“I am like Anna Hazare Jee, don’t bribe me!”

August brought with it fasting-season in the Indian subcontinent – Jains observed Paryusana, Muslims fasted from sunrise till sundown each day during Ramadan and Anna Hazare fasted as a protest against the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government. His demands? The implementation of a revolutionary Jan Lokpal Bill aimed at tackling the rampant corruption within the Indian polity.

Some criticized Anna Hazare’s method of a fast-unto-death for being ‘much too extreme’ and ‘unconstitutional’ while others rallied behind the Gandhian activist, some even joining him in his fast! Days of anti-government rallies and pro-Anna marches followed, culminating into a nationwide frenzy wherein daily newspapers and television channels seemed to cover nothing else!

Finally, on the 27^th of August, both Houses of parliament, through thunderous thumping of desks, agreed to pass a resolution giving in to Hazare’s three major demands -   a Citizens’ Charter, appointment of Lokayuktas in all states with Lokpal powers and the inclusion of lowest to highest bureaucracy in the Lokpal Bill. Yet, in the words of Hazare himself, “We have won only half the battle.” The question is - why?

There is no doubt that the ‘India Against Corruption’ movement united citizens from all walks of life against something that was earlier considered an undefeatable foe - corruption. There is also no doubt that Anna Hazare’s protests secured the passage of a bill that had otherwise been neglected for over four decades. Yet, as a gloveless sweeper clears tonnes of rubbish, discarded slogan-banners, packets of chips and banana-peels from Azad Maidan where a rally had been held, the question on everybody’s lips is – What happens next?

Perhaps we’ll get a better answer to these questions once the dust settles on Hazare’s victory and this whole anti-corruption euphoria dies down. The sceptics are out in large numbers, those low-on-life individuals who think that we Indians will never change – “Corruption is part of life in modern-day India,” they say. “I’m telling you bhai sahib, let all this Annagiri end in a few weeks and people will forget this movement even existed!” I wholeheartedly disagree with their pessimistic approach. Granted, even I don’t expect corruption to be wiped out completely; it would be naive of us to believe that. Yet, a visible change in the attitude of Indians towards corruption is the first major step we need to take. The signs look good in these early days. A friend of mine was halted by a traffic cop for using his cell phone while driving. My friend shamelessly removed a five-hundred-rupee note to avoid legal punishment and the headache that comes along with it. Our hero of a cop, though, turned down the note with a look of disgust and then proudly stated – “I am like Anna Hazare jee, don’t bribe me!”  

CMUN 2011: A Vision Comes Alive

“The most pathetic person in the world is someone who has sight, but has no vision.” – Helen Keller

The fifteenth annual session of the Cathedral Model United Nations (CMUN) attracted over 500 delegates from across India and abroad. Held at the spectacular Trident Hotel on the 14^th, 15^th and 16^th of August this year, CMUN is deservingly regarded as one of the most anticipated Model UN conferences in the world. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the concept – a MUN is when students assume the roles of world leaders to debate, deliberate and ultimately resolve world issues, while following the actual UN procedure. This year, there were eight committees at CMUN, including a Historic General Assembly discussing the Iran-Iraq wars, a Historic Security Council discussing the Bosnian crisis of the 90s and even a unique Al-Qaeda Core Group simulating a meeting between the world’s most wanted militants. Throughout the three-day conference, a specialised Press Corps analysed and criticised everything that took place at CMUN, highlighting the critical role played by the media in international affairs.

Can you believe that the first CMUN, in 1996, was held in a single classroom at the Cathedral & John Connon School and consisted of just one committee of only 30 delegates? Incredible, it really is, how this vision of a few young students, culminated into such a large-scale event.

Perhaps the most exciting feature of CMUN this year was the Night Emergency Session, which took place on the night of our Independence Day from 1am until 6am.  As they lay asleep in their comfortable hotel room beds, delegates were required to wake-up, suit-up and show up in committee in the middle of the night! Over Trident coffee and pizza, they were faced with a sudden dramatic chain of events and had to overcome the barriers of sleep and time to come up with a feasible solution.

Over three days, CMUN provided participants with the opportunity to enhance their debating-skills, enjoy excellent food and hospitality as well as a chance to interact with other young people.  When asked to summarize CMUN 2011, Director-General Angad Kapur said, “We took the conference to some brave new heights this year – record participation, unique committees and even a night emergency! For the first time ever, we had a delegation from across the border in the form of the Aitchinson College, Lahore. Not only did they win our Best Delegation award, but they also won our hearts over!” Clearly, this shows that with the right vision, young people can build bridges which even our aged politicians have repeatedly failed to build.  

It’s Not About the Money, Money, Money! Or is it?

Besides truckloads of cold hard cash, what do a Russian oligarch, an Arab sheikh, an Indian fried-chicken tycoon and an American NFL franchiser have in common? No, not just their women – all these wealthy gentlemen are proud owners of their very own Barclays Premier League football clubs.

Such a situation would have been unimaginable a couple of decades ago, but foreign ownership, multi-million-dollar player transfers, massive television rights and sponsorship deals have changed the beautiful game forever.  The game just isn’t that beautiful anymore, some purists argue, bitterly. Others, like myself, take a more progressive view on things. Football, just like any other walk of life, needs to change with time. The commercialisation of the game has been a welcome boost to everyone – players, coaches, owners and even us fans!

Think about it, which one of us doesn’t love to read about that huge £35 million signing by Manchester City or Real Madrid? Which little boy wouldn’t want to adorn a pair of Nike Mercurials like the one’s he sees his hero Cristiano Ronaldo wear in all the ads? Who wouldn’t want to watch live coverage of the European Cup Final on television? It’s the money that runs the sport today, it doesn’t ruin it.

Transfers are another major talking-point. Some argue that it’s the basest form of human slavery. Rubbish, in my opinion. The average Premier League footballer earns over £20,000-a-week. If that’s what you call slavery then sign me up! This much-criticised system of unscrupulous buying and selling of players works wonders for a sport. If it didn’t, then why would India – the perennial imitators of the West – come up with the IPL, based on the exact same model?

Call me old-fashioned, but I also take interest in what happens on the pitch and not just in the Board Rooms. For my breed, there are still 90-minutes of heart-throbbing action on the telly every weekend and I am eternally grateful to ESPN - Star-Sports for that luxury. The 2011/2012 season looks set to be another richly entertaining thrill-a-minute ride. Now it’s up to the players to listen to their massive American sponsor Nike‘s Portuguese slogan – Joga Bonito. Play Beautiful. I warned you - it’s all about the money.