Cricket Mania

Essay written by me which appeared in the July 2009 edition of the Competition Success Review
Magazine

Cricket was first played by the English in the 19th century and since then it has spread to many countries to become a
favourite game of millions. From the era of the test matches when great players like Don Bradman and Sunil Gavaskar,
dotted the scene registering great marvels in the history of the game, to the present day scenario of nail-biting one days
and the slam bang Twenty20 matches, the game has come a long way. Especially, the emergence of the highly popular
Indian Premier League (IPL) has irreversibly changed the appearance of the game. The game of cricket has grown to
immense proportions and a lot of money and people – advertisers, boards, the state and even the underworld with its
scams of match fixing – have come to be associated with it. Not surprisingly, the game is being exploited in countries like
India for monetary gains with a large number of players from various countries being roped in for playing in the highly-paid
matches of the IPL. The game has surpassed other once-popular sports like hockey and football and has now come close to
become a national icon. Cricket today has no longer remained just a gentleman’s game, patronised by a select few elites,
but has become a people’s game, what with cricket mania, in the wake of the IPL, engulfing the whole country.

In India, a much higher number of children take to cricket than any other game and people, old and young alike, play and
watch the game. The question is: why are people drawn to this sport more than any other? One of the reasons lies in the
very fact that it is easier to understand compared to many other sports. It generates a huge amount of interest in people
playing it and they tend to grasp its nuances quicker than they can master any other game. The game is also simpler than
most other games like football and hockey which not only require a lot of rules and tactics to be employed by the players,
but also are full of physical demands and require unbelievable stamina on the part of the players. A comparison of the
physical structures of footballers and cricketers will reveal this fact. On the other hand cricket doesn’t require too much of
running around on the field for the most part of the game. In fact cricket is a good combination of skills that are developed
by playing it a lot, physical strength and many a times inborn talent too, which separates the best from the rest. That’s why
we can have little masters ruling the game unlike say basketball, which literally requires you to be a giant in order to play it
at a competitive level. And all of this is not to mention anything about the special skills that can put them up along with the
champions from other countries, such as the flying skills of Michael Jordan in basketball or the dare devil antics of Michael
Schumacher in formula one racing. It is no wonder then that many people start playing the game for fun and leisure and
then build up their skills while playing along. Any physical exercise that comes with it is a bonus. It is this specific trait of the
game that makes people to pursue the game as a profession, especially once they realise that they are good enough to play
it competitively. So, the acceptance rate for this game is very high, given the ease of playing it, and the returns are also high
too, given that sky is the limit that you can reach. The lure of this game draws even those people to take it up as a profession
who already belonged to some other profession. Examples in this regard include ace Indian leg-spinner Anil Kumble, who
was an engineer first before he joined the fold of cricket, and renowned batsman MS Dhoni, who worked in the railways as
a ticket collector first. Of course, once in the game, professional cricketers do need to build up their skills and stay fit enough
to play it well.

Another fact behind the phenomenal popularity of the game is the ease with which it can be played. One does not usually
need a fully fledged court or even a ground to play the game. A walk down any neighbourhood in India will illustrate that a
gully is often more than enough for everybody’s favourite sport to be played in. In India, it is a favourite national past time.
Why look for far away grounds to play it in when you can go downstairs and play it in your own neighbourhood in today’s
vastly urban India. And a bat and a ball is usually all that it takes to play the game. And that is how most people see this
game – as a way of enjoying and hanging out with friends.

It is a game played by the rich and the poor with the same kind of passion, and it has transcended regional and even national
borders. What is more, the game of cricket has overshadowed every other form of entertainment too. Local level
tournaments are held in every town of India – big or small, which also serve as a selection ground for the big tournaments
at the national and international level. Thanks to the IPL and the ICL, foreign players now come to play in league matches
in India, which is a first for its kind in India’s cricketing history. Even a number of foreign teams consist of players of Indian
origin and the Indian Diaspora is mainly responsible for the game’s introduction and subsequent popularisation in many
countries. Indians’ fondness for the game can be traced back to the colonial days when the game was essentially played by
the British and teams consisted of local kings and princes who had taken a liking to the game and tournaments were often
organised in both Indian and foreign soil. India, having had a long history of English influence, has welcomed the game with
open arms and perfected its play in it over the years. Now India is a leader in the game among the many commonwealth
nations playing it. A world cup bagged and several tournaments and matches won time and again bear testimony to the
place and honour that she has secured for itself at the international level.

In fact, it is due to India’s relatively better performance in the game than in other sports disciplines, both in terms of world
ranking and the quality and number of world-class players produced, that the country has received international
recognition, which no other game could have brought. A greater number of matches, tournaments and players with the
backing of the cricket crazy nation which idolises cricketers, have promoted the game in the country tremendously. This is
not the case with other games. Even though there are various sports which are pursued with keen interest by players and
followers alike, they simply cannot achieve the same popularity that the game of cricket enjoys overhere. There are a
number of sports like wrestling, which have been traditionally very popular in the country. However, with the emergence
of a dominant urban culture in the country, with a tendency to tilt towards anything Western, these traditionally popular
sports have been pushed to the remote corners. Same is the case with hockey, a game in which India had dominated the
world in the past – despite being the ‘national game’ of India, it is currently being played to empty stands.

There are some other sports as well which have thrown up a good number of successful players every now and then. The
examples of tennis, chess and badminton can be cited in this regard. However, the main problem with these games
achieving a cult status is that the people seriously pursuing them are few and far in between. Another factor is that the rate
of success registered by Indian players at an international level in these games is pretty low. India, a nation of over a billion
people, has a long history of participation in the world’s most famous sporting event i.e. the Olympics. Be that as it may,
we have till now only one player who has had the distinction of winning a gold medal at the Olympics. Barring cricket, India’s
performance has been worth mentioning in a limited number of sports only. It is quite unlike many other nations that can
boast of excelling in several sports. If she wants to do better in sports other than cricket, then more attention needs to be
given to the training and nurturing of budding players. In this respect the precedent set by China can be mentioned – it has
special sports schools set up everywhere in the country to train young and promising children and help them excel in the
sports of their choice. On the other hand, the training centres in India, many of which are ailing, need to be refurnished
urgently. Also, impassioned campaigns should be carried out to spread awareness about other sports. This, in turn, may
help in developing a healthier nation. Promising youngsters should be encouraged to follow the sports of their choice and
proper incentives should be accorded to them so that their motivation levels remain high.

Meanwhile, the attention on skill development has to be increased by both the players and the mentors to ensure that
India performs consistently well in the game of cricket. Indian players already go through ample amount of regular exercise
and practice. However, to win more matches against best teams like Australia and South Africa, extra efforts are required
in all aspects of the game. This calls for focussing on the growth of players as well as nurturing new talent and involving
greater indulgence on the part of key stake holders that can bring freshness to the game. And the environment and all of
the other necessary ingredients are, thankfully, all there – it’s just that they need to be utilised more effectively. If the game
is really a source of national mania, then it certainly deserves more growth. Twenty20 cricket in general, and the IPL in
particular, have been a welcome move, let us see what lies next.
Andaman Islands - the definitive guide
The Andaman and Nicobar islands are a group of 572 islands, big and small, located towards the eastern end of the Bay of
Bengal sea. They form a part of the Indonesian archipelago and are located at a distance of a mere hundred miles or so
from the northern extremity of the island nation of south east asia with the same name. As such they share more
geographical features, like being constituted of equatorial rainforests and islands of a volcanic origin, with it than with
mainland India which is 1400 km of nothing but the deep blue sea away from it. In fact, the only active volcanoes that are
included in India are found overhere, and the giant trees with their snow white coloured broad and tall trunks found in the
forests overhere are more reminiscent of the equatorial forest trees of Congo in Africa than any of the many varieties that
exist in the forests of India. Coconut trees with their larger than average fruits dot the skyline along all the beaches and
mangrove forests grow in the shallow banks of the inland channels that crisscross the close space between the numerous
islands overhere. But the true gem of these islands are it's white sand beaches and emerald green or turquoise blue sea
surrounding them. In fact, it is this very nature of the islands that they may easily be referred to as the treasure islands. The
waters are eirily calm and crystal clear, and their placement in the warm tropics makes them just right to be abundant in
all forms of marine life from fish in all shapes, sizes and colour to coral and shells the likes of which are not to be found
anywhere else in India. And it is for this very reason i.e. to witness the sheer beauty of the beaches and the marine life
endowed waters along with them that tourists come to visit the place, not just Indians from the far and disconnected
mainland India, but even people from countries in just about any part of the world. So, if you're contemplating a holiday to
the islands then read on.

Getting there:
It being a remote island situated atleast about a thousand miles away from any place in India, can be reached by means of
either air or the sea. There are direct flights in most major airways from Chennai and Calcutta to Port Blair on a daily basis
and they usually take around two and a half hours to get there from either place. Strangly enough, Port Blair in the Andaman
Islands is located equidistant from both Chennai and Kolkata, and has them lying towards it's western and norththern
directions, respectively. Tickets are priced competitively with the fares to other places in India and can be obtained cheap
if bought in advance.
If it is a sea voyage that you prefer, then there are ships plying between Kolkata, Chennai and Vishalkapatnam and Port
Blair in the Andamans. The ships have different classes of seats available ranging from the cheapest bunk class to the more
luxurious deluxe class and the fares also vary accordingly, ranging from anywhere between Rs 2000 and going all the way
up to Rs9750 per passenger. This is the fare for tourists from the mainland and for the local residents of the islands, termed
as Islanders, the fare is generally cheaper.
Amenities and facilities included are generally very basic and at par with similar services given in the railways for each
corresponding class. There are five different ships operating between all of the three different ports and they are all
scheduled in such a way that the interval of their arrival and departures from all the three ports off origin are equally spaced
out. And given the average length of travel of the ships between the ports to be ranging anywhere between two and a half
to three days, you can expect not more than two ships at the max to be running in any given week, and the frequency of
the ships from anyone port to be not much too - only two to three in a month. So, you need to plan and book your travel
accordingly and in advance, though the availability of seats for booking is usually not a problem.
One important factor to be taken into account for sea travel is sea sickness which varies according to the season of the year
- with the monsoon months of June, July and August witnessing the roughest of the sea. Cyclones and other inclement
weather generally encountered during December can even lead to the cancellation of service.
The schedule of the ships is managed by the Directorate of Shipping Services (DSS) in Port Blair and it is usually put up on
the website off the Andaman and Nicobar Islands shipping and tourism department in advance, and the same can also be
obtained at any of the ports from where they operate. Usually, the dates of travel are published two to three months in
advance. Bookings can be done at the designated offices in these ports too. Further details can be obtained at the website
of the DSS or at the following address :
http://www.andamanbeacon.com/andaman_ship_schedule_fare.html

Port Blair and the Tourist Information Center

So, you have arrived at Port Blair at either the Veer Savarkar airport overthere or the main port of the DSS located in the
northern part of the island town, now what. If you are flying into the island, the first thing that you'll notice about the
airport is that it is simple, without any of the frills and trills of the bigger airports in the metropolitan cities in India with just
one or two other aircraft, and that the place is also shared with the airforce and the coastguard- with a couple of their
aircrafts lying alongside the tarmac. Hence, you would be advised before hand itself to still keep your shutterbug spirit
restrained inside your hand bag, atleast untill you're not outside the airport. There after, the entire beauty of the islands is
all open for you to capture within the stills of your camera. Taxi and autorickshaw services are ready and waiting outside
the terminal building, with fares fixed by the government as per the route to be taken. You may have pre-booked rooms in
one of the many hotels and resorts spread all over the town and the islands in general if you've come through any travel
agency, or you may decide to come and look for cheap hotels once you Ive arrived at Andamans. The former method is
more advisable in the case of the Andaman Islands for two reasons - one, during tourist season, which is there for a good
portion of the year, most of the hotels run full, and two, you won't be able to find and book hotels easily too, what with
the mobile network and internet services being virtually non-existent in the islands. BSNL is probably the only worthwhile
network overthere and 4G internet is still a distant dream. The only place where you can get some internet and that too
not guaranteed, is at a cybercafe, which too are few in number and mainly localised in the main market area of Port Blair.
It is the perfect place to be truly cut off from the outside world, to be off the grid. The few cheap lodges that you can get,
contrary to the status of the island being a top tourist haven, are found in the main market area of the town located at a
place called Aberdeen. A casual stroll down the main alley of the bazar area right up till the intercity bus terminus will allow
you to find the shops selling regular commodities of daily use, as well as a few lodges that can turn out to be cheapest
bargain in the entire islands.
Port Blair is populated mainly with Bengali expats, who came overthere starting from the English period of colonisation of
the islands, and Aberdeen market, one of the main markets overthere, is an area of Bengali settlers. Life is still very slow
and simple overthere, unlike the fast paced and business driven cities of India, and shops getting closed early is quite the
norm. The lethargy of the place is catching, and you may want to bite into it and take it all easy and just relax. But, do not
do that, as there's lots to explore and do in the Andamans, and getting stuck in one place may eat into your time to do
other more exciting things over there. Hustle is the name of the game if you want to experience the whole of Andamans
and you're running short on holiday time.
Since, most flights to the islands arrive in the morning, you can go to your hotel to leave your luggage over there. Though,
the thought of starting to explore the islands straightaway can seem to be too appealing, you've got to save it for later. First
things first - you need to go and buy the permits and tickets to all the sightseeing places in the islands from the Tourist
Information Center located in the middle of the town, a little distance away from the airport or the Aberdeen market itself.
This is because, many tourist places in the Andamans cannot be visited simply by walking in and buying a ticket to the place
at its gate, or even pre- booking tickets online because of the same reason cited earlier - the unavailability of any proper
and easily accessible internet services. They need to be bought at a centralised ticketing venue and that is the government
run tourist information centre. You may need to go overthere early, though, owing to rules of a fixed number of tickets to
be issued and the time in advance when they need to be bought for certain places. If you visit any of these places late, then
your period of stay at a place, say Port Blair, can get extended, leaving you with less time to explore the more beautiful
places such as the Havelock and Neil Islands. Tourist attractions that fall in this category where tickets need to be precooked
for visiting them are the light and sound show at the Cellular jail and Ross island, and a visit to the Jolly Buoy island and
Chidiyatapu located inside the Mahatma Gandhi marine national park - a one of its kind protected zone where marine life
and mangrove forests still remain untouched by the ill effects of anthropology and in their pristine form.
You'll need to fill up an online form on your mobile phones accessed by connecting to the Wifi intranet at the booking
centre and then pay the requisite fees at the counter over there.
Once, you've procured tickets, the next thing to be done is to visit the historical and famous Cellular jail in Port Blair. Its a
half a day long visit and is guaranteed to take you down the history of India's freedom movement and the grim realities
associated with it.
Narcissistic Personality Disorder
Sometimes, you can come across some people who may appear to be very haughty, and to such a degree that you may
start feeling uncomfortable around them, especially if the object of that haughtiness is directed at you. You may say that
the person is a narcissist- or someone who thinks no ends to him or herself, but even the haughtiness of such 'narcissist'
maybe limited to one or a few particular domains only. However, narcissism taken to its extreme form where it becomes
chronic, long-lasting and pathological and becomes a form of a personality disorder (permanent in nature) is termed as
Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD) and clinically referred to as narcissists.
A few of the key distinguishing traits of the person with NPD are a grandiose sense of the self, of being superior to others,
once again judged in terms of their own superiority, even if it is with respect to only a few factors, and with out anything
in the world as evidence in the form of going about to prove it. With this grandiosity also comes a preoccupation with
thoughts of having unlimited success and power. And if one were to ask them if they had any roadmap charted out to
achieve that success and power, they would most probably draw a blank from them.
The NPD person can quite often justify their superiority in front of people by putting forward the notion that they are too
special or too complex to be understood by regular people. This aura of incomprehensibility is often used by them to trick
their unsuspecting subjects into believing any false things that they may tell them, how much ever illogical it might seem.
In essence, they can alter the reality of their subjects without having them to question them - a tool called 'gaslighting'
that is key method in which a narcissist operates.
They have an excessive need of admiration due to an inherently low self esteem, and can be constantly looking for
compliments during their day to day conversations with just about anybody. Again, going along with their grandiose
nature, they have an acute sense of entitlement, which exceeds any amount seen normally in people to the point that
they may get angry and vengeful when not offered it. Their sense of entitlement to more than their fair share can lead
them to exploit all the relationships that they may have, and the offerings that they seek from others is a kind of
'narcissistic supply' which feeds their fragile ego and self esteem. This tendency of theirs to exploit just about any
relationship with people to serve their narcissistic gains, irrespective of the situation at hand lends to the narcissist a
complete lack of understanding or a connect to the feelings and the aspirations of others and makes them very Iow on
empathy. Infact, a lack of empathy on the part of the narcissist can lead to arguments with those whose voice of reason
goes unheard, and which again tends to prove that it is the narcissist's way only. In fact, the argumentative nature of the
narcissist is pathological, and doesn't serve any purpose of coming to a ground of common understanding, but is again, a
source of happiness supply that the narcissist yearns for. Its always the narcissist's way or the highway when it comes to
any discussions.
All of these characteristics of the narcissists personality are very subtle and the victim of the abuse, as it turns out, often
remains completely unaware of the narcissists shenanigans. One more trait of the narcissist that remains completely
subtle is that of envy, which is blown way out of proportion in a person with NPD, as envy, due to just about anything, can
topple the all pervasive superior and grandiose image that the narcissist holds of him or herself in the mind, and that
hurts as burning envy.
A person with NPD also devalues the contributions of others - he or she has to be the one who is responsible for all the
good that can come out of a project or teamwork. And this condescension of others exists to the point of arrogance,
which further bolsters the image of the NPD in the eyes of his gullible followers. An NPD can also respond very poorly to
criticism, either rejecting it completely as being false, or taking it to be shameful, even when there's no need for it to be.
And this brings us to the two prominent variants of NPD that exist in people - Overt or Grandiose narcissism and covert
narcissim. The prime distinguishing factor between the two is that in overt narcissism the person is convinced of his
grandiose and superior nature while in covert narcissism the idea of the grandiose nature of the person remains hidden
behind his awareness of a deflated grandiosity or an inferiority. And this makes the person having covert narcissism to
always make upward social comparisons, i.e. to look upto people while comparing them with himself and feeling painfully
shameful if it is prooved to them anything in light of their inferiority. The covert or grandiose narcissistic person would
always look down at people in an almost shameless manner, disregarding any sense of equality that may be there, unless
ofcourse, proved in a rigorous and evidence based way. And it is this end goal that the overt narcissist fears the most, and
develops all of his ploys, even if unconsciously, with an aim to subvert any sense of equality that may challenge the
narcissist's all pervasive superiority.
With this comes the idea of the 'Schadenfreude' which is a closely associated trait with narcissism, and it basically is a
German term that means to take pleasure in the misfortune of someone else. And the reason why narcissists experience
this emotion is because it gives relief to their bruised ego caused by envy from someone who challenges their almost God
like superior nature. It serves to bring them both on a level playing field without actually uplifting the inferiority of the
person with the NPD. A point to note overhere is that the misfortune, though wished for by the NPD person, isn't caused
by him - it has to occur by a third party.

(The views shared in the above article are those of expert psychologists. Source : various informative videos on the subject
from Youtube)