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The Cricketing Nation - Episode II

noreply@blogger.com (IsuruN) — Tue, 07 Jun 2016 21:00:00 +0000

Is the world run by people who aren’t afraid to speak their mind; vibrant speakers, imposing personalities, heirs of power; Churchils, Putins and Kims.

Leader by definition is the one who shows the way- the centre of action; the one who ignites the solar-plexus of the clan. (Except may be for Queen Victoria - and a few successful others).

But how many people can flock around a single leader- ten, thousand, a million people. Can one person unite the whole-wide-world under one banner?

Francium, with its 87 nucleons has only a half-life of 22 minutes.

Infinitely many H₂O molecules bound by hydrogen bonds – the weakest form of atomic bond therein- creates this amazing fluid that is water; the giver of life.

In 1973, Mark Granovetter- the American sociologist identified the strength of the weak ties in our society. Within our close nit group of best friends we share strong ties- we like the same stuff, talk about the same stuff, enjoy the same stuff. With the high school mate I meet once a year and the fellow commuter I greet to every morning, I share a weak tie.

[Wikipedia]

As in water – acknowledging the significance of covalent bonds between hydrogen and oxygen atoms, the weak ties – the hydrogen bonds- creates the fluidity of the society- the efficient flow of information.

A closely knit clan, without any weak ties connecting it to the rest of the world will die out because of this limitation itself (like the Boston’s West End Italians). Out-of-the-box doesn’t come within.

Kusal Janith Perara was temporarily suspended from International Cricket on charges of using banned substances. Behind the screen action by the player, his manager, the SLC, the British legal team, the ICC itself led to the Qatar-based lab retracting there adverse report, clearing the player.

The social media rants and subsequent media briefing questions led to the SLC publicly disclosing details, and subsequent denial of ICC, of ICC agreeing to pay for the losses, to SLC, in the fiasco.

In our own closed circuits of information we are true, correct and deserving, only to be proven otherwise by the larger network of realities.

The Cricketing Nation - Episode I

noreply@blogger.com (IsuruN) — Sun, 29 May 2016 18:26:00 +0000

Lasith Malinga, the perennial black sheep of Sri Lankan Cricket; rags-to-riches who never played schoolboy cricket; T20 freelancer who gave up playing for his country; robbed the captaincy midway a world cup, and robbed the trophy too. Although I disagree, many believe he did: Antagonize the media at your own risk.

Arjuna Ranathunga was the villain of our enemy; captain cool to us, and to Tony. Each of his men of the undefeated class of 96 had a role. Sana and Kalu “were given the green light to go hell for leather”. Gura, the aggressive-schoolboy-cricketer-turned-patient-number-three, to bat around them. Ara the-main-man. Arjuna, Roshan, Hashan the most experienced middle order of the world cup to bat around Aravinda. Vaasy to smash it and Kumar to steal singles, as they pleased. The rest never to bat: They only had to once (- guess when?)

Angelo Mathews, the lone ranger of the lost generation – a handful of unfulfilled promises. Dili and Chandi were to get a blast off (boy didn’t they miss Kusal). Thiri to play the-Aravinda with Angi, Kapu and Milinda to play around. Dasun and Thisara to send them to the stands. It almost came off – once. When Sri Lanka was 2 down in the second over Arjuna went with the original plan, Angie sent in Milinda.

Windies lifted the world cup. A line-up of hard hitting batsmen, one after the other. Malinga being the most experienced T20 bowler around, new that much. Alas, the inexperienced youth (the next batch of unfulfilled promises) was no match for international bowling – even if its Asian bowlers in Asian pitches.

Arjuna had four U19 Sri Lanka captains in his team: Numbers 3 - 7 with more than 100 ODI caps each. Sana didn’t make a single century, Kalu didn’t survive the fielding restrictions, Aravinda was our leading run scorer, Gura was the sixth highest overall. Four members of the squad went onto become national team test captains.

In fairy-tale victories leaders are celebrated (yes, they are stoned in appalling failures too); luck never talked of (SL had the fortune of two forfeitures in group stage); the team -the faithful followers- who stuck to the plan are rarely talked about.

Only eleven men represent Sri Lanka in cricket matches, but 20 million does in the meantime. What is your role?

Introvert Nation - Epilogue

noreply@blogger.com (IsuruN) — Mon, 23 May 2016 07:00:00 +0000

[read Episode III here]

I do not ask for sympathy for the person who keeps you street from smelling of rotten garbage, or your office room smelling afresh. I ask that if I am to start working as a carpenter tomorrow, give me the respect you give me today. Value me not for the knowledge I do not possess, but for the smile I bear.

Give everyone an opportunity to learn, not necessarily to send men to moon, but to respect the existence of every human being, to listen to their neighbour, to be honest, to separate right and wrong and to tell their story.

“වෙර වීරිය ඇතත් සිතේ
පියකරු බව ඇතත් වතේ
දහඩිය නොම හලන ගතේ
නුඹ පොලවට බරකි පුතේ”

“Bright as a button, you may
with beauty to sprout affray
If no sweat to wipe away
world no more is your valet”

Introvert Nation - Episode III

noreply@blogger.com (IsuruN) — Mon, 16 May 2016 21:33:00 +0000

[read Episode II here]

In the days gone by your caste was your profession. It decided your social status. Then came the hardworking (and cunningly intelligent) business men who rose above and beyond caste boundaries. They, however, decided to give their children a good education, and hence open up professions once were closed for them. Wealth decided your profession. Now there is the intelligent and hardworking children breaking into the higher social class, and fighting for the right of profession to be based on intelligence and hard work. You can argue profession was, and is, a birth right (if you wanna argue that intelligence is genetically inherited, but why should I).

The mouse merchant

We are precariously placed in phase of a transition; in our case wealth, intelligence and hard work all play a role. What you do not have in intelligence you can make up in working a bit harder or getting a better tutor, if you got coins to throw about. All this is for the sake of achieving a socially acceptable status: A better job, a fancy job, a cooler job. Every parents dream.

Fighting to keep education as a right of intelligent and hardworking as measured by examination results would keep us happy for a while. The next transition- soon to come or has already arrived- is the demolition of socially acceptable trades. It’s all about what ever makes me happy, a good pay cheque too - maybe. The hyper connected capitalist world is creating aberrant job titles; you tubers, viners, social entrepreneurs. World is moving from one of making stuff to one of selling stuff.

Everyone needs a degree (if government can’t provide it the private entities have to). Everyone wants a job that dresses nice and sweats less.

There would eventually be a huge void in skilled labour market (Americans know all too well about this). The equilibrium would be a society irrevocably split on wealth - if you make the cut the poor today will be rich tomorrow. No middle ground.

The one thing every one (specially this idiot) tend to forget is that our food comes from plants (or food of your food does). Materials for the ICs in your PC is mined in a dimly lit mine somewhere across the world. Someone takes out your trash. Someone sews your cloth. Someone lays the cables for your internet (oh! Is it Wi-Fi? Ok then).

However, in our country and in our culture, a lot of pieces are in place. We already have got the remaining pieces. We need a giant hand to put them in place.

“මඩ සෝදා ගත් කල ගොවියා රජ කමටත් සුදුසු යි”

"a farmer in clean cloths is a worthy king"

Introvert Nation - Episode II

noreply@blogger.com (IsuruN) — Sun, 15 May 2016 10:34:00 +0000

[read Episode I here]

The whole country is between a rock and a hard place on the issue of private medical education in Sri Lanka. In media –social and otherwise – unprecedented number are voicing their concerns, for and against. To be honest, not really. We’ll rather like a funny cat-video (of an uncontrollably shaking media freelancer) than getting involved in this cockfight.

The ones to whom the implications are closer to home and to those gloom of tomorrow is as sure as sunrise are waging battles; personal ones and revolutionary ones. The rest – you and me –opt to avoid the bloodshed and prefer to see white in this sea of grey.

It was in early 1970’s K.W.Thomas of UCLA interpreted Black and Mountain’s managerial grid as an interpersonal conflict handling model; compete; collaborate; compromise, avoid and accommodate. If he is correct, seems we have no concern in satisfying the-other’s concerns; jumping between avoiding and competing.

Kilmann, R.H; Thomas, K.W, Interpersonal conflict-handling behaviour as reflections of Jungian personality dimensions, Psychological Reports, 1975, 37, 971-980

It is rather strange that this is possible while we see the accommodating nature we see in every day Sri Lankan. Once I was on a public-transportation and didn’t have enough money; the one question the conductor had was if I had enough money for the next part of my journey. But there is every chance of those becoming folk lore.

There are valid points from either side: Can the government alone fund higher education for all? Should the quality of education be compromised to make higher education more accessible? Doesn’t local private higher education reduce out flow of money on foreign private higher education? – and most of other arguments are just bullshit (Biased Unverifiable Lax Logical Substantiation of Hegemonic Ideological Truth – courtesy Dr Adam McNamara).

Isn’t there a possibility of both parties coming together to a collaborative solution? Isn’t there a possibility of inviting the silent bystanders to a productive discussion- sans bullshit. What are the current laws and policies on higher education in the country? How should the higher education be managed and developed in the next decade? If private partnerships are required to prop the higher education needs, what mechanisms should be put in place to maintain the quality of education?

However, at the end of the day, the reality we fail to understand is that a degree certificate is as useless as printed paper as money, when you are in a toilet without water and in winter without wood.

Introvert Nation - The Pilot

noreply@blogger.com (IsuruN) — Sun, 15 May 2016 10:21:00 +0000

I was a kid - age in single digits – when I watched Clive Lloyd running to the middle of the pitch, Kumar with his hands aloft, Kambli crying and Eden garden on fire - literally on fire.

It didn’t matter to me then - nothing more than the fact that we won. But as time moves on you know more and know enough to know that time changes nothing. Indians are crazy about bringing trophies home (cricket, hockey or Sitha) or else setting things on fire or throwing rocks. That’s how we reached the 96 World Cup final (and how we have Rumassala) and as they say it rest is history.

If you have read so far, read on. But I must say I have no intention of mocking anyone, but I am entitled to my views, and you to comedy.

I read this book by a journalist who traversed the subcontinent capturing the 96 world cup; both cricket and politics surrounding it. Among many interesting stories was his visit to Colombo on the day following mighty little Lankans being crowned champions of the Cricket world. Colombo was back at its usual, apart from the traces of celebrations the night before. Even cricket was going on, one featuring a schoolboy Mahela Jayawardane a player for the future, as he noted.

That is a world apart from what we saw in India, September 2007. Indians know how to celebrate, they know how to go gung-ho; take Holi, take Kholi.

Regardless of your belief on whether Sri Lankans decent from Indians or not, cricket fans had been at the either end of the spectrum. In 2000’s Sri Lankan fans were devoted and respectable fans welcoming their heroes back; sun or rain, with or without trophy.

Even our traditional sports are strange in the eyes of modern world. The village randomly divide themselves to Udupila and Yatipila. If Udupila wins it is a good omen for the whole village. And they almost always win. Fair game too.

2011 gave a glimpse of Cricket craziness in Colombo. But Mumbai is much bigger, populous and crazier.

Unfortunately it didn’t stop there. The hyper connectivity of 2010’s has given the lazy an opportunity to vent out steam without picking up a stone or lighting a match. But words hurt as much. Words hurt more.

To be honest, I am scared that this hyper connected society would pull apart a culture; a society once was happy to accept victory or loss, joy and sad, fame and obscurity, at the same stead. It is not fair when you can hide behind a screen and say what you want to say and do not have to own up. Has the artificial society in social media tipped over an introvert nation? What does this mean beyond sports?