The Cricket World Cup in 'New India'

I will remember the latest edition of the Cricket World Cup tournament for some non-cricketing stuff, mainly because of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 'Naya Bharat' (New India) and Jay Shah's leadership of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).

Firstly, no match was arranged at excellent venues like the Punjab Cricket Association Stadium in Mohali, and the final was at Ahmedabad, where the cricket was not very entertaining as not many big shots were hit because of the 'slow' pitch. Allegedly, it was all because of political considerations. For the uninitiated, Mohali is in Punjab, a state ruled by the Aam Aadmi Party, an arch-rival of Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Second, 'Naya Bharat' appeared again when Indian spectators at the stadium named after the current prime minister tried to bully Pakistani players walking back to the pavilion by shouting "Jai Shree Ram" slogans. During another match at a different venue, such spectators tore up a stuffed toy (in the form of a tiger) carried by Bangladeshi fans and tried to verbally intimidate them. 'Naya Bharat' was also in evidence when a policeman at a match in Bangalore tried to prevent Pakistani fans from cheering their team with "Pakistan Zindabad" slogans. Also, in 'Naya Bharat', the Ahmedabad crowd did not cheer when the Aussies played good shots or even when an Australian batsman scored a century during the final match, and it seemed as if the game was being played in an empty stadium.

Third, there were the allegations, though unsubstantiated, of the BCCI trying to give the Indian team an unfair advantage by giving them balls that swung more and changing pitches literally at the last moment to favour the team.

Last but not least, Kapil Dev, who led the Indian team to victory in the World Cup for the first time in 1983, was not invited to watch the final game apparently because he had spoken in favour of the women wrestlers protesting recently against sexual harassment by the BJP's member of parliament leading the wrestling federation.

A Baby Monkey and I

I almost made friends with a baby monkey a couple of days ago.

I alighted from a train at a Metro station in Delhi and was on my way out. As I descended a staircase, I saw a female monkey and her little one seated on the railing a little distance apart.

As I passed them, I looked at the little one, smiled and said, "Hello, how are you doing?" He hopped down from his perch and started following me downstairs without me realising it. 

When I happened to glance over my shoulder after a while, I saw him right behind me. When I stopped, he did, too, and sat up attentively. So, without moving a finger, I told him, "I have nothing for you to eat."

He seemed to understand perfectly what I had said, turned around, and returned to where his mother was.

I spoke to him in Punjabi, my mother tongue, both times, but he seemed to grasp my intent, and language was never a barrier between us.

Later, I wished I had sat on my haunches without making any sudden movements, and perhaps he would have shaken hands with me before he left.

Religion, Character and Brainwashing

Here is a real-life story about organised "religion" and how it can affect people's lives that you might find interesting. 

When I was working at Chandigarh about 8-10 years ago, I came to know a young American white woman. She was brought into the company as an intern, but the owner/CEO soon made her the head of content marketing. Before I was fired within about 8 months of joining because the owner thought I was not a good writer, she had been made the Chief Marketing Officer. After a few years, she and I connected on social media, and I learnt that she had also left the company shortly after I left and returned to America. Apparently, she could not find the kind of job she was looking for there and freelanced for many years. Although she did not tell me as much, I gathered that she did not do well in her freelance work during the Covid period and then took up a job at a company, which she has kept since then.

Anyway, the above was about her professional life. Now, I would like to tell you something about her personal life. When I met her in Chandigarh, she was a happy-go-lucky person who loved adventure sports like trekking and paragliding. She also liked to travel and travelled extensively over India when she was here.

I do not know what exactly happened after she returned to the US, but she turned to religion massively over the past few years and became a born-again Christian. Many of her social media posts were about how she had been "saved" and how Jesus was not just the son of God but God personified, etc. She also posted videos about passages from the Bible that she had read and her interpretation of those passages. She did not go completely crazy, though, and remained the ardent animal lover she always had been (She still has a dog, whom she loves dearly.). She also retained some fundamental liberal views from before, such as how it is essential to ensure free speech for everyone. She also remained affectionate towards friends and said she and her church group would pray for me when I developed a brain issue last December. She continued to ask about my well-being periodically after that and to pray for me until I got well.

However, during a discussion sometime last year, she told me that she was committed to marrying a Christian man only after she had been "saved" since it was important for a husband and wife to be "equally yoked". Later, I found out through her social media posts that she had gotten engaged, apparently to a "Christian" man. Yesterday, she told me that she broke off the engagement in February because she found out just before she began to "book different wedding things" that the "Christian" man had been "deceptive" towards her for several months. I am sure that the blindfold of "religion" remains firmly in place over her eyes, though, and she will be looking for another "Christian" man! 

The Monkeys of Kasauli

There are a lot of monkeys in Kasauli. That is what I discovered when I visited the quaint little hill town last summer along with my father. Whenever you walk the streets, you can be sure of encountering a monkey every few minutes. In some areas, they are nearly a permanent presence. 

Along with the most common species of monkeys found in India (the Rhesus macaque), there is the grey langur to be found in Kasauli. For some reason, these species do not cohabit, and there are almost no monkeys to be found in areas where there are langurs. That is the case in Kasauli as well, with the langurs occupying the centre of the town and the Rhesus monkeys in the outer areas.

Both species have adapted well not only to living in close proximity to humans but also to obtaining food and drink from humans.

When my father and I visited, it was peak tourist season and a lot of people carrying snacks and soft drinks out and about. The monkeys obviously knew what they wanted and had devised ingenious ways of attaining their objectives.

While in the main bazaar one afternoon, I saw half a dozen langurs lounging about on a couple of benches by the roadside. When a group of tourists walked by, one of the langurs approached from behind. He tapped a lady, who was carrying ice cream, lightly on her back with one of his hands, obviously requesting her to share the treat with him. Unfortunately for him, she screamed in fear but held on to the ice cream, even as a shopkeeper carrying a stick approached quickly and shooed him away. He returned dejectedly to rejoin his mates and wait for another quarry. I silently wished him better luck for the next time and moved on.

The next day, while returning from a long walk down Upper Mall Road, my father and I decided to rest for a while on another roadside bench. I spied a couple of Rhesus monkeys sitting in a tree nearby. The female carried a baby that clung to her chest. As soon as a few people carrying food and drink came along, the monkeys climbed down and ran towards them. One of the visitors panicked and dropped a soft drink bottle before hurrying along. The male monkey grabbed it quickly and both monkeys ran back. They sat down to enjoy the cola under the tree. The male bit into the plastic bottle to make two neat little holes. Then, he put the bottle down sideways to let the liquid flow and form a puddle on the ground. They took turns drinking from the puddle. 

I suppose the monkeys love the sweet taste of soft drinks and ice cream but wonder what the added sugar does to their health.

The Religion Conundrum

The founders of many major religions claimed that they communicated directly with God, who dictated to them the scriptures they wrote. Others claimed to be God himself, born in human form and, therefore, the authors of God's word. However, if there is only one God (and there has to be only one God; otherwise, the followers of different religions would have different DNA and other building blocks of the human body), why would he give different messages to followers of different religions? 

Think about it.