role of releasing pent-up anxiety and frustration.

Hence the ever increasing popularity of Late Night shows, Stand Up comedy acts, Laughter clubs and comic memes on social media. All for the good. However, there is an unseemly and even toxic side to this trove of laughs and guffaws. Double meaning dialogues in films and plays have an audience of their own. But a definite line should be drawn at Misogynist, Racist or Community offensive joke and even where the unfair stereotyping of a people is perpetuated. They are not only in bad taste but can spell trouble. Sarcasm is oft called a wasted form of wit. Churchill revelled in it and once famously called out a political opponent, “There, but for the grace of God, goes God.”

One wishes that our political leaders hold back on vitriol and invective and resort to wit and humorous repartee. The political scenario in the US of A today is vituperative. But our Netas can take heed from Ronald Reagan who was targeted for his age during his re-election bid, “I will not make age an issue of this campaign. I am not going to exploit for political purposes my opponents youth and inexperience.” He won his second Presidency term.

In conclusion one has to be careful if the gags and jokes are at someone else’s expense. The warm, fun quotient goes out of it if it becomes a barb to hurt another’s feelings or identity. But self-deprecating humour helps in navigating situations – even sensitive ones- and fostering rapport. If one can laugh at oneself and not take oneself too seriously, life tends to become simpler and smoother. It feels like some tiresome burden has been removed. Lighten up and let the laughs roll and the smiles spread.