Its just 'cricket' - What can I say?

I tried very hard to ignore the issue (one of the billion others) currently plaguing Indian cricket. In fact, I would not have been writing this piece had it not been for my elder brother. He sent me his views on the entire issue and that’s when my self-imposed boycott of the subject was called off.

Before I begin, please let me make it very clear that assuming cricket to be a religion (I’m an Indian…aren’t I?), Sourav Ganguly is my patron saint. He actions on and off the field always appeared to be rebellious. He never took the dominance of the white man lightly and never hesitated calling a spade by whatever name he felt like. He induced aggression, the likes of which were never seen before in Indian cricket. He also had an uncanny knack of getting out of sticky situations (Yes, Mr. Dalmiya?). If you noticed, I used the past tense…methinks that the might of the maharaja might have finally run into its match.

Gregory Stephen Chappell would, at this moment, contest every single point I mentioned above. Cricketing history would give him the right to do so. He was one of the finest cricketers that Australia had produced (and she’s had quite a performance at that !). He was an adamant leader and a leader who wanted to win at any cost…any cost! He has a brilliant track record of having played 87 tests and 74 ODIs at averages of 53.86 and 40.18 respectively. What really speaks for him is his success rate as a captain in test cricket– 51%.

The coach alleges that the captain is a systematic saboteur, and I quote famously,

I can assure you sir that all my actions in this matter, and all others since my appointment, have been with the aim of improving the team performance toward developing a team that will represent India with distinctions in Test match and one-day cricket.

As I said to you during our meeting in Colombo, I have serious reservations about the attitude of some players and about Sourav and his ability to take this team to a new high, and none of the things he has done since his reappointment has caused me to change my view. In fact, it has only served to confirm that it is time for him to move on and let someone else build their team toward the 2007 World Cup.

This team has been made to be fearful and distrusting by the rumour mongering and deceit that is Sourav's modus operandi of divide and rule. Certain players have been treated with favour, all of them bowlers, while others have been shunted up and down the order or left out of the team to suit Sourav's whims. John Wright obviously allowed this to go on to the detriment of the team. I am not prepared to sit back and allow this to continue or we will get the same results we have been seeing for some time now. It is time that all players were treated with fairness and equity and that good behaviours and attitudes are rewarded at the selection table rather than punished.

I can assure you of my very best intentions.

In a single stroke the coach has augured that Sourav, John Wright and the bowlers had a nexus. Sourav was the ringmaster, John Wright was the clown, Pathan, Zaheer, Bhajji et al were acrobats and the chaps in the middle order were extras waiting for a casualty to happen.
Reprimanding a player for consistent non-performance is one thing but questioning the integrity of the Indian captain is very certainly another. The earlier pages of his ‘report’ paint a picture of a paranoid Ganguly causing schism in a 'unified team' and Mr. Chappell had better furnish proofs for those charges.

That being said, there is no excuse for Sourav’s inconsistent performance. He has no right to be eating into 9% of a full strength team ONLY because he was the prime architect of an almost successful ‘Team India’. In all probability he is beyond his prime. If that is true, he needs to exit gracefully without causing himself and the rest of the team any discomfort. A player of his legendary status should not be asked to ‘jump the wall’.

About the ‘review committee’, the lesser said the better. The committee, in its existence itself, is a farce. Come to think of it, the former captains sitting on the committee now look like idiots (no disrespect to their playing days). This is a committee that cannot implement anything. They can only ‘suggest’ remedies. Somebody please tell me, are we talking about a tummy ache here? There is no doubt left in my mind that all this deliberation would only lead to 'compromise'. There are further queries:

How can an ad hoc committee do anything of consequence in a situation like this?
Aren’t the selectors supposed to have their say in this?
Who the hell is Mr. Dalmiya to be on the board?

Whatever the outcome of this feud be, Indian cricket stands to lose. The captain’s integrity along with his physical and mental state has been questioned. The coach, in turn, has also been branded a liar by some of the bigwigs of Indian cricket. The board has, for the past year, looked absolutely despondent. With board, coach and captain losing credibility, whom do we believe?

Financial growth - The but(t) of it all

Is unbridled financial growth any indication of a company’s employee satisfaction? Many of you might think this to be a stupid question. To be honest, I always believed that higher financial growth meant higher employee satisfaction. Recently, though, Microsoft opened my eyes to the financial growth versus employee satisfaction balance.

Microsoft is easily the most profitable player in the tech industry. And it's raking in more moolah than ever, with a net income of $12.3 billion on revenues of $39.8 billion for the past fiscal year. Its twin monopolies, the Windows PC operating system and the Office suite of desktop applications, give it crucial advantages when it plunges into adjacent markets, such as server software for corporations and instant messaging for both businesses and consumers.

All that said and done, are its employees happy and satisfied? Methinks the answer is "maybe not".

In 1998 Microsoft Corp. hired computer scientist Kai-Fu Lee away from hardware maker Silicon Graphics Inc. The move showcased the software giant’s thorough dominance of the computer industry. Lee's expertise was in speech recognition, considered one of the next big leaps in computing. With people like him flocking to Microsoft's labs, it seemed but obvious that the digital world's reigning champion had a secure lock on the future. Things, however, did not turn out that way. In July 2005, Lee bolted from Microsoft for Web search king Google Inc. When asked about his shift into Google, Lee smiled broadly and threw both arms in the air. "I feel great, I can't wait to start work tomorrow morning."

Contrast that with how Lee felt about Microsoft. He painted a distinctly unflattering picture of the company's inner fabric. Lee, who opened Microsoft's research lab in China in 1998 and moved to headquarters in Redmond, Washington, two years later, fretted over what he saw as repeated blunders. He detailed how the more than 20 product-development centers in China tripped over one another, duplicating efforts and even fighting over the same job candidate. Lee called the company "incompetent." He praised Google, noting, "the culture is very supportive, collaborative, innovative, and Internet-like -- and that's bottoms-up innovation rather than top-down direction."

Lee is not the only one giving Microsoft a caustic treatment. Much of the sharpest criticism comes not from the outside world but from within. Scores of current and former employees are criticizing the way the company operates internally. Recently two researchers sent Chairman Bill Gates a memo in which they wrote: "Everyone sees a crisis is imminent" and suggested "Ten Crazy Ideas to Shake Up Microsoft." Many workers, like Lee, are in effect saying: "I quit." More than 100 former Microsoft employees now work for Google, and dozens of others have scattered elsewhere. Employees' complaints are rooted in a number of factors. They resent cuts in compensation and benefits as profits soar. They're disappointed with the stock price, which has barely budged for three years, rendering many of their stock options out of the money. They're frustrated with what they see as swelling bureaucracy, including the many procedures and meetings Chief Executive Steven A. Ballmer has put in place to motivate them. And they're feeling trapped in an organization whose past successes seem to stifle current creativity. "There's a distinct lack of passion," says one engineer, who would talk only on condition of anonymity. "We're missing some spunk."

Ironically, these were the very same characteristics that made Microsoft a popular workplace years ago. The company rode high and its employees rode high with it. Everyone slogged so that the company, and they themselves in turn, could do well. The stock prices soared and growth was the flavour of their work. Creativity was encouraged and passion was a common characteristic of Microsoft employees.

So what happened along the years? Was it poor leadership? Probably not…that is an unlikely theory. The most probable reason for employee dissatisfaction might have stemmed from the sheer size, financial stake and non-maneuverability of the organization. Microsoft, in short, had grown beyond the dreams of a creative thinker that was once William H. Gates III.

I don’t intend to claim that high profit making organizations will absolutely have employee-work dissatisfaction...that would be silly. All I’m saying is that monetary growth is often not the correct gauge to measure an organization’s success. A successful organization will definitely need to make excellent money (heaven help them otherwise!) but it will also need to necessarily ensure the constancy of the passion that ensured its progress. As they say, "The happiness of a man in this life does not consist in the absence but in the mastery of his passions. "

Financial data and the case study for this piece were taken from The Business Week

The Lion City

Mixed moments of anticipation followed closely by gushing speed…SQ 407 took off to deliver us to the Lion City - Singapore.

The Flight
After Thai Air, Singapore Airlines was like paradise. The seats were spacious enough and the entire ambience was conducive to comfort flying. Once we were airborne, the stream of food and drinks started flowing. The food and wine were excellent by any standards. Although they did not serve Dom Perignon, their La Vieille Ferme Rouge was just as good. The in-flight entertainment also was a class apart. Latest movies and music albums filled the system and we were soon absolutely comfortable in our seats. An hour into the flight, air disturbances took over. From then on, till we touched down at Changi, the plane rattled like a, …well, rattle. I did not catch a wink of sleep on the flight primarily because I was loaded with too much entertainment and secondarily because the weather was unruly.

Changi – The Airport
The name ‘Changi’ is derived from the Changi tree that finds pride of place in Singapore. The Changi tree is protected by law and the airport is an outstanding tribute to it. Okay, I admit that I have not been to many international airports but it is difficult for me to imagine an airport better managed and facilitated than Changi. The airport was absolutely spic and span with travellators and escalators in almost all places. The most amazing characteristic of the airport was its deathly silence. In fact, this was exactly the case with all of Singapore. The people were absolutely quiet as if under some oath of silence. The immigration officials in Singapore were lightening fast and very friendly. It took all of 10 minutes for us to leave aircraft and get onto the streets of Singapore. This too after several lingering moments watching the different airport sights.
While returning to New Delhi we spent three hours at the Changi airport and still managed to be just in time for the boarding. Why? We were just taken in by the amount of shopping that was possible at the airport. Enormous duty free shops held center stage and they were offering everything from imported chocolates to imported wine at reduced prices. The airport had centers in the lounges that offered free Internet access and no one was seen hogging the terminals. Hello Indira Gandhi International Airport! Anybody listening?

Singapore City
The entrance to the arrival gate of Changi airport was decorated with stunted palm trees and the drive to the city only demonstrated why Singapore was probably the cleanest city in the world. There are probably more dustbins than there are people in Singapore! Jokes apart, I doff my imaginary hat to all the citizens of Singapore for keeping their country so beautifully clean.
The transport system in Singapore was really admirable. Although the teksis (taxis) were very expensive, buses and the MRT (Mass Rail Transport) were very affordable means of travelling. The frequency of the MRT and the bus service was definitely above par. We practically never had to wait more than a minute or so for transport.
Singapore gave me an impression of a flourishing Asian city albeit with a strong European flavour. Expensive tastes, fast cars, quiet people, business and more business. The people are very dignified and helpful. In fact, there was never a moment during my trip when I felt like an outsider amongst them.

Jurong Bird Park
You need to see this to believe it. If you love birds, don’t pass up this experience for anything. Although the price of the ticket was cutthroat, Jurong Bird Park was ceaselessly amazing every second of the time spent there. Every kind of bird that we ever studied or dreamt about was present there. The true beauty of the park was the proximity with the birds sans cages. The pelicans, swans, flamingos were all beautiful. My favourite experience was feeding the lories. As the picture would probably tell you, I was delirious with joy! The Bird Amphitheater was also great with the macaws, toucans, hornbills and parrots doing their histrionics with extreme dignity.
The birds of prey looked out of sorts in their enclosures. These birds belonged to the free skies and even their large cages looked small compared to the skies. The enclosure of the hornbills was excellent. We ‘met’ many different types of hornbills and 'spoke' with some of them. We also saw the world’s largest species of pigeon. This pigeon would easily weigh about 8-10 pounds each and stretched to at least 2 feet from beak to tail. JBP also boasts of the world’s highest man-made waterfall. This waterfall, at the waterfall aviary stands at 30 meters and is a majestic sight to behold surrounded by the mist of the rainforest.
The ostrich, emu, cassowary, penguins…I could just go on. If I start to completely describe the JBP, it would take me all of 2 hours and loads of writing space. So I’ll just say this much, whatever you do in Singapore, for your own sake, please do go to the JBP.

Night Safari
Those of you who are from India, please don’t waste your precious dough on this. It is simply not worth it. Somehow all the animals looked drugged to me. They were unbelievably stationary for wild animals. The leopard trail, however, was the only notable exception. We walked through an enclosure with king size bats in its. You could touch the bats for all anyone cared. The leopard was only a 6-inch fiberglass wall away from us. That was all that was between the king of the night and us. The tram that took us through the safari showed us more cattle and deer than we had ever dreamt possible. One animal that was a genuine surprise package was the tapir. Well, that’s about it!

Sentosa Island
The meeting schedule was too tight…still we accommodated the Sentosa trip and we would have been silly to miss it. After our entry, we took the free bus to the underwater world. This cost us a fortune compared to the fares it had to offer us. We saw some fantastic sharks, dugongs, sea-dragons etc but nothing worth the money spent in gaining admission. Also, the souvenir shop in its premises was incredibly expensive. In short – no fire, only smoke. After having spent 40 minutes underwater (we had to recompense for the dollars spent there!) we took another bus and headed out for the musical fountains. These fountains were some of the most amazing that I had ever seen. It came packaged with a complete hologram show. The entire musical extravaganza was held under the auspices of the 23-meter tall merlion that stood towering over everything else.
The show went on for all of 15 minutes. Thereafter, we went to the Siloso beach and ate at the Seven Eleven store there. By the time we had completed our rambles on the beach, we were close to 10:30 p.m. A helpful bar owner arranged taxis for us. The taxi that arrived to pick me up was a Mercedes Benz - C class. Admitted, that was a first and special too!

Malls
Singapore has malls that are really worth visiting…unfortunately I am not too much of a shopping person. However, I still managed to go to Suntec City Mall. There was an ongoing electronics exhibition that allowed us to get away with great prices. We even bought a Sony digital camera and saved at least INR 7000 on the bargain. The Suntec City mall had 5 ‘towers’, each for a different commercial purpose. It was wonderfully organized.
I also visited the Raffles City Mall. This was actually more amazing than the Suntec mall. It had a fountain that danced (not to our tunes though) and had almost all the major international fashion and food chains possible in it. The entrance to the mall had tall artificial palm trees that looked like sentries.

Clarke Quay
All I can say is that this could easily be called the Venice of Singapore. A beautiful riverside with eateries and shops on both sides, this is the source of eventful walks and beautiful sights. The riverbank was lined with barges that were excellent places for eating. The opposite side of the road had numerous pubs, ice-cream parlours and small shops selling dandy items. There was also a spot where you could do partake of reverse bungee jumping and get your horrified face taped for S$45. Worthwhile?


Little India
You’ll know when you get there. As soon as I got out of the MRT, the first wall to my right had the words "Fu** Co**" sprayed in large black letters. Absolutely aghast, I turned away only to see walls stained with betel juice. This had better be India…little or not. The first time I went to Little India, it was after the Night Safari and almost 11:00 p.m. The restaurants were shutting down and I just about managed to get some food from an Andhra food joint. The biryani was as sumptuous as that made in a Shiraz or a Karims. After dinner, I had to nearly wait for 10 minutes to get a taxi. The taxi drivers wanted to hurry away from Little India as fast as their wheels could take them (which was about 80 km/hr).
The second time that I went to Little India (Actually the MRT stop before it) was to visit the Mustafa shopping center (Serangoon Road). Be forewarned, if you are from a developing nation, (where a S$ would mean 28 bucks) don’t try to buy clothing from Singapore (Mustafa or not). Only the toiletries are a little cheaper than India. You get a lot of original Gillette, Nike and Adidas products for much cheaper than you can imagine - Bigger the brand, more the margin.

Food
Good food… that is the key to a satisfying trip anywhere – at least that is what I believe…and good food we did have. Lets start with Indonesian. Kintamani, the Indonesian restaurant in Hotel Furama Riverfront was an excellent choice. The food was almost Indian except that it was much sweeter. Even the meat items were far sweeter than admissible to the Indian palate. We had different preparations of fowl, and red meat, each matching up to the other. Finally the dessert arrived – a dish called Tjendol (Bride’s tears). It is a sweet drink with milk & some jelly things in it.
Chinese food was unimaginably different from our usual Chinatown fare. We had steamed rice, beef steak, fish and chicken in soya sauce. Dessert was a sweet drink made of dates, something that looked like seaweed and some other ingredients (I’m sorry I could not catch anything the bearer said about the dishes). Water was ably substituted by green tea. Although it looked very simple, it was delicious and very satisfying.
For our timely dose of Indian masala we went to Muthu’s Curry. My, my…what amazing curries. Apart from home, I have never ever tasted such classic recipes. The ambience was very calming and conducive to good eating. The bearers were very friendly and eagerly showed us what we were going to eat. My eyes sought out and zeroed in on a large flower crab. Ten minutes later I began to deflower the crab that was done rare in an explosive curry. Niju had the famous meen thala (fish head) curry. It was definitely the best food that we had in Singapore.
Seafood was at its best at Shangrila, one of the most posh hotels in Singapore. Here I had some fabulous stuff. The chef in charge of cold seafood helped me in my selection of the choicest items. I had live oysters with Tabasco sauce and lime (mind blowing). This really pepped me up and I went ahead and had octopus tentacles with some weird sauce (I had lost count of new sauces by then). This was also marvelous. Apart from this I had plenty of squid, lobsters and crabs. The crowning dish was a bowl of shark fin soup. Although I partook of the dish, the story behind procurement of the shark fins was very painful and I silently vowed to never consume that dish again. Dessert also had unbelievable variety. I had tepanyaki ice cream and strawberries dipped in molten chocolate. The height of bourgeoisie was the existence of a chocolate fountain. People could simply collect some of this molten chocolate and dip their candies or fruits in it to enjoy a delicious bite.
My tight business schedule disabled me from going out to try ethnic Singaporean dishes but I did try the various satay (Although all the Southeast Asian countries will lay claim to it). Other joints that I visited were KFC, McDonalds and Burger King. Most of these international food chains are available only in select cities in India. The food was simply amazing and it is a pity that most people in India do not get to taste the crispy fried chicken of KFC or the celebrated beef burger of McDonalds or the turkey bacon burger of Burger King.