India and the IPL

IPL 2009 started with the expected fanfare & pomp. Success, TRP etc relative to the 1st edition would be known soon.
Irrespective to success or failure, the loss to India would of course be enormous.

From showcasing India as a mature, fast developing country to the employment & biz opportunity loss, to developing & strengthening the 1st Indian global sporting event brand, the benefits were many.
The shifting to SA has naturally has had a dampening effect on all these.
Reasons can be many, some legitimate & some very clumsy.
Overall the Indian political & administrative machinery was divided and in absence of a clear will, IPL had to move out.

Thinking on this, I can’t stop drawing parallels to various Indian accomplishments, which are “Indian” “but can’t be called Indian”.
Those that originated in India, but were later moved to more “helping “geographies, where they flourished.
History gives us many instances.,
Scientists, professionals, astronauts, entrepreneurs, we have many cases who were Indians, but flourished & achieved their due, when they moved out of India.
This was particularly true for scientists & entrepreneurs in the pre liberalization era.
Post liberalization though some successes have happened (Indian IT industry being the best eg) but these have been far too few, and also the credit for the few successes is because government stayed away from it.
IPL is clearly India’s first sporting event brand and its movement to SA because of issues in India, makes me draw parallel to cases cited above. Maybe premature, but the thought does cross my mind

Hope IPL does not become an Indian league held across the world in the times to come (there will be many suitors for hosting the same in future) and it comes back to India in 2010.

Hope Government machinery gives to IPL & to all such endeavors what they need the most, administrative support, encouragement & a conducive environment.

Leave the rest to undying Indian spirit & we‘ll have many such successes.

As they say, let the games go on!!