CRICKET MIXED DIPLOMACY

CRICKET FEVER is at its peak in the sub-continent and with arch-rivals India and Pakistan all set to take on each other at Mohali on Wednesday, the atmosphere is all charged up with emotions running high and people are making sure that they don’t miss this game wherever they are in the World as the mother of all games will decide who is going to the finals of the World Cup 2011 to be held in Mumbai on April 2.

The two teams have already reached Chandigarh and with all hotels booked to capacity, there are no rooms left for visitors from Pakistan, who are now travelling to nearby cities to get accommodation.

All roads lead to Mohali and with Indian players in great form, India hopes to get to the finals if diplomacy does not come to interfere in the match.

The recent invitation sent to Pakistan Prime Minister Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani by Indian Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh to watch the semi-final match between India and Pakistan at Mohali, has put many minds in clouds of uncertainty as all have been reminded of an earlier invitation sent to the then Pakistan’s president Pervez Musharraf in 2005 to watch the India-Pakistan one day match at Feroz Shah Kotla.

During that match India literally gifted that series to Pakistan, Indian captain Saurav Ganguly looked completely dejected but could not utter a word, after which we all come across the term “cricket diplomacy.”

The India-Pakistan cricket match is mother of all matches. It is not less than a war of emotions and excitement goes high with entire nation coming to a halt to watch this game of cricket. I personally feel politicians should stay away and instead of sacrificing the spirit of game for diplomacy, better they watch it on their TV sets rather than going to stadium and putting unnecessary pressure on the players.

Many of us still are not able to understand what is the compulsion to invite Pakistan leaders to India to watch cricket matches, and what benefit will this move give in solving pending disputes between the two nations? Earlier also we have seen Zia ul Haq and Pervez Musarraf coming to India for cricket diplomacy but without an result? The disputes are still lingering on and we still stand on the losing side.

Let the diplomacy be limited to New Delhi only and Mohali be allowed to have a free and fair game. If diplomacy is going to take the driver’s seat then India is going to gift this match to Pakistan under  pressure. Better we allow the players to play their natural game and let the best team win the match.

EXTREMES on BBC

The apathy of National Broadcasters( sorry I should use a more relevant nomenclature here “Government’s Mouhtpeice”) all around the world had been can a common topic of gossiping all around the world. Be it the news they push on the their citizens or be it the content they serve to the them.

But then the world is full of “EXTREMES”, and one such is the most subscribed broadcasting service of the world better known as BBC(British Broadcasting Channel). The service making of the mark in 1932, capturing the royal times of England in its lenses still enjoys reaching to the largest reach in the world. Though they also had their piece of red , but even today also it keeps striving hard to bring new and original stuff to its BBCites and one such extravaganza from then is “BBC Extremes”.  

“Japanese people live the longest lives, with an average life expectancy of 83 years – almost twice as long as the people of Zimbabwe and Afghanistan, who can expect to live to 42*”

Contrasts such as these are brought up in a new series of special reports on the BBC’s international news services, called Extreme World, began in December. The series, on TV, radio and online, will studies some of the world’s most dramatic divides, highlighting the extraordinary disparities in people’s lives and lifestyles. Focusing on the boundaries of the planet, as well as cultural, social, geographical, political and religious topics, Extreme World explores just how different, and how alike, we really are – and asks whether one country's people can be measured alongside another when other key factors vary so dramatically.

From December 2010 to June 2011, eight key themes are being explored; the extremes in climate, corruption, dying, education, crime, business, waste and religion. In an increasingly connected world, Extreme World examines how great the world's divides really are and if these divisions can be clearly defined. On Wednesday 1 December, Extreme World launched from two very different parts of the planet; with journalists reporting from one of the hottest places on earth, and one of the coldest. Adam Mynott visited Siberia, while Pascale Harter traveled to the Republic of Djibouti, for BBC World Service and BBC World News, to discover how local residents live in such extreme conditions.

 When watching a episode on death and dying, for example which turned to my favorite, some of my perceptions were given interesting new contexts. Dying in a developed country, for example, might give you access to better medical care, but hospitals, hospices and care homes can leave people remote from their loved ones and sometimes completely alone. Poorer countries may have a lack of medical facilities, but the role of the community and family in a remote village in sub-Saharan Africa make a solitary death far less likely.

Extreme World promises to be an exciting and intriguing collection of content that will continue to take shape over the coming months, providing reports with fresh angles and perspectives and offering audiences a range and depth of compelling reports on TV, on radio and online. I’m optimistic  that it will offer a fresh way of looking at subjects which might otherwise get lost in the blizzard of 21st-Century media.

Moreover it provides not only a food for thought to me, but also a chance to appreciate how versatility of acceptance of human breed. My best wishes always remains with all those who are part of this experiment and to BBC for keep giving us such innovative and thoughtful contents, and living up to their reputation of being “WORLD BROADCASTER”.