Twitter twitter little star,
From celebs to fans the connect you are,
On the internet ranked so high
Like a whistleblower in the sky.
There are two important lessons (and maybe more) to learn from the IPL controversy.
Firstly, do not let success get into your head. Lalit Modi always felt that he was above everything else as far as the IPL was concerned. In his wildest dreams he would have never imagined that his tweets about the Kochi franchise would have cost him his job!
Secondly, think before you tweet. Shashi Tharoor had already learnt this the hard way much before the IPL. But in this episode he was at the non-tweeting end (yes, just like being at the non-striker's end)!
From day one of IPL1 Lalit Modi has been the centre of attention and he made sure he continued to do so. And now, towards the end of IPL3, he still is the centre of attention but for the very wrong reasons. Modi was flying high wherever there was a mention of his league. During IPL2 and the bidding of the new teams, he showed off as if the financial crisis was a joke for him. It indeed was with bidding prices soaring higher than any sixers hit by Yusuf Pathan. Nothing could have beaten his IPL when the whole world was still battling out the crisis. He seemed to be like a magician making money in the worst situation possible.
When he had said that IPL3 will be bigger and better than IPL2 we had never imagined the impact it would make this year.This tournament is turning out to be one of the most competitive not just for the teams but also for all those involved in it as to who has more money and power. Both on and off the field. Both legally and illegally.
In India every citizen is obsessed with one of the three: Cricket, Bollywood and Politics. And the majority is obsessed with at least two of the above. The unimaginable success of the IPL is due to the right mixing of all three. A formula Modi can claim is his creation. And where there is power, money and glamour there is bound to be scandals.
We all have a vision of India being a superpower. We have enjoyed success in fields ranging from space research to information technology. But the IPL marked something different. And full marks to Modi for what he has made out of the IPL. The unprecedented success of the IPL with international cricketers being paid by Indians just was a stepping stone for India to be a superpower.
We should be thankful to Kochi. It was years back in Kochi that the first match fixing bubble burst when Delhi Police in collaboration with Kerala Police had tracked mobile calls of Hansie Cronje leading to the unbelievable news of the dirty world of match fixing. And now with the introduction of the Kochi franchise it has again opened up a new chapter in the history of the game. Maybe the government should announce free holiday packages for all government officials to tourist centric Kochi so that the magical city might expose more scandals in future !! No wonder its aptly called God’s Own Country!!
And yes, a very big thank-you to twitter. Not just for bringing us close to all our favourite celebs, but also for exposing one of the world's biggest sporting scandal.
So for all those who worshipped Lalit Modi as a role model, kindly remember: Do not let success get into your head. And please, think before you tweet.
