Decoding the IPL Auctions 2014

The IPL 2014 auction is over ! This year had a new concept with 314 uncapped players also going into the auction. It was a great move by the IPL Governing Council as these fringe players got their dues and also franchisees with no good players in their catchment area had a chance to build a strong Indian base. 

Overall 518 players went into the auction, 314 of whom were Indians. A total of 154 players were brought by the teams with 50 of them being overseas players.

Over the two days franchisees had their consultants making strategies for them, shaping up their team for the next 3 years with lots of permutations and combinations going on. Now that all is done let's see how the squads line up at the end of the auction. 

Chennai Super Kings

Squad strength: 20 (Indian 12, overseas 8)

Squad cost: INR 59.80 crore

Squad composition
Batsmen: Faf du Plessis (INR 4.75 crore), Mithun Manhas (INR 30 lakh), Suresh Raina (retained)

Allrounders: Dwayne Smith (INR 4.5 crore), John Hastings (INR 50 lakh), Vijay Shankar (INR 10 lakh), B Aparajith (INR 10 lakh), Dwayne Bravo (retained), Ravindra Jadeja (retained)

Wicketkeeper-batsmen: Brendon McCullum (INR 3.25 crore), MS Dhoni (retained)

Spinners: Samuel Badree (INR 30 lakh), Pawan Negi (INR 10 lakh), R Ashwin (retained)

Fast bowlers: Mohit Sharma (INR 2 crore), Ashish Nehra (INR 2 crore), Ishwar Pandey (INR 1.5 crore), Ben Hilfenhaus (INR 1 crore), Matt Henry (INR 30 lakh), Ronit More (INR 10 lakh)

Most expensive player at auction: Faf du Plessis (INR 4.75 crore)

Bargain buy: B Aparajith (INR 10 lakh)

Strengths: They have retained 5 players from their previous squad with the additions of Faf and McCullum. The India contingent is strong with 4 national team first XI players and 2 players on the fringes. The spin duo of Ashwin and Jadeja will prove to be effective on the Chennai tracks.

Weaknesses: The bowling does not look as strong as it did in previous seasons and they will miss the ever so dependable Michael Hussey. The overall squad looks a bit weak compared to other teams.

Probable first XI: 1 Brendon McCullum/Dwayne Smith 2 Faf du Plessis 3 Suresh Raina 4 Dwayne Bravo 5 Mithun Manhas/B Aparajith 6 MS Dhoni(C) 7 Ravindra Jadeja 8 R Ashwin 9 Mohit Sharma 10 Ishwar Pandey 11 Ben Hilfenhaus.

Kings XI Punjab

Squad strength: 23 (Indian 16, overseas 7)

Squad cost: INR 55.90 crore

Squad composition
Batsmen: George Bailey (INR 3.25 crore), Virender Sehwag (INR 3.2 crore), Shaun Marsh (INR 2.2 crore), Cheteshwar Pujara (INR 1.9 crore), Gurkeerat Singh (INR 1.3 crore), Mandeep Singh (INR 80 lakh), David Miller (retained), Manan Vohra (retained)

Allrounders: Glenn Maxwell (INR 6 crore), Rishi Dhawan (INR 3 crore), Thisara Perera (INR 1.6 crore), Akshar Patel (INR 75 lakh), Karanveer Singh (INR 10 lakh)

Wicketkeeper-batsmen: Wriddhiman Saha (INR 2.2 crore)

Spinners: Murali Kartik (INR 1 crore), Shivam Sharma (INR 10 lakh)

Fast bowlers: Mitchell Johnson (INR 6.5 crore), Beuran Hendricks (INR 1.8 crore), L Balaji (INR 1.8 crore), Sandeep Sharma (INR 85 lakh), Parvinder Awana (INR 65 lakh), Anureet Singh (INR 20 lakh), Shardul Thakur (INR 20 lakh)

Most expensive player at auction: Mitchell Johnson (INR 6.5 crore)

Bargain buy: Virender Sehwag (INR 3.2 crore)

Strengths: They have an explosive middle order and the opening combination looks settled too. Mitchell Johnson adds that X factor to their team. They have a good set of all-rounders to choose from in Rishi Dhawan, Glenn Maxwell and Thisara Perera.

Weaknesses: The spin department looks weak and although Murali Kartik is experienced, he is not a wicket taking option. They might have problems in the fast bowling department if Rishi Dhawan fails to fire as they needed someone to complement Mitch Johnson. They could have also gone in for another wicket-keeper.

Probable first XI: 1 Virender Sehwag(C) 2 Mandeep Singh 3 Cheteshwar Pujara/Shaun Marsh 4 George Bailey 5 Glenn Maxwell/Gurkeerat Singh 6 David Miller 7 Wriddhiman Saha, 8 Rishi Dhawan 9 Mitchell Johnson 10 Murali Kartik 11 L Balaji.

Kolkata Knight Riders

Squad strength: 21 (Indian 13, overseas 8)

Squad cost: INR 59 crore

Squad composition
Batsmen: Robin Uthappa (INR 5 crore), Manish Pandey (INR 1.7 crore), Chris Lynn (INR 1.3 crore), Suryakumar Yadav (INR 70 lakh), Gautam Gambhir (retained)

Allrounders: Jacques Kallis (INR 5.5 crore), Yusuf Pathan (INR 3.25 crore), Shakib Al Hasan (INR 2.8 crore), Ryan ten Doeschate (INR 1 crore), Andre Russell (INR 60 lakh)

Wicketkeeper-batsmen: Manvinder Bisla (INR 60 lakh), Debabrata Das (INR 20 lakh), SS Mondal (INR 10 lakh)

Spinners: Piyush Chawla (INR 4.25 crore), Kuldeep Yadav (INR 40 lakh), Sunil Narine (retained)

Fast bowlers: Vinay Kumar (INR 2.8 crore), Morne Morkel (INR 2.8 crore), Umesh Yadav (INR 2.6 crore), Pat Cummins (INR 1 crore), Veer Pratap Singh (INR 40 lakh)

Most expensive player at auction: Jacques Kallis (INR 5.5 crore)

Bargain buy: Morne Morkel (INR 2.8 crore)

Strengths: The squad looks strong and complete in all departments. There has been a vast improvement in the number and quality of Indian players with the likes of Robin Uthappa, Manish Pandey and Suryakumar Yadav coming in. This was always one weakness of the previous KKR teams. The bowling department looks very good and is probably the best among all the sides.

Weaknesses: They could have added another quality foreign batsman like Ross Taylor(however poor his IPL record be) or George Bailey instead of Pat Cummins or Chris Lynn.

Probable first XI: 1 Robin Uthappa 2 Jacques Kallis 3 Gautam Gambhir(C)  4 Manish Pandey 5 Suryakumar Yadav 6 Yusuf Pathan 7Shakib Al Hasan(home)/Andre Russel(away) 8 Piyush Chawla(home)/Umesh Yadav(away) 9 Morne Morkel 10 Vinay Kumar 11 Sunil Narine.

Royal Challengers Bangalore

Squad strength: 21 (Indians 14, overseas 7)

Squad cost: INR 60 crore

Squad composition
Batsmen: Nic Maddinson (INR 50 lakh), Vijay Zol (INR 30 lakh), Tanmay Mishra (INR 10 lakh), Virat Kohli (retained), Chris Gayle (retained)

Allrounders: Yuvraj Singh (INR 14 crore), Albie Morkel (INR 2.4 crore), Yuzvendra Chahal (INR 10 lakh)

Wicketkeeper-batsmen: Parthiv Patel (INR 1.4 crore), Yogesh Takawale (INR 10 lakh), AB de Villiers (retained)

Spinners: Muttiah Muralitharan (INR 1 crore), Shadab Jakati (INR 20 lakh)

Fast bowlers: Mitchell Starc (INR 5 crore), Varun Aaron (INR 2 crore), Ashok Dinda (INR 1.5 crore), Ravi Rampaul (INR 90 lakh), Harshal Patel (INR 40 lakh), Abu Nechim (INR 30 lakh), Sachin Rana (INR 20 lakh), Sandeep Warrier (INR 10 lakh)

Most expensive player at auction: Yuvraj Singh (INR 14 crore)

Bargain buy: Ravi Rampaul (INR 90 lakh)

Strengths: What can you say about the top 4 ! Simply fabulous !! Albie Morkel will fill in the allrounder's spot which they were so badly missing in the previous editions.

Weaknesses: The fast bowling is filled with too many mediocre options. They are severely lacking in the spin department despite having Murali.

Probable first XI: 1 Chris Gayle 2 Parthiv Patel 3 Virat Kohli(C) 4 Yuvraj Singh 5 AB de Villiers 6 Vijay Zol 7 Albie Morkel 8 Mitchell Starc 9 Shadab Jakati 10 Ashok Dinda 11 Varun Aaron.

Delhi Daredevils

Squad strength: 23 (Indian 16, overseas 7)

Squad cost: INR 60 crore

Squad composition
Batsmen: Kevin Pietersen (INR 9 crore), M Vijay (INR 5 crore), Manoj Tiwary (INR 2.8 crore), JP Duminy (INR 2.2 crore), Ross Taylor (INR 2 crore), Kedar Jadhav (INR 2 crore), Mayank Agarwal (INR 1.6 crore), Saurabh Tiwary (INR 70 lakh), Milind Kumar (INR 10 lakh)

Allrounders: Laxmi Ratan Shukla (INR 1.5 crore), Jimmy Neesham (INR 1 crore), Jayant Yadav (INR 10 lakh)

Wicketkeeper-batsmen: Dinesh Karthik (INR 12.5 crore), Quinton de Kock (INR 3.5 crore)

Spinners: Rahul Sharma (INR 1.9 crore), Shahbaz Nadeem (INR 85 lakh)

Fast bowlers: Nathan Coulter-Nile (INR 4.25 crore), Mohammad Shami (INR 4.25 crore), Jaydev Unadkat (INR 2.8 crore), Wayne Parnell (INR 1 crore), Siddarth Kaul (INR 45 lakh), Rahul Shukla (INR 40 lakh), HS Sharath (INR 10 lakh)

Most expensive player at auction: Dinesh Karthik (INR 12.5 crore)

Bargain buy: Jimmy Neesham (INR 1 crore)

Strengths: A strong batting line up all the way down to number 7. The bowling also looks alright with both the fast bowling and spin bowling departments well covered. KP should provide them with the much needed boost by being available for the whole season.

Weaknesses: They depend on a few players who have a very bad track record in the IPL or who haven't played in India at all.

Probable first XI: 1 M Vijay 2 Quinton de Kock 3 Kevin Pietersen(C) 4 Dinesh Karthik 5 Jimmy Neesham/Ross Taylor 6 Manoj Tiwary 7 Kedar Jadhav 8 Nathan Coulter-Nile 9 Rahul Sharma 10 Mohammad Shami 11 Jaydev Unadkat.

Rajasthan Royals

Squad strength: 25 (Indian 17, overseas 8)

Squad cost: INR 54.45 crore

Squad composition
Batsmen: Brad Hodge (INR 2.4 crore), Karun Nair (INR 75 lakh), Unmukt Chand (INR 65 lakh), Ajinkya Rahane (retained)

Allrounders: Steven Smith (INR 4 crore), Rajat Bhatia (INR 1.7 crore), Abhishek Nayar (INR 1 crore), Ben Cutting (INR 80 lakh), Kevon Cooper (INR 30 lakh), Rahul Tewatia (INR 10 lakh), Shane Watson (retained), Stuart Binny (retained), James Faulkner (retained)

Wicketkeeper-batsmen: Dishank Yagnik (INR 30 lakh), Ankush Bains (INR 10 lakh), Sanju Samson (retained)

Spinners: Iqbal Abdullah (INR 65 lakh), Ankit Sharma (INR 10 lakh), Pravin Tambe (INR 10 lakh)

Fast bowlers: Tim Southee (INR 1.2 crore), Dhaval Kulkarni (INR 1.1 crore), Kane Richardson (INR 1 crore), Deepak Hooda (INR 40 lakh), Vikramjeet Malik (INR 20 lakh), Amit Mishra (INR 10 lakh)

Most expensive player at auction: Steven Smith (INR 4 crore)

Bargain buy: Tim Southee (INR 1.2 crore)

Strengths: They have the biggest squad with the least amount of money spent. Keeping in touch with their tradition, the squad is full of unknown and utility players. Also have T20 specialists in Bhatia, Faulkner and Hodge.

Weaknesses: The bowling might be a problem if their all rounders or slow bowlers don't perform well. They have no quality spinner in their team and the longevity of Tambe has to be questioned.

Probable first XI: 1 Unmukt Chand 2 Ajinkya Rahane 3 Shane Watson(C) 4 Sanju Samson 5 Steven Smith 6 Brad Hodge 7 Stuart Binny/Abhishek Nayar 8 James Faulkner 9 Rajat Bhatia 10 Dhaval Kulkarni 11 Pravin Tambe/Iqbal Abdullah.

Mumbai Indians

Squad strength: 21 (Indian 13, overseas 8)

Squad cost: INR 59.95 crore

Squad composition
Batsmen: Michael Hussey (INR 5 crore), Apoorv Wankhede (INR 10 lakh), Rohit Sharma (retained), Ambati Rayudu (retained)

Allrounders: Corey Anderson (INR 4.5 crore), Jalaj Saxena (INR 90 lakh), Kieron Pollard (retained)

Wicketkeeper-batsmen: Aditya Tare (INR 1.6 crore), CM Gautham (INR 20 lakh), Ben Dunk (INR 20 lakh), Sushant Marathe (INR 10 lakh)

Spinners: Pragyan Ojha (INR 3.25 crore), Shreyas Gopal (INR 10 lakh), Harbhajan Singh (retained)

Fast bowlers: Zaheer Khan (INR 2.6 crore), Jasprit Bumrah (INR 1.2 crore), Josh Hazlewood (INR 50 lakh), Krishmar Santokie (INR 30 lakh), Marchant de Lange (INR 30 lakh), Pawan Suyal (INR 10 lakh), Lasith Malinga (retained)

Most expensive player at auction: Michael Hussey (INR 5 crore)

Bargain buy: Corey Anderson (INR 4.5 crore)

Strengths: Champions of last year. Very strong middle order with two top class all-rounders in Pollard and Anderson. The spin duo of Harbhajan and Ojha should keep the bowling sorted. Michael Hussey provides stability at the top of the order.

Weaknesses: The 'Indians' in Mumbai Indians which was a major reason for their success does not look that impressive. The fast bowling department looks weak and risky with two injury prone bowlers in Zaheer and Malinga.

Probable first XI: 1 Aditya Tare 2 Michael Hussey 3 Rohit Sharma(C) 4 Ambati Rayudu 5 Corey Anderson 6 Kieron Pollard 7 CM Gautham/Jalaj Saxena 8 Harbhajan Singh 9 Zaheer Khan/Jasprit Bumrah 10 Lasith Malinga, 11 Pragyan Ojha

Sunrisers Hyderabad

Squad strength: 24 (Indian 17, overseas 7)

Squad cost: INR 59 crore

Squad composition
Batsmen: David Warner (INR 5.5 crore), Aaron Finch (INR 4 crore), KL Rahul (INR 1 crore), Venugopal Rao (INR 55 lakh), S Anirudha (INR 20 lakh), Manprit Juneja (INR 10 lakh), Ricky Bhui (INR 10 lakh), Shikhar Dhawan (retained)

Allrounders: Darren Sammy (INR 3.5 crore), Irfan Pathan (INR 2.4 crore), Moises Henriques (INR 1 crore), Parveez Rasool (INR 95 lakh)

Wicketkeeper-batsmen: Naman Ojha (INR 50 lakh), Brendan Taylor (INR 30 lakh), Amit Paunikar (INR 20 lakh)

Spinners: Amit Mishra (INR 4.75 crore), Karan Sharma (INR 3.75 crore)

Fast bowlers: Bhuvneshwar Kumar (INR 4.25 crore), Ishant Sharma (INR 2.6 crore), Jason Holder (INR 75 lakh), P Parameswaran (INR 30 lakh), Ashish Reddy (INR 20 lakh), Chama Milind (INR 10 lakh), Dale Steyn (retained)

Most expensive player at auction: David Warner (INR 5.5 crore)

Bargain buy: Irfan Pathan (INR 2.4 crore)

Strengths: A top 3 made for T20 cricket. The fast bowling also looks terrific. In Sammy and Irfan Pathan they have 2 very good all-rounders made for the shorter version of the game.

Weaknesses: The middle order looks susceptible. The Indian batsman in the squad apart from Shikhar Dhawan look mediocre.

Probable first XI: 1 Shikhar Dhawan 2 Aaron Finch(C) 3 David Warner 4 Naman Ojha 5 Venugopal Rao/Maprit Juneja 6 Darren Sammy/Moises Henriques 7 Irfan Pathan 8 Bhuvneshwar Kumar 9 Amit Mishra 10 Dale Steyn 11 Ishant Sharma

Final VIew: 

As the number of teams came down to 8, teams had more options to buy. Almost all the squads look balanced. Maybe RCB looks a bit top heavy but hey, on their day they can tear apart any bowling attack in the world. We saw Mr. Mallya lodge a complaint against KKR for the late bid of Yuvraj, but that was more out of frustration as he knew he had been tricked to spend more than the player's value. This left them severely handicapped for the auction on day 2 when they couldn't bid beyond 40-50 lakhs for a good uncapped player. Same was the case with MI and CSK who had spent a large part of their budget on retaining players from their previous squad. As Rahul Gandhi would say, "the fundamental question is after retaining 3 marquee players why did RCB pay over the top for another?". Delhi did what KKR had done at the start of IPL-4 auctions, they sold all their players and went for completely new ones. We also saw the Right to Match cards being introduced in this year's auction which left a few franchisees confused. Again, following past trends the Indian players went for more than their overseas counterparts. 

Overall KKR, SRH and RR look like the best squads on paper. But the IPL is never played on paper. It is played on the field and maybe inside Mr. Srinivasan's bedroom. So who do you think is the favourites for IPL-7 ?

India needs to be Modi-fied…For Now! Part -1

A series about the 2014 Lok Sabha elections and the 3 main candidates for the hot seat.

Part 1- Arvind Kejriwal 

Jan 2013: As India and its political parties were gearing up for the upcoming elections, it was shaping up to be another BJP vs Congress fight at the Centre.  

The Man at the center of the storm

There was no other alternative. The Third Front was not going to be a major player. It had become quite clear on the BJP front that Narendra Modi was going to lead them into the elections. Although the Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh had not refuted claims of not contesting the elections, the general feeling within the Congress camp was that the time had come for Rahul Gandhi to lead. The people wanted a Modi vs Rahul battle at the centre. The media wanted a Modi vs Rahul battle. Even the BJP and some sections of the Congress wanted that, but alas the Madam Sonia Gandhi and a certain Mr. Arvind Kejriwal had some other plans.

Jan 2014: Wow! What a difference a year makes. 

The Delhi elections have changed the whole landscape of Indian politics. Never has a party risen so quickly to fame and power as the Aam Aadmi Party has. Arvind Kejriwal along with his ‘jhaadu’ has become the national symbol for the fight against corruption. What was hyped up to be a 2 way power struggle has now completely opened up. Even the Third Front looks like a viable alternative now. Regional leaders like Nitish Kumar, Mulayam Singh Yadav and Mayawati are daring to dream. The Aam Aadmi Party has given both the politicians and the people a new hope and a new agenda to fight with.

But what has really brought about this radical change? How can a common man rise out of nowhere to rule the capital of this great nation ? Well, the answer lies in the question itself- that he is a common man, or rather projected himself to be one. Mr. Kejriwal  was rather fortunate to graduate from the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur at a time when the Oracle's and Microsoft's of those times didn't offer exorbitant salaries like they do today. After all we classify a man as common or influential on the basis of wealth and not intellect, don't we ? He resigned from the IRS to take up social work. However he refused to fulfill the part of his contract which stated that he had to repay the part of his salary which he received when he was on educational leave if he left before the completion of 3 years of service. This man is fighting corruption today.

Contrary to what many think, his wasn't a case of an overnight success. He worked hard at the grassroots without much fame and public acknowledgement. He was instrumental in the enactment and implementation of the Right to Information(RTI) Act which has made the system a bit more transparent. He even received the Ramon Magsaysay Award for his efforts. Along with Manish Sisodiya and Abhinandan Sekhri, he established the Public Cause Research Foundation, donating the prize money received as a seed fund in the NGO. But only when his association with Anna Hazare began did he start coming into recognition. The case of the JanLokpal Bill made him a media darling and when news broke of him separating from Team Anna and forming his own political party, the media had identified its prime time coverage content for the next year or so. The credit for AAP's success must go as much to the media as it goes to Kejriwal and his team.

I don't have anything against the man. His intentions may be good but having just a goal is not enough. Working towards it is the tough part and so far he has not done it the right way. When he worked with Anna Hazare it was okay for him to sit on 'dharnas' and 'anshans'. But ironically his fight for the common man has uplifted him from the tag of a commoner. He must realize that he is no longer Arvind Kejriwal- the activist who was fighting against the Government. He is Arvind Kejriwal - the Chief Minister. He is the Government( although Congress would like to disagree). As a Chief Minister he has certain rights and privileges which are necessary to conduct the office of that scale and magnitude. The public circus which followed on his rejection of the 2 spacious bungalows allotted to him by the Delhi government must have left a bad taste in his mouth. He would have understood by now that the same media which helped him rise to power could portray him as the villain within a span of days. 

According to media reports it was not the Delhi government which looked for Kejriwal's bungalows as said by him, instead it was he himself who searched for those bungalows and passed a proposal to the Lt. Governor Najeeb Jung for approval. All this within 42 hours of him being sworn as the Chief Minister of Delhi. The real issue is not that he needed those spacious 5 BHK bungalows, it is that he rejected it later under minor criticism and played it to his advantage; portraying himself to be austere. He had specifically mentioned in his election mandate that neither he nor any of his ministers would accept any of the government bungalows allotted to them. There are already a few chief ministers all over India who follow such austerity and they never publicize their actions nor are they highlighted in the news. West Bengal CM Mamta Banerjee is one person who avails much less facilities than a Chief Minister is entitled to but that is never news. And mind you, Mr. Kejriwal is not the first Chief Minister to live in a not so lavish government house. In fact we have an incumbent Chief Minister of one of the north eastern states who has already done so. But again, that was never brought to light.

Going over his election mandate, I bet even Mr. Kejriwal realizes that he has made a few promises which are highly unrealistic. The public, the opposition and even their alleged allies know that well. The policy of water subsidies is not as revolutionary as it was thought to be. It is less than the promised 400 litres and normal rates apply if the quantity exceeds. The budget allotted for this scheme 464 crores and although the amount seems huge; it is just about 12% of the budget alocated to the DJB by the previous government under Sheila Dixit. The same goes for his policies of electricity consumption. So, financially it is not a strain till now. Yet subsidies are not the way to go in the future when resources are continuously depleting. It is an extremely short term solution and cannot be sustained in the long run. Modi fanatics vehemently point to this fact stating how AAP is all about false promises.

Arvind Kejriwal on dharna

His political ideology is borderline anarchism. Such policies will appease the people in the beginning, misleading them to believe that they have the power. Like Kejriwal said, "Today the people of Delhi are the Chief Minister". Then as chaos rolls on and the state is ruled without any direction, it is the same people who will give back the 'power' to these few men. It results in oligarchy and that is never suitable in  the modern day politics. India is the largest democracy of the world, but it is a representative democracy. The sole reason we have leaders is because public opinion is too fickle to make important decisions. As AAP found out the case for a Junta-Darbar is just not pragmatic. Therefore to hear someone as rational as Manish Sisodiya to say that police control in militant areas and the deployment of army force in J&K should be decided by referendums is baffling to say the least. It causes shivers to even imagine what effect such policies and ideas would have if implemented on a national scale.

His staunch defense of Somanth Bharti was even more astounding than the Law Minister's vigilantism. To barge into a house with residing foreign nationals which include women; along with a mob and without a proper warrant is insane. This alone is enough cause for suspension or resignation of the Law Minister in the 'crime capital' of the country. If the Law Minister himself doesn't follow the law then why should the aam aadmi ? After all according to AAP it is they who have the power. All this sets a bad precedent in a place where rape news is a norm. AAP's reaction was as expected. Whenever the media or certain sections of the society have questioned them, they have hit back with staunch defense of their ideals claiming it is a conspiracy to defame them. Every single time. Perhaps Mr. Kejriwal should stop cribbing and take notice of the situation in Syria. The much-heralded Arab Spring, which was expected to resonate on a Western democratic and pluralistic template, resulted in large-scale destabilization, the use of force and intervention in Libya and continuing chaos in Syria.

He has publicly defamed everyone from Sonia Gandhi and Sharad Pawar to the Ambani brothers without any proof, asking us to trust our intelligence and his judgement. Yes, we all know these corporate honchos and political leaders have vast amounts of money in tax havens like Switzerland, but is it correct to publicly charge anyone when you don't have the necessary documents to support your claims ?  When recently asked about the criminal record of one of his members he said that just about anyone could go to the Lokpal and file a complaint, it would not make anyone a criminal. His hypocrisy makes him sound like a seasoned politician and does not bode well for people expecting an honest government from him. His schemes are highly populist and the proposal of 90 % reservation for local residents in Delhi University is just one among the many to please the masses. How is he different to many of the regional leaders then ?

We all agree that it has been just a month since their government was formed. It is too early to judge them, but the masses are impatient and they want results. However impractical it is to expect changes in 15 days, it is partly the AAP's fault because they had put those specific points in the election mandate. That is also the exact reason why they won 28 seats. People want quick changes and they expect the party to provide it. Mr. Kejriwal can't shy away from it now. AAP is striving towards what we all want- a corruption free and self sufficient India, but I do not agree with how they plan to achieve it. It wants to break the law rather than change it from within. It is intent on doling out free stuff rather than empowering people to be able to earn that stuff. That is not the change the youth wants. It was clear from  the beginning that they did not want to form the government and had to do it by unwillingly accepting support from the Congress. Their opponents knew they would not be able to deliver and would fail. Now it seems they want to fail without even trying.

Their focus is not on Delhi-the Union territory anymore, it is on Delhi-the capital of India. They have recently agreed to contest 350 Lok Sabha seats and even the most staunch AAP supporter would say that is being highly optimistic for a party which has just found its feet and does not have a national base. They have just started in Delhi and should have ideally contested the Lok Sabha elections after working in Delhi for 5 years and showing both their detractors and supporters that they can fulfill their promises. But this is Indian politics and if the Delhi Elections are anything to go by be ready to expect the unexpected. Still, in my honest opinion Kejriwal is not CM material yet let alone being a Prime Ministerial candidate. He needs an experience of 5-10 years in Indian politics before he can be considered as a candidate for the most high profile job in the country. They have ridden on the anti-Congress wave in Delhi and seriously dented BJP's numbers in the state. Will they be able to do it all over the country come May ?

Reviewing the 'Modern' day Mahabharata

"Yada Yada Hi Dharmasya

Glanirva Bhavathi Bharatha,

Abhyuthanam Adharmaysya

Tadatmanam Srijami Aham"

                                   Bhagavad Gita (Chapter IV-7)

To the current generation this might sound Greek but for others it would bring about a feeling of nostalgia. It would evoke memories of their childhood, about the time they spent together as a family connected by a TV show. As legend has it, whenever this epic was aired on Doordarshan time froze and the streets of India wore a brazen look. It was comparable to a India-Pakistan match in terms of it's catch and viewership. Yes, I'm talking about B.R. Chopra's Mahabharata.

They don't make shows like that anymore, do they ? The dialogues were simple, the actors brilliant and the costumes and effects(for 1988) looked magnificent. Overall, the show was pristine. Although that could have been compounded by the fact that Television had recently become a phenomenon in India and anything the public saw was new and original. The effects that that particular TV show had on them reverberated through one whole generation. Such high was the moral content and so well were the characters played that it became a runaway success. Nitish Bharadwaj playing the role of Krishna was revered as a God, and everywhere he went people touched his feet to seek his blessings. It created something which was never truly seen before and will never be seen again.

Nitish Bharadwaj as Krishna in B.R. Chopra's Mahabharat

Fast-forward to 2008- the Television and Entertainment Industry has grown exponentially but the whole concept that goes into making a TV show has changed. Changed to follow the one created by one Ms. Ekta Kapoor. Weird camera angles, horrific story lines, trashy acting and unnecessary songs have become the new norm. But in all these years nobody has dared to recreate the Mahabharata, not even the mighty Bollywood. Suddenly in that ingenious mind of Ekta Kapoor comes an idea - she wants to re-make Mahabharata and portray the characters the way she had conceptualized them as a child. It was a plan born to fail. And it failed badly. If you try replacing Sachin Tendulkar with Sir Ravindra Jadeja, you are doomed. And that is exactly what this was. It was not just about the class difference, the older version was something which was something close to people's heart, it had a sentimental value. Whatever little chance she had she blew it up by showing the most controversial scene in the epic as the pilot episode. Not even Krishna could save her the blemishes. 

So when Star Plus recently announced that it was going to launch Mahabharata again, one had reasons to be skeptical. Some people had already given up on it, foreboding that it would turn out to be Mahabharata disaster part II. There was and still is a dearth of reviews about the new show and it seemed like no-one was interested in watching it. It was touted as the first 100 crore TV show in India but still how could it possibly match up to the 88' version ? The shadow of B.R Chopra's epic would always loom large over them. However, if you analyse it closely the picture is not all that gloomy. The TRP's are good and if you watch the trailers for various characters you would be relieved knowing atleast this would not be another disaster. If you see the way a short introduction was given about the important characters, you would know that the show was well planned. The director had thought of perfectly reasonable explanations as to why a particular character acted in a particular way and what he wanted to do with each character within the limitation of it's mythological significance. While Ekta Kapoor's version focused more on the ridiculous Manish Malhotra designed Roman-costumes and models with 6 pack abs, this had more subtle touches to it. 

The actors roped in to play various characters play their part to a T. Although Arav Chowdhary was a bit old to play the younger Bheeshma, he has portrayed the stoic nature of Bheeshma pretty well. Praneet Bhatt gained a lot of screen time during the beginning and was absolutely brilliant in the way he played Shakuni. A major criticism of Ekta Kapoor's version was that Anita Hassannandani was not fit to play the role of Draupadi. Her over-the-top acting in the pilot was the reason a lot of people became prejudiced about the show after just one episode. Also, the actors playing the Kauravas and Pandavas were daily-soap actors and seeing them play a mythological character was not something the viewers could believe easily. Here Star Plus has done a marvelous job in finding relatively fresh faces and the Delhi beauty Pooja Sharma is one among them. She does justice to the fabled beauty of Draupadi and looks like a promising actor. Shaheer Shaikh and Rohit Bharadwaj do a good job playing the part of Arjuna and Yudhisitra respectively. Saurabh Jain looks like he was born to play mythological characters and he has continued where he left off playing Krsihna. There is a certain air of arrogance about Arpit Ranka and that is exactly what is required to play Duryodhana. The only misfit one could think of might have been Ratan Rajput who was too loud to play Amba. Even the costumes and armor designed by Oscar winner Bhanu Athaiya are probably the closest to reality you will get. The story proceeds at a fast pace and there hasn't been any unnecessary drag until recently. This is where it has even outdone Chopra's Mahabharata as there were too many interludes which slowed down it's pace drastically. Today's 'instant make-up, instant break-up' generation would've found it boring. 

Pandvas in the New Mahabharata

The show has also had it's fair share of criticism. The set and animations hardly make you feel it is a 100 crore show. This is where  we need to learn from Hollywood and use technology to make a film/TV show which is much more than just actors, costumes and scripts. One look at Spartacus will tell you how important a role technology has played into making it successful. There were also cases of it drifting away from the original script on a lot of occasions. To show Bheeshma attacking someone from behind is criminal. It destroys his image. He was a self righteous man and no-one during those ages would have attacked anyone from behind. There were certain rules of war which were never broken. Another experiment gone wrong was Duryodahana defeating 4 out of the 5 Pandavas in a gauntlet match only to be defeated by Arjuna in the end. Such an incident had never occurred and Duryodhana had only faced Bhima. It changes the perception of the people depending solely on this version for their knowledge and views about the Mahabharata. Those people might sympathize with Duryodhana believing he was better suited to lead than Yudhistira and was unfairly treated. They might even support his actions which led to the war. 

There have been cases where a change has worked for the good too. Like in the case they opted out of showing the real reason behind Madri's death. It is believed that she performed Sati after learning that her husband Pandu was killed because of her. Such a thing could obviously not be shown on Indian Television, as viewers have different sensibilities and it might have been wrongly interpreted. The 'Moses-esque' entry of Krishna was also pretty cool to be honest. It added extra magic to his already complex character.

One thing on which the jury is still out is presenting the Mahabharata in a way the Iliad was written. Just as Achilles is the main hero in the Iliad, and it's a story about his journeys and victories, they are trying to present Arjuna as the main hero of the story and make it look as if every important decision was taken by him alone. The role of Yudhistira has been marginalized. I'm not sure if it's the right thing to do, but it works in terms of engaging the viewers where they have a clear hero Arjuna, a villain in Duryodhana, the anti-hero Karna and the mastermind of all schemes Krishna. We must remember that the Mahabharata is not just an epic like the Iliad where one just need to present the story in an attractive way, the social message it sends out is also very important. The Bhagvad Gita is the sacred text of the Hindus and it is an integral part of the epic. As the creators of the Mahabharata said they wanted to re-create it for the younger audiences it becomes even more imperative that they think about the message that they are sending, each scene-each episode. If we truly want our traditions to flourish among the younger one's we need to do the Mahabharata right. This is a big reason why people didn't like Ekta's version. It was not a Mahabharata the young India could see and learn from.

Although the current version does fine, there is so much more they could have done. The friendship between Karna and Duyrodhana has been minimalized an it's an important part of Karna's character. There seemed to be hatred between Pandu and Dhritarashtra, but in reality they loved each other even though they were competing for the same crown. These are the values we should learn from the epic. It shouldn't be like a '300' where the movie became famous because of the war sequences and fight scenes. The moral content of this show should be very high. This is what differentiates Chopra's version from the rest. All's not lost though. Still the most important portions of the show have to be telecast and it will depend upon those scenes how this show will be perceived in the future. The Draupadi Vastraharan scene and the Bheeshma Vadh are two of the most important scenes in the story, both of which are still remaining. It is the handling of those two scenes which will decide whether this will be remembered as another classic like Chopra's or just another mediocre show. I honestly can't see it going down as bad as Ekta's Mahabharata.

Verdict- All in all, a good show with the potential to be a great. 

PS- The old Mahabharata is available on YouTube. The new one telecasts on Star Plus Monday-Friday at 8:30 pm.