Open Letters: Dear Lalit Modi

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Mainak Dhar is an alumnus of IIM-Ahmedabad whose career in the corporate sector has spanned almost a dozen years across Mumbai, Bangkok and now Singapore. Cubicle dweller by day and writer by night, he has written six books, including the bestselling novel, The Funda of Mix-ology. Learn more about it at www.getthefunda.com.

In this new series, Mainak writes open letters to people in the news, commenting on the state of affairs in the world today. Today’s column is an open letter to the brain behind the newly launched Indian Premier League, Mr. Lalit Modi.

Dear Mr. Modi,

You must be thrilled with the start you have had to the Indian Premier League. I must confess - contrary to what I had expected - I ended up watching much of it; right from the over the top opening ceremonies complete with cheerleaders and antics that would have been right at home in a circus to the opening matches. Perhaps it was just the lure of being able to watch cricket every day; perhaps it was the chance to see old favourites like Glenn McGrath in action; perhaps it was the absence of anything else worth watching on the idiot box; or perhaps it was indeed the success of the marketing machine behind the IPL that made me tune in.

So what did I make of the first exposure to the IPL? The cricket was certainly entertaining at times, and I will probably find myself tuning in from time to time, but there was a critical difference to how I had related to cricket growing up.

That lay in the simple fact that I didn’t really care which side won.

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I had grown up - as many kids of my generation did - without the Internet or cable TV; and where cricket was the all-encompassing source of entertainment. Yes, there were stars we hero-worshipped; but above all, it was about India winning. So while we may have admired some players from other countries, at the end of the day, when they took the field against India, all that admiration crumbled before the overwhelming desire to see India crush the opposition. So the whole concept of one city playing another - no matter how many international stars took to the field - left me a bit cold. But then perhaps, I am a dinosaur, and younger generations will grow up with the marketing hype of the IPL, and cheer on the Knight Riders or the Daredevils, trade player cards of their city’s heroes and would come to relate to the sport in a totally different way than my generation did.

I would venture so far as to say that the success of the IPL is almost certain. When there’s so much money at stake: and there are some really shrewd business brains like Mukesh Ambani, Vijay Mallya and Shah Rukh involved, it’s hard to imagine that they will let this not succeed. Also, with your own business background and proven determination and drive, I am quite confident you will make the IPL succeed.

So what would that mean? Well, there would be a lot of good things if the IPL did succeed the way you have envisioned: The players would certainly mint money, and it would be a good platform for newer players to make their name on a stage they would never have got with the traditional sphere of influence of domestic cricket. You and the cricket board would obviously be much richer than even you may have imagined. The sponsors, advertisers and team owners would find yet another money-spinner; and the audience would also win with the opportunity to see some good entertainment. So, on the face of it, it does seem like a win-win solution for all involved.

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But perhaps, in the midst of all this success and hype, we will lose something intangible. That came home to me when I saw Shah Rukh dancing and cheering on his team, the Kolkata Knight Riders as they took on the Bangalore Royal Challengers. At that moment, another picture came into my mind: Shah Rukh in his movie, Chak De, chastising his players and telling them that he did not recognise any state or city team, but could see only one team - India. So it was certainly ironic to see him cheering on one city against another!

It used to be cliché that in the midst of all the diversity and chaos, a few threads kept Indians together - cricket, movies and music. The IPL may well succeed, and may well generate great entertainment; but I do feel that somewhere along the way, we may lose cricket as the thread that keeps us together - rooting for a team and a concept called India. In its place will be the threads that keep together this brave new world we are entering: the desire to make more money and see a grand spectacle.

Best regards,

Mainak Dhar

Learn more about Mainak and contact him at www.mainakdhar.com.

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