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In the recent Women’s Premier League (WPL) none of the stars shone brighter than Sophie Devine! On March 18,2023 we witnessed match no 16 on a pleasant Brabourne Stadium, Mumbai. Royal Challengers Bangalore (franchise RCB) were taking on Gujarat Giants. The 2023 WPL is the women’s version of Indian Premier League comprising five franchises – Mumbai Indians, Delhi Capital and UP Warriorz being the other three. The match had electrifying moments as bottom of table RCB had to save its Titanic from sinking. Set to score 188 runs off 20 0vers (120 balls) it was Sophie Devine’s glorious evening. And what an evening it was!! She blasted her way to 99 off only 36 balls smashing nine fours and eight sixes (picture above). The match was wrapped up in only 15.3 overs, and the crowd was dumbfounded. When Sophie fell for 99 (one more run and that could have been an epic hundred) the whole of Brabourne Stadium was stunned into disbelief – in one moment heartbroken for Sophie Devine - but in the next erupted into rapturous applause for what everyone believed was a performance none of us would forget in a hurry. How it all started. Women’s Cricket started in a very sketchy manner. I was not amused when Andy went through the pages and it startled me to no end sifting through, what an arduous journey the ladies had to endure! History: Early matches in women’s cricket were not necessarily genteel affairs. A match, on 13 July 1747, held at the Artillery Ground between a team from Charlton and another from Westdean and Chilgrove in Sussex spilled over into the following day after it was interrupted by crowd trouble. Contemporary records show that women's matches were played on many occasions between villages in Sussex, Hampshire and Surrey. Other matches, often held in front of large crowds with heavy betting on the side, pitted single women against their married counterparts. Prizes ranged from barrels of ale to pairs of lace gloves. The first county match was held in 1811 between Surrey and Hampshire at Ball’s Pond in Middlesex. It would make us laugh now but cricket deliveries were bowled underarm. The roundarm bowling action was pioneered only in the early 19th century by Christiana Willes, sister of John Willes, to avoid the ball becoming ensnared in her skirts. Cricket has traditionally been seen as a male sport, despite the fact that women have played the game for just as long as men. In 1963, England captain Len Hutton famously said during a charity match against a women’s side that women playing cricket was absurd, like a man trying to knit. Views like Hutton’s were once common, which has meant that women have often been absent from official histories of the game But Women’s cricket trudged along. To everybody’s good the International Women’s Cricket Council was formed in 1958 to coordinate women's cricket which was now being played regularly in Australia, England, New Zealand, India, South Africa, the West Indies, Denmark and the Netherlands. Test cricket evolved with countries like Australia, England, India, Ireland, Netherlands, New Zealand, Pakistan, South Africa, Sri Lanka and the West Indies playing Test matches between them. This evolution has accelerated more recently since the introduction and major influence of the media, increased professionalism, and the start of more international competition. The recently concluded Women’s Cricket World Cup held in New Zealand was clear evidence of how much women’s cricket has progressed in recent times, both in terms of quality and in terms of women’s cricket as a brand. The viewership has been galloping by leaps and bounds bringing in more money, increasing the quality of sport and its display. Gone are the days when the girls played just for the love of the game. Now they play for pride and affluence - the love of the game remains deep inside though. The women in cricket are now staunch professionals and are pitching hat for hat with men. As for the Cup, India, as an emerging nation in women’s cricket, too was part of the World Cup 2022 and it was their 10th appearance in the ICC Women’s showpiece. Having never won the Cup before India faltered this time too as the glittering memento of triumph eluded them one more time. New cricket and the emerging stars. The WPL 2023 is the right platform to get hold of the modern stars of women’s cricket. The extent of stardom is guided by many aspects, one of them is skill. We have our own Harmanpreet Kaur – the skipper of Indian team (picture below in blue) as well as of Mumbai Indians followed by Shafali Verma, Yastika Bhatia et al. Smriti Mandhana, sadly, does not figure here as she has been awfully short of the leadership role given to her by RCB; and the woes have further mounted due to her utter batting failure. But take Meg Lanningof Delhi Capitals for example. She leads from the front (picture above right in green shaking hands with the New Zealand skipper Sophie Devine) and her leadership qualities have been instrumental in Australia winning the 2022 World Cup. Merizanne Kappof South Africa and Alice Capseyof England lend a good foil to Meg. The mercurial HayleyMatthews of West Indies and Mumbai Indians (picture above left in brown with Sophie Devine of RCB) has been brilliant with the bat as well as with the ball. With Harmanpreet and Natalie Sciver-Brunt (picture below in yellow) she has plotted many victories for Mumbai Indians!! Be wary of Meg, she has found ways to keep this WPL trophy in her bag! Oh wait, there are more. Australians Ellyse Perry (RCB) and Tahlia McGrath (UP Warriorz) have been routinely sweeping bowlers off their feet. No bowling power is enough when these two are on song. Top notch maestros these. A thing to cherish. Before WPL we had seen the stars and their exploits in the Big Bash - Australia and The Hundred - England. The extremely successful outing in Mumbai has forced Meg Lanning to concede that the WPL is a better platform than the Big Bash! Whoa!! Quite a statement Meg. True, women’s cricket has arrived. For India and for world cricket at large, it has started as it should always do, as it always seemed like it must. With Mithali Raj or Jhulan Goswami, seeing a boundary wasted, a gasp and a groan like a fallen warrior holding her head in her hands replaying that moment, admonishing the girls in the dugout, becomes routine, the pressures of modern-day cricket are nothing more than that of inside a cooker; though repeat games have gleefully given a chance to rewind, to do it all again, to make it right. The WPL, like all others, will become one of the most awaited in the annual cricket cycle. For many – as the event carries itself forward in time - it’s a chance for catharsis, collective therapy or just some good, old fashioned imbibe of techniques to come good – depending on the circumstances. WPL and the Indian women. Aspiringsuperstars in world cricket - I see very few who fit the bill - the Indian Women seemingly need to become a Sophie Devine or a Tahlia McGrath. After going through quite a number of WPL matches and the India – South Africa World Cup knock out in 2022 one has to say this: the bunch of South African girls, and the Aussies alike, looked of a different ilk, the defeat that India took – that was India’s chance not just to prove that it could go toe to toe with an elite team, a champion team, but to beat one; to claim a place not just in the ICC sparkle of a Final but to set up an Australian defeat, spirited and inspired, to glimpse a path to lifting the coveted Cup, open and inviting at its door!! Australia remained on course to become the only team to retain the World Cup in as many outings. It has had the air, throughout the tournament, of a team that suspects it knows how all of this ends. It is that, for India, which will make the pain even sharper: that for the first time, here, as they stared down Australia, England and South Africa, and found nothing to fear, they had dared to believe things might be different!! Once the critiques had subsided, though, once culpability being assigned and internalised, another emotion will come to the fore. More than anything, India will look back with regret.

Australian Cricket – the pinnacle of performance, skill and leadership. Picture above depicts Australian cricket – confident and strong. The wily Ian Chappell (1972-1980) leading the Aussies with a will to win. How is it that we ask ourselves today - has the Australian cricket reached its nadir? Probably not. When I see the third India-Australia Test at Indore (March 01 to March 05, 2023) I recalibrate my assessment of the present Australian team. The nine wicket win at Holkar Stadium confirms the passion with which Australians play cricket. What went wrong with India? When MS Dhoni lofted a signature six off the Sri Lankan bowler to become the only captain after 1983 to lift the Cup breaking Kapil Dev’s 28-year record, he peeled off in celebration, arms aloft, crowd in raptures and the match culminated for a ceremony on field nobody amongst us ever imagined the 22-yard strip would be so foreign to Indian bowlers that the Lloyns and the Kuhnemanns would swagger into the same wild celebration we somewhat look upon as nonnative on Indian soil!! The answer lies in Leadership! The Indore pitch was a turning track tailormade for Indian spinners but were caught on the wrong foot as Nathan Lyon and Mathew Kuhnemann flighted - it took a good while for Jadeja and Ashwin to hide the tremor in their strides. It was increasingly painful to see Steve Smith scoring over our Indian captain – it might be one thing the Indian media paying glowing tributes to Rohit’s captaincy and quite another he actually making impromptu changes on the field as a captain to afford the bowlers the right placements. Take this – at one point Steve Smith had Nathan Lyon bowling round the wicket with one leg slip, one forward short leg, one very short mid-wicket and one short mid-on. Cheteshwar Pujara facing and the batsman could not steal a single, we all saw Smith kept applauding and the Indians kept sulking. Anyone who rocked up late to the arena unaware of the match situation was soon given a fair indication of things to come. It was only Pujara’s 59 off 142 balls which shone like a diamond amidst the wooden freckles, an assortment of mindless batting - apparently Indians made a devil out of a pitch which was only a nice brute. It was difficult to bat on but not impossible to score runs off. Ask the smiling Travis Head!! Indeed, Cheteshwar Pujara drew a generous round of applause from the crowd with the great Sunil Gavaskar praising his patience – his hallmark – and the best one that day, yet the man humbly raking pebbles away from his chiselled wooden armour was anything but Indeed, Cheteshwar Pujara drew a generous round of applause from the crowd with the great Sunil Gavaskar praising his patience – his hallmark – and the best one that day, yet the man humbly raking pebbles away from his chiselled wooden armour was anything but. In the seething heat the crouched Rahul Dravid was a sight to behold!! A warrior himself for so many years his failure to inject reason and energy to the ones straddled wicketless on afternoons with a percentage performance and the last drops of energy sapped from the legs of hapless bowlers marked the end of a ravishing dressing room story between the coach and his pupil – an edifice broken and irreparable for long - a general failing to strategize tell-tale winners in crux situations. At the end of third day in Indore, one that included a Lyon masterclass and a feeble Indian defiance setting up the possibility of an intriguing fourth test – the last of the series – it somehow wasn’t an entirely ridiculous study to make. Coming back to leadership, if we go back in time a little – we do not need a Stephen Hawking though -we can see how inspiring leaders of the game have been and how they were able to transform a mediocre unit into world beaters – an ability which has become a distant star now!! Allan Border had taken charge of the Australian team at possibly the worst time, quality-wise, in their history, in 1984-85 after Kim Hughes's tear-drenched resignation. Dennis Lillee, Greg Chappell and Rodney Marsh had retired and a number of players were serving bans for having toured South Africa. The squad wasn't the best, and through 1985-86, the losses piled up. So bad was the situation that Border even threatened to resign. That he didn't was because the Australian Cricket Board (later Cricket Australia) staunchly backed him, and they brought in Bob Simpson as the team's coach to help Border along. The Simpson-Border association, the general and his pupil, started well with the tied Test in Chennai, part of the drawn series in India, but the Ashes loss pushed Australia back again. So, when they went to the subcontinent for the 1987 Reliance World Cup, it wasn't with a lot of hope. Still, they won. David Boon and Geoff Marsh, the openers, scored 447 and 428 runs respectively, Dean Jones scored 314, and others, down the order, pitched in with crucial knocks. Steve Waugh and Simon O'Donnell added key runs and picked up important wickets. There also was on display a trait that we have come to see, in big matches over the years, as quintessentially Australian: winning key moments. In the first match of the 1987 World Cup – let’s take an example - India were well on course to chasing down the 271-run target till, right at the close, Australia effected two run-outs and Waugh went past Maninder Singh's defence to clinch an unlikely one-run win. Luck, yes, sure. Pluck too. Another beaming example of how leadership transforms is the West Indian cricket under the stewardship of Clive Lloyd. One has to understand that the West Indies is an entity that has been made only for cricket. The entity consists of several island nations stretching from North America to the tip of South America. To keep this band of nations together was a difficult feat even for seasoned diplomats. But, for Clive Lloyd, the main task of making the West Indies one of the greatest sides in modern cricket was foremost. The story of the domination had its roots in disaster. During the 1974/75 series in Australia, Clive Lloyd and the West Indies were humiliated 1-5. The likes of Dennis Lillee and Jeff Thomson adopted a hostile style of bowling that left the West Indies with a wounded pride. Learning the lessons of that defeat, Lloyd was determined that ‘never again’ would they be humiliated. Lloyd got his own bunch of bowlers that would instil fear in the opposition. Lloyd wanted bowlers who could decimate opposition and batsmen who could destroy bowlers. Armed with a vision, Lloyd decided to get in professionalism and discipline, an anti-thesis at that time of the laid-back Calypso style lifestyle. Flair, style was kept but at a price of big runs and big wickets. Everything came into place and it set the stage for the most dominant period in world cricket. In Lloyd’s team, there would be the brilliance of Gordon Greenidge and Desmond Haynes at the top. In the middle order, the intimidation of Lloyd plus the swag of the King - Viv Richards. The West Indies arsenal of fast bowling would have the fiery Andy Roberts, Malcolm Marshall, Joel Garner and Michael Holding - the Whispering Death. Under Lloyd’s captaincy, apart from the one against Australia, West Indies never lost a series. He was at the helm when West Indies won the 1975 and 1979 World Cup in England. The 1980s was the pinnacle of West Indies domination, in which they lost only one series away and not a single at home for twenty years. Both Australia and the West Indies benefitted immensely from iconic leaders in Ian Chappell, Allan Border, Steve Waugh, Ricky Ponting, Clive Lloyd and Viv Richards. To This Day - one would never forget the courage, power and skill of Viv Richards. West Indies were touring Australia. Viv was on the crease and Jeff Thomson was at his ferocious best. Jeff bowled one on the middle and leg and Viv one step forward and then in one electrifying moment lofted Jeff off the back foot straight over his head for a six!! Audacious. Along with the rapturous crowd the Australian fielders also clapped. Jeff was awe-struck, it came straight from heaven. After Lloyd, Viv Richards led his team to more wins and accolades. Do we have one of these today in India? Sadly NO. Leadership defines, leadership wins, leadership motivates!! The previous two tests (Nagpur and Delhi) won by India was more due to listless captaincy by Pat Cummins than to tactical brilliance of Rohit Sharma. Like Australia and the West Indies, India also had its share of magnificent leaders who changed the face of Indian cricket in their times and beyond – only to be wrecked to Titanical proportions now and to this day seems it’s beyond repair for a good time to come. Let us be honest, we do not have a MAK Pataudi, or a Sourav Ganguly or a MS Dhoni to mend the wrongs and steer India to a path of invincibility. Because cricket is the only game, of all games, where the leadership on the field and off it is akin to political leadership shown by Heads of State or equivalent; their force of conviction, their ability to motivate - everything revolves around what they do and how they do. Bad leaders spell destruction as we have enough examples before us both in cricket as well as in present realpolitik. In summary the West Indian cricket, and to a lesser extent Australian cricket, is in a deep abyss, its horrible state is compounded by the dual effect of pathetic leadership in cricket as well as in political arena. Indian cricket has only one silver lining - it’s Board. The BCCI has enough cash rolling to obfuscate – as of now - the leadership woes it is facing. It does not have an immediate solution up its sleeve, it seems. It has to wade through these troubled times and wait for another Sourav Ganguly or MS Dhoni to emerge. At the time this article goes to print Rahul Dravid will be in Ahmedabad for the final Test starting 9th March. Is it time to say goodbye to the setting sun of Rahul’s men and usher new sun in the form of Harmanpreet Kaur. Harman, Bienvenido al Campo de Batalla!! About the Author – Jayant Banerjee played cricket at a competitive level and follows cricket very closely. He is known for incisive writing from his early days. The views expressed in the article are entirely that of the author.

Inaugural Speech by Mr. Richard Allen - Thank you ladies and gentlemen for inviting me to this very important forum. I had been in Singapore for a week with Rees and other stalwarts involving strategic discussions on South-East (SE) Asia. This association comes in handy to me as back home I will be tabling this to Senator Woolbridge. Well yes, as Rees has briefed me, the stalemate in discussions between you gentlemen is fathomable and at the same time is an offshoot of getting extraordinarily mired in allegations and counter-allegations from our friends in India, China and Pakistan. A disquiet is felt at White House and I would urge each one of you to speak freely and without any inhibitions. I assure you the billions are securely parked and does not go anywhere! Everyone laughed, the banter was light and set the mood for an important round of discussions. Mr. Christopher - Rees Lee invites Mr. Naresh Kumar of India to the podium. Naresh Kumar: Thank you ladies and gentlemen for this invite. I thank Rees for taking out his valuable time to organise this event. I also thank Avik, Mr. Zhong, Mr. Du, Mr. Gul, Mr. Rehman and Mr. Allen for making it happen. On an honest note, I will speak freely and that is what is required at the moment. I will start with the different corridors, silk routes – maritime and road – that has evolved in the past nine years (as can be seen as Figure-1 on the big screen). These routes are initiatives taken by China to assure safe passage of its crude oil and other energy and non-energy requirements. Though I would not say it as a grudge, but alarming. Beijing’s growing collaboration with India’s neighbours has created a sense of unease in New Delhi. Like any rising power with global ambitions, China is looking to expand its presence and increase its profile beyond its immediate neighbourhood. Naturally, as China’s influence in South Asia grows, India is faced with the challenge of managing its relationship with its biggest neighbour and competing to maintain its prominence in the region. Let me reiterate, India has begun to view China’s commercial initiatives as a means to advance its strategic ambitions in ways that often are not conducive to India’s interests. Govt. of India noted in 2016 that the interactive dynamic between strategic interests and connectivity initiatives – a universal proposition – is on particular display in our continent. Caution is needed against countries using connectivity as an exercise in hard-wiring that influences choices. The view that connectivity offers a set of tools to influence other countries’ foreign policy choices has become commonplace in analysis about the China-led Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). The BRI has garnered much attention, positive and negative, since its inception in 2013. It is one of the world’s biggest initiatives for promoting connectivity and providing funds to finance infrastructure development. This development means a growing Sino-Indian competition in the subcontinent, in the Indian Ocean region. In its strongest stance on the BRI to date, India marked its protest by not attending the Belt and Road Forum that China hosted in May 2017. In official statements, India questioned the initiative’s transparency and processes, and New Delhi opposed the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) due to concerns about territorial sovereignty. As India calibrates its policy response, instead of perceiving the BRI as one project, it would be wise to look at the initiative as a culmination of various bilateral initiatives, many of them involving projects that were actually initiated before the BRI itself was formally launched. If you can see the above infograph China imports huge amounts of crude oil from countries across the world. The top six countries alone export around USD 151 billion worth of oil. As the blue and black lines in the topmost map show the passage of oil transportation encumbers practically the whole of globe and the involvement of China is almost in every country that matters except USA, Australia and India – this can be seen in the second map. Obviously, the oil routes involve circumventing India waters, namely the Indian Ocean. The routes also touch Africa and Sri Lanka. New Delhi gathers that China in order to avoid treading India waters - it certainly looks down upon India as less economically and militarily strong – and in a major shift, has touched Pakistan to reach out an alternate route to Beijing which reduces the travel path to a great degree and also induces an avenue to placate Islamabad to rebuild business policies ending up with a win-win situation for China and for Pakistan! The construction of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is a milestone that signifies this shift. At its tip, the CPEC is a large-scale initiative to build energy, highway and port infrastructure to deepen economic connections between the two countries. The Govt. of Pakistan has received this initiative with open arms. Rees observed quiet and unease in the Hall. No doubt China convinced Islamabad to lend its port Gwadar located in Pakistan, Baluchistan. Consignments would be unloaded at port of Gwadar and travel to Kashgar – into China. Although Gwadar was not part of Maritime Silk Route initiated by China but inclusion in its Belt and Road Initiative raised a lot of questions globally - I think everybody knows Gwadar merged into Pakistan in 1958. Its proximity to Chabahar port in Iran is an interesting point to ponder! We anticipate Pakistan is eager handing full control of the green line Gwadar to Kashgar (in above map) to China? I would end here and would request Avik to take it forward after the sessions of Mr. Zhong and Mr. Gul. Thank you. Christopher - Rees Lee:Thank you Mr. Kumar. I now invite Mr. Shen Zhong to the podium to express his views. Shen Zhong: Thanks Mr. Lee. Thank you, Mr. Kumar, for an exceptional brief on CPEC. I would like to go back to an era when BRI was nascent and when the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) was formed. As of 2015, China announced that over one trillion yuan (USD 160 billion) of infrastructure-related projects were in planning or construction stage to be overseen by AIIB. The primary goals of AIIB were to address the expanding infrastructure needs across Asia, enhance regional integration, promote economic development and improve public access to social services. The Articles of Agreement (the legal framework) of AIIB were signed in Beijing on 29 June 2015. The proposed Bank had an authorized capital of USD 100 billion, 75% of which was planned for Asia and Oceania. China had been the single largest stakeholder, holding 27% of voting rights. The Board of Governors was the decision-making body. The Bank started operation on 16 January 2016, and began approving Projects forthwith. India also, for its different infrastructure projects, sourced from AIIB USD 3869 million from 2017 through 2020 (below chart). Gentlemen, we have supported countries across the globe through AIIB and the developments have taken place to the complete satisfaction of the respective governments. Beijing understands that India is not opposed to infrastructure development in the region, but it is concerned about the strategic implications of certain Chinese-led initiatives. A primary concern for New Delhi is that Beijing will use its economic presence in the region to advance its strategic interests - a notable example is the strategically located port of Hambantota, which the Sri Lankan government leased to China for ninety-nine years in 2017. The port was built using Chinese loans but, due to the high interest rates, Sri Lanka was unable to repay and incurred a burgeoning debt burden. Fine, we never urged Colombo to honour the payment timeline, rather we appreciated their difficulties. If you can see from the first map the maritime road has been elaborately drawn - it runs with its links from the Chinese coast to the south via Hanoi to Jakarta, Singapore and Kuala Lumpur through the Strait of Malacca via the Sri Lankan Colombo opposite the southern tip of India via Male, the capital of the Maldives, to the East African Mombasa, from there to Djibouti, then through the Red Sea over the Suez Canal into the Mediterranean, there via Haifa, Istanbul and Athens to the Upper Adriatic to the northern Italian junction of Trieste with its international free port and its rail connections to Central Europe and the North Sea. If we connect Gwadar to Kashgar we save money. I think India’s concern is understandable keeping POK in mind. I would not go further. Now I request Mr. Christopher - Rees Lee to take the podium. Thank You. Christopher - Rees Lee: Thank you Mr. Zhong. I now invite Mr. Shahnaz Gul to the podium to express his views. Shahnaz Gul:Thank you everyone. Thank you, Rees, for inviting me to this event. I also thank Mr. Zhong, Mr. Kumar, rest of the dignitaries and Mr. Allen. Being the third speaker has many advantages. Much has been spoken by Mr. Kumar and Mr. Zhong. I feel the Belt and Road Initiative and the Maritime Silk Route has its advantages and disadvantages. I do not see much of disadvantage on an economic platform – as beautifully described by Mr. Zhong – but there are ecological issues which we must address. The Belt and Road initiative has attracted attention and concern from environmental organizations. A joint report by the World Wide Fund for Nature argued that the BRI presents significant risks as well as opportunities for sustainable development. These risks include the overuse of natural resources, the disruption of ecosystems, and the emission of pollutants. Coal-fired power stations, such as Emba Hunutlu power station in Turkey, is built as part of BRI, thus increasing greenhouse gas emissions and global warming. Glacier melting as a result of excess greenhouse gas emissions, endangered species preservation, desertification and soil erosion as a result of overgrazing and over farming, mining practices, water resource management, and air and water pollution are some of the ongoing concerns as they relate to Central Asian nations. There is a committee overseeing this and I am sure we all can contribute to reduce the effects of global warming and greenhouse gas emissions. Coming back to Pakistan, Port Gwadar is developing into one of the biggest and modern sea ports in Pakistan Baluchistan area and our friends in South East Asia would be very pleased regarding the development of the port. I am sure this forum discussion will open more avenues for inter nation collaboration and I am confident we can sort out the issues that are presently in front of us. On a sweet note, I come to an end of discussions and leave the dais to Mr. Christopher - Rees Lee to summarize. Christopher - Rees Lee: Thank you Mr. Gul. What I understand Mr. Avik Mitra has sent me a note – he wants to speak on the Gwadar - Kashgar developments. Welcome Mr. Mitra to the podium. Avik Mitra: Thank you Rees for accommodating me quickly and as lot has been discussed I would not take much time. To start with I congratulate China for AIIB initiatives and that India has also benefitted from it is everybody to see. On the surface it looks very good, rather China has won accolades for its friendly stand towards nations that have not been able to pay debts in time. The Rhodium Group, an American research company, analyzed Chinese debt negotiations and concluded that China's leverage in them are often exaggerated and realistically limited in power. The findings of their study frequently showed an outcome in favor of the borrower rather than the supposedly predatory Chinese lender. The firm found that asset seizures are a very rare occurrence and that instead debt write-off was the most common outcome. A 2020 Lowy Institute article called Sri Lanka's Hambantota International Port the case par excellence for China's debt-trap diplomacy, but called the narrative a myth because the project was proposed by former Sri Lankan president, not Beijing. The article added that Sri Lanka's debt distress was not caused by Chinese lending, but by excessive borrowing on Western-dominated capital markets. I sincerely urge Islamabad to look at the ongoing proceedings on the Gwadar – Kashgar line and do not allow the good intentions of India on CPEC to turn into a rift. The economically weak nations working on BRI should realize that leasing out a certain section of land to China might ease the debt burden in the short term but the global ramifications out of this would be difficult to handle in the long term! I am confident good sense will prevail and BRI and AIIB would continue to reap rich dividends from the initiative. Alternatively, if China aids Islamabad militarily in the Indian Ocean Region – which I am on a direct watch – I would strongly suggest and expect a rebuff from New Delhi. We would never allow any covert or overt military preparations under the garb of CPEC or Maritime Silk Route either by Beijing or by Islamabad. Or by any leadership that matters. I sincerely hope, and am confident, Rees and Richard would agree with me! Thank You. Everybody rose to their feet and applauded Avik Mitra’s positive and yet aggressive take on BRI and CPEC, though it was a bit different from what Naresh Kumar had propositioned but, in the end, everybody realized it is what that was needed in such an important platform – powerful unbiased opinions. Mr. Wong Du and Mr. Abur Rehman remarked - they had nothing more to discuss, Mr. Richard Allen also nodded in appreciation!! Christopher - Rees Lee: Thank you gentlemen, I never had an inkling this forum would be able to settle so many misgivings - and how! I was speaking to Richard and he told me the agenda was a tricky one and needed a lot of expertise to handle it. I am sure you all will go back and attend office in right earnest and I am mailing the deliberations to the leaderships of all the nations, 146 countries and international organisations, involved in BRI – it will help them. Will really do. The dinner and cocktail are arranged at the Central Hall. Let us assemble at 8 pm sharp. Thank you once again. About Author: Jayant Banerjee has been working as a business manager for the last 32 years. Also played cricket at a very competitive level. He is very well read and is known for incisive writing from his early days. -------------------------------------------- Disclaimer: The names Richard Allen, Christopher - Rees Lee, Naresh Kumar, Avik Mitra, Shen Zhong, Wong Du, Shahnaz Gul and Abur Rehman are imaginary and do not have any resemblance to any person(s) dead or alive.

Veteran industrialist and Tata Sons chairman emeritus Ratan Tata went the down memory lane and shared a black-and-white picture of himself with his brother Jimmy Tata and their dog. According to Tata, the picture was taken in 1945. Tata shared this picture on Instagram and said their childhood days were a happy one as nothing came between the two brothers. Tata's latest Instagram post has garnered over 553,000 likes at the time of writing this story. Tata wrote, “Those were [the] happy days. Nothing came between us. (1945 with my brother Jimmy).” After the glimpse of Tata’s past surfaced on his Instagram, users said this was truly an incredible memory. A user wrote, “Truly an incredible memory sir (sic)” TV presenter and actor Frieshia B wrote, “I had the same dog while growing up. His name was Peter Pan.” But who is Jimmy Tata? RPG Enterprises’ chairperson Harsh Goenka had shared Jimmy Tata’s picture on Twitter in January 2021 and said that he lives a quiet life in a 2 BHK flat in Mumbai’s Colaba. Goenka further said that business was never Jimmy’s cup of tea ever and that he is a good squash player. Goenka tweeted, “Did you know of Ratan Tata’s younger brother Jimmy Tata who lives a quiet reticent life in a humble 2 BHK flat in Colaba, Mumbai! Never interested in business, he was a very good squash player and would beat me every time. Low profile like the Tata group!” According to The Times of India, Jimmy never had a mobile phone, and newspapers seem to be the only source of information about the outside world. The low-profile Tata is a shareholder in Tata Sons and other companies owned by the conglomerate. He is also a trustee of the Ratan Tata Trust, a position inherited by Jimmy after his father Naval Tata passed away in 1989.

The Narendra Modi-led government presented its last budget before the 2024 general elections on Wednesday (February 1). Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, during her presentation, called the budget the 'Saptarishi' budget with 7 important points. Seven sectors have been given priority this year. As a relief to middle-class Indians, the government has increased the exemption limit on income tax to Rs 7 lakh. In addition, the government has extended the Garib Kalyan Free Food Scheme for another year. 38,800 teachers will be recruited for Eklavya schools in tribal areas. A fund of Rs 15,000 crore will also be released for the development of tribal villages. A savings scheme for women has been launched in which women will get 7.5 per cent interest on savings of Rs 2 lakh. Mahila Samman Savings Certificate, will be made available for a two-year period up to March 2025. Three Centres of Excellence for Artificial Intelligence will be built in big institutions to take Digital India into a new era. While medicines, mobile phones, and LED TVs will get cheaper, cigarettes, tires, electric chimneys for kitchens, foreign bicycles, and toys will get more expensive.

Anything to delve into the labyrinth of Indian hockey in terms of recapturing its glory in international arena is an emotional strain - of delight and of despair, of triumphs and of tragedies and of course, of the pain in witnessing persistent failures. A beautiful game, a wonderful tradition, a sense of prestige blown into oblivion! But a closer look into the causes leading to the gradual and shameful degeneration and disintegration of our glorious past throws a lot more than just the lack of sincerity at all levels, be it the players, coaches or administrators. I had a ticket to the Kolkata Literary Meet, took a seat. I was drawn to the two stalwarts attending the discussions. One was Mr. Gurbak Singh – the eminent hockey player and the other Mr. Nisabh Singh Debi – a premium cricketer and one of the famous spin bowlers in Tiger Pataudi era. The stage was set for an interesting discussion, the Indian Hockey team had just been ousted from the World Cup and everyone wanted to know – what ails Indian Hockey! I came back to my room and started scribbling notes on what I gather was a very practical and honest take from the two stalwarts on the present hockey stalemate. What they said was overwhelming. Here are some of the ideas we shared. What I presume is lacking the most – it resides in the mind – that I can pull it off – is the mindset, the ferocious desire to succeed. It is painfully missing! In absence of India, fans pouring their love to Belgium and Germany, the World Cup finalists Have you ever seen the glint in the eyes of a hockey player which resembles that of cricketer Md. Siraj – the burning eyes with which he stares when the batsman hits him for a four or for a six? No. Because it is not there. It is not there because that aggression is not part of our hockey players’ DNA. None of us has seen it and I am distressed to acknowledge honestly that it would not come in a hurry. Unless a total overturn of the system is witnessed. The Indian Hockey System – its players, its infrastructure and its administration: if all of the three walk in unison then the magic will happen. It is facing the same draught in attaining complete supremacy what the West Indian cricket is facing now. The world of Viv Richards, Clive Lloyd, Joel Garner is replaced by the timid Nicholas Pooran, Jason Holder, Shai Hope!! Viv must be crying silently seeing the horrible plight of West Indian cricket. So is Ajit Pal Singh – the golden boy of Indian hockey. 48 years back he was instrumental in winning the World Cup Hockey beating Pakistan 2-1 in Kuala Lumpur. We never won the Cup after that! Studies have come to light that the West Indian cricket is poor in talent because of NBA – the lure of money has seen good, educated youth flocking the basketball arena. Is there any harm? And what harm did the Indian youth do when young, talented blood of reasonable education and confident mindset chose cricket over hockey as their career. No harm indeed. Infographic above captures the must do actions what Gurbak Singh and Nishab Singh Debi had laid down in order to reclaim the past glory. Here is to them. To the Players The players must be very very hungry for success – We must win all matches each time every time. That hunger has to be ingrained in every player. Losses should be taken as one of great disappointment with a vow to win the next match at any cost. Develop panther-like killer instinct (it’s absent). Apply mind games to the opposition – Good boy approach has to go. Make the opposition players angry with your body language spelling disdain for them, glare at them, shout at them. These mind games if applied correctly are half the battle won. To Infrastructural Development Premium remuneration – The players must get remuneration which is best in the country. The financial security breeds confidence. It is very important for sourcing good talent. More international matches – Expose the players to innumerable away matches. Let them play in different conditions, different turfs. Give quick reward to players performing exceptionally. More players mean good bench strength. To Administration: Surmount the Insurmountables Complete Overhaul of the System – Hockey Federation of India needs a complete reshaping wherein new set of administrators should take charge. Politics and nepotism should be done away with and another joke like Wrestling Federation of India should not be repeated. Business Model la BCCI – Pump more money into the hockey system, make the players mind-happy securing them financially and ensure their families a good quality of life. It makes their world better. Reboot and refresh, let a Committee of Administrators run the show. The Committee should have two renowned ex hockey internationals, retired IAS officers, retired judge and one officer from BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India) who can rein in the finances through negotiations with prominent sports broadcasters, both TV and digital. You have to sell hockey to get the cash. Hockey India mens’ chief coach Graham Reid has resigned from his post following the team’s dismal outing at the just concluded World Cup in Bhubaneshwar. India finished joint ninth with Argentina after failing to make it to the quarter final stage. It was not the result any of us wanted. Hockey India president Dilip Tirkey said though Reid’s tenure had brought good results in the past but as all journeys move to different phases it was now time for India to move on towards a new approach for the team. We are all waiting Mr. Tirkey!! Verdict: The entire exercise would need a gestation period of five to seven years to reap in the fruits of work. If at all the model is worked through! ___________________________ Disclaimer : The names Gurbak Singh and Nishab Sing Debi are imaginary and do not hold resemblance to any person(s) dead or alive.

Shu Witz was a handsome boy going to college and studying without backs. While in college in Tianjin – couple of hours on train from Beijing – he was attracted to a beautiful girl Chen Lieu. Shu and Chen eventually fell in love and Shu invited her to a place from where they would reach and get married. Chen was very happy as she liked Shu very much – in time she reached the place where Shu would arrive and both would go, but Shu called and informed Chen that he is stuck with some work and told her to reach the place of marriage, Shu would follow. When she reached the address, she was shocked to find the place was actually a brothel and Shu had sold her for a price. Chen was introduced to prostitution which she still practices. We come across terms like ‘human trafficking’, ‘organ trafficking’, ‘illegal organ trade’, ‘transplant tourism’, ‘organ purchase’ and others which are often used interchangeably with trafficking in persons for the purpose of organ removal, even where they would not refer to the same phenomenon. I have tried to hold aloft some cases spewing out of China, Uzbekistan, Latin America and the Caribbeans to understand the brutal, animalistic trade and the fallout of this heinous filth - some of which are heart wrenching, frightful and have attracted international attention. CHINA: Human trafficking is rampant in China (picture above) and human placenta continues to be sold illegally, including on the internet, because of a steady demand for the organ’s unproven healing properties. Customers who buy placenta cook and eat it, while the organ is also sold to traditional Chinese medicine makers who use it in medications. Customers who buy placenta cook and eat it, while the organ is also sold to traditional Chinese medicine makers who use it in medications. The practice, considered morbid by many, is not new and it continues to flourish. The usual sources to buy the human product are hospitals, medical waste treatment plants and funeral parlours, and adding each placenta could cost around 80 yuan (USD12). Subsequently, after being processed, it is sold to shops, Processing placenta into capsules has become a business as some feel uncomfortable to eat it directly. UZBEKISTAN: Although trafficking in person has decreased in Uzbekistan due to a number of government efforts, the sale of children has taken off in recent years. While financial difficulties force many young families to sell their new borns, unmarried girls are opting to do so primarily because of “purity” culture. Uzbekistan adopted its first law against human trafficking in 2008 and updated it in 2020. Reportedly, nearly hundred non-governmental organizations also work in the country to eliminate it. The number of registered crimes related to human trafficking shrank from 574 in 2012 to just 74 in 2020. However, the trafficking of children has seen a relative increase compared to other types of human trafficking – in 2018, 35 percent of crimes related to human trafficking involved child trafficking; by 2019 that proportion was 43 percent. In 2017-2020, 185 crimes related to selling and buying children were registered. Often, the crime mostly involves women. In 2019, for example, 80 percent of people charged with a child sale were women. There are three main explanations to this practice. One is “purity” culture, which dictates girls should not have premarital sex. The Investigation Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Uzbekistan says that in many child trafficking cases, girls become pregnant before marriage and hide it from their families and neighbors. They give birth in other regions of the country, away from their home. The people who help them with delivery also arrange the sale of the baby. The shame of being a non-virgin, especially giving birth without a husband, is detrimental for girls in Uzbekistan. “Non-virgin” girls have to settle for previously married or widowed men who are usually around a decade older or they become second wives. To avoid such a fate, girls either terminate their pregnancy or sell the new borns and restore their hymen. How disgusting and abhorrent!! LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN: The Latins have been working incessantly to eke out a workable modus operandi and after many deliberations have arrived at the Third Dialogue on Trafficking in Persons in Latin America and the Caribbean. The Third Technical Dialogue on Trafficking in Persons in Latin America and the Caribbean comprises two panels emphasizing the following key topics: a) Specialized Prosecutors’ Offices on Trafficking in Persons and b) Integrated Services for TIP Victims. The first panel, “Expert Knowledge to Enhance Effectiveness: Specialized Prosecutors against Trafficking in Persons”, addresses how these institutions are key instruments to increase the effectiveness of investigations, protecting and assisting victims and decreasing impunity. This panel facilitates the exchange of progress, challenges and recommendations that Specialized Prosecutors against TIP faces when identifying victims; conducting proactive investigations; protecting victims and witnesses; handling digital evidence; promoting interagency coordination; and facilitating transnational cooperation. The second panel, “Protection and Comprehensive Services to Victims”, analyses the options for care, support and protection services for victims of trafficking throughout the judicial process. Additionally, it discusses referrals to and the provision of comprehensive and dedicated victims’ services - shelters, psychosocial support and preparation for employment among others. This assistance is key to the effective reintegration of victims into society, it is also particularly essential for victims in greater situations of vulnerability including children, migrants, LBTQ population, indigenous communities and people with disabilities. ON THE SIDELINES (THE HEAL): A disheartening encounter with a young patient convinced physician Kimberly Chang that medical professionals can play a key role in protecting victims of coerced sex and labour. Kimberly Chang was fresh out of medical residency in 2003 when a 14-year-old girl stumbled into her room at Asian Health Services in Oakland, California. Reeking of marijuana, with bloodshot eyes and bruises all over her body, the girl asked to be checked for sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). Chang, bolstered by her master’s degree from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health got a sinking realisation that her patient was being forced into sex, addicted to drugs, and getting beaten up regularly. Over the next few years, Chang would see the scenario repeated again and again among her mostly poor, immigrant patients. Chang spent the entire evening negotiating with the 14 year old. The girl was willing to drive only with her “purchaser”- a man who bought unprotected sex from her three times a week. For two hours, Chang tried to persuade the man to drop the girl off at the emergency room. They did not come and it took another day before Chang and her colleagues tracked down the girl through her MySpace page and community contacts. This time, Chang personally arranged for someone to drive her to the hospital, where she spent two months recovering. Chang is propelled by the belief that human trafficking should not be a law enforcement but rather a public health issue. “How could I make the health care system stronger, so that it could go toe to toe with the criminal justice system?” she says. Teen patients came in high on drugs and physically battered. Chang learned to speak with them bluntly yet sympathetically, to identify who was being forced into sex, and to care for them without judgment. She also made a point of teaching them their rights. Helping young people avoid the sex trade, or get out early, can slow the problem downstream. “By reducing the number of victims,” says Chang, “you can reduce the number of traffickers.” Looking back at her most disturbing cases, Chang has seen that the right treatment and policies can change lives. The first 14-year-old girl who came in high and bruised? - Chang treated her STDs, encouraged her to leave the sex trade, and wrote her a letter of support to get into a health assistant training program. Now in her twenties and in a stable relationship, the young woman has a new outlook on life. “Her main challenge today,” notes Chang, “is college algebra.” Disclaimer: The names Shu Witz and Chen Lieu are imaginary and do not have any resemblance to any person(s) dead or alive.

Couple of Wharton and Harvard graduates, Nick Hale and Trevor Frost, way back in 2015-16, had this to say: China is going to be the first country in history to be old before it’s rich. Its population will peak just below 1.5 billion in the next decade and then slowly shrink to about 1.3 billion people by mid-century. By 2050, China’s dependency ratio - that is, dependents (children and the aged) relative to people of working age—will double from 35 percent to 70 percent (the lasting effect of China’s one-child policy). This will put massive strains on the country’s nascent welfare state and struggling health system. Demography isn’t destiny, but having a growing population with lots of working-age people is a great place to start. On this critical dimension, India is in much stronger shape than China. By 2050, India will be the world’s largest country in terms of population by a wide margin over China, with a mind-boggling 1.5 billion people—400 million more than today. Over the next 35 years, its dependency ratio will actually decline from a bit over 50 percent today to a bit under 50 percent in 2050. Indians will live longer, so the aged population will grow considerably. With more affluence, India’s birth rate will come down too. But Indian fertility will remain high by all but African standards, and this will be a great foundational resource for the economy. Ashutosh Purkait and Gopi Gopalakrishnan were in final semester at IIM -Ahmedabad. While Ash (Ashutosh) was more or less pally with the numbers, Gopi was in the central Hall the other day with the WEF (World Economic Forum) officials and was very clinical in his reaction to what Nick and Trevor were espousing. Look guys I was with Jonathan and Frederick yesterday and what I understand India’s position gets very strong in 2040-41-time frame. Let us look through this radar: It depicts the order of importance of different pillars shifting gears from 2018-19 through 2040-41 in order to reap the benefits of having a large pool of young population. Out of the eight pillars of India’s economic opulence the dimension which is most critical to the nation’s well being is The Great Job Challenge. India finds itself in a demographic sweet spot as a country of roughly 1.3 – 1.4 billion people with more than half of its citizens of working age. The ratio of working age population to non-working age population is expected to peak around 2041 (Economic Survey,2018-19). We have a current workforce of 473 million and about 300 million more will be added by 2040. About a million people each month join the job market, according to Labour Ministry Data. India’s job challenge can be seen through three overlapping issues: i) the quality of human capital, ii) infrastructure and iii) labor intensive growth. The IMF (International Monetary Fund) estimates that infrastructure investment equal to roughly 1% of GDP in advanced economies produces a 1.5% GDP increase on average over four years! For India, it has been estimated that increasing infrastructure investment by 0.5% of GDP will boost growth by 1.8% in the medium to long term. Jonathan and Fred from WEF came jumping to Gopi – hey dude, fine but listen carefully to this. I am all ears, Gopi shot back. Fred spoke on China and laughingly gave a slighting eye (no pun intended) on Gopi - Chinese growth has been driven by some of the world’s highest investment rates. This has in turn made possible both an infrastructure revolution of new cities, high-speed rail lines, airports and ports, and manufacturing muscle that has been the envy of the world. China has been the world’s factory for 20 years. Its ability to quickly and efficiently move what it produces domestically and around the world has been a critical component in its growth miracle. Today, India lags far behind China on all three fronts. India invests about 30 percent of its GDP, compared with about 50 percent in China. Manufacturing is about 20 percent of the Indian economy; it is about 30 percent of China’s. China has arguably the best physical infrastructure outside the Western world. India’s looks more like the subdued country that it still is. The discussion stopped for a moment. Fred was right – China had done enough in the past decade or two but unfortunately could not muscle up enough growth as it had anticipated when it transferred enormous population to the cities. The growth simply did not come!! Let’s move for lunch. Gopi was happy, as was Ashutosh. After lunch Gopi and Ash had discussions lined up. The second pillar is the chaff of radar, Recognising India’s Urban Economy – critical to achieving developed status. Urban economy needs urbanisation. India needs policy changes to manage urbanisation – a policy upheaval that could govern the cities to produce 70% 0f country’s GDP. Today India has population which is 31% urban. Excuse me Gopi, we have data which says India is 26% urban, exclaims Nick. Jonathan agrees – India’s human capital and growth targets fall into a chasm between official and true urbanisation. Rural Local Bodies (RLB) and Urban Local Bodies (ULB) are at odds and wriggle their way out of definitive statements – and that creates disparity affecting 250 million people! Much work is needed in this area as the data is hazy and the pillar is weak. Good going for Nick and Trevor, Gopi is silent fuming at the lack of policies in place to see through this important pillar. Gosh, I need something to shout upon. Well, you have it Gopi. India is working tirelessly towards Rewiring The Indian State – another important pillar. India has been described as a 21st century economic and diplomatic powerhouse waiting to change gears. It quickly is ramping up civil servants to 3.6 civil servants per 100 people from the present 1.4. OECD average is 7.7!! It has police-to-citizens 129 per 100,000 figure which ideally should treble to more than 400. The Chief Justice of India is grappling with the task of adding 70,000 judges – the increased pool would be able to service 33 million cases in better time. CJI D.Y. Chandrachud would get a Padma if he transforms the judiciary along the lines, we all want. This chief justice can deliver, Ash shouts with confidence. India has taken steps to move the states to a digital box – Aadhar digital identity is one, digitisation of land records, direct income transfers through bank accounts are some of the many initiatives in place and are working wonderfully well. Let’s go to our rooms buddy. We can assemble tomorrow at morning hours, smiled Jonathan. Next morning, Gopi was beaming with joy and smiling triumphantly at Jonathan and Nick. Good morning guys, today we start the discussion with the fourth pillar – A USD 5 trillion Economy. India is poised to become an economic power house – it is the seventh largest economy and a GDP of USD 2.7 trillion as of 2018. According to World Bank the GDP will zoom to USD 5 trillion by 2024 and will almost treble by 2045. India has several structural advantages at the moment – a relatively young population in an ageing world, a high rate of domestic savings, a large domestic consumer market coupled with easing of food shortages and correcting energy shocks. As China’s economy slows India can jump into the opportunity of getting into global manufacturing game as supply chains are rewired because of ongoing trade war between the US and China. Not without certain headwinds – shouts Nick. Gopi listens as Nick addresses – Indian private sector investments have been weak. There are instances of excess corporate borrowing with Banks showing very weak balance sheets. Budget deficits are high. But all of this can be controlled, Banks have a better balance sheet now shedding huge non-performing assets – thanks to Raghuram Rajan (former RBI chief) – who did a pioneering work in cuddling the seemingly bewildered Bank Chiefs, teaching them how to show a performance with pride! The Reserve Bank of India has more than USD 400 billion of foreign exchange reserves as an insurance against sudden global financial shocks. Nick, bravo. You’re spot on and have certainly hit the Bull’s eye!! – exclaims Gopi. Rest clapped in unison. All the six participants shook hands as it was two days of intense discussions, very fruitful indeed. Everybody agreed to re-assemble next quarter and discuss the remaining four pillars: India’s New Data Economy, India’s Missing Infrastructure, Investing in India’s Human Capital and World Topping Energy. Disclaimer: The names Nick Hale, Trevor Frost, Ashutosh Purkait, Gopi Gopalakrishnan, Jonathan and Frederick are imaginary and do not have any resemblance to any person(s) dead or alive. The article has references from reviews written by World Economic Forum.

India’s emergence as the world’s cricket superpower over the past decade upends an old colonial-era hierarchy. It’s a highly visible showcase of the political effects of economic power, where sheer market size creates new forms of leverage. And India’s new pre-eminence in cricket politics, exemplified in its ascendancy within the International Cricket Council (ICC), offers lessons for how a more powerful India might approach its future role in global politics. If India becomes even remotely as indispensable to the world economy as it has become to the cricket economy, it will have the throw-weight to demand changes in the world order to accommodate its goals. That may be India’s future as it seeks to transform itself into a leading global power. Cricket’s development in India cannot be separated from imperial history. The British introduced the game in the early 18th century, Indian players set up cricket clubs in the 19th century, and in 1928 created a national board to govern the sport, the Board of Control for Cricket in India, or BCCI. The BCCI linked India to the governing body known as the Imperial Cricket Conference, later reconstituted as the International Cricket Council (ICC). Though smaller in scale, it’s analogous to FIFA or the International Olympic Committee — a global organization with participants comprised of national member associations. ICC has, apart from India, England and Australia six other full members. It also has 94 associate members, Zimbabwe and Afghanistan complete the list. These associate members have teams that play the game in a more limited way. The bar for associate members requires that the cricket be played “in accordance with the Laws of Cricket” in the country. Given the sport’s origins and the process of its dissemination around the world, it’s hardly news that the boards of England and Australia were the dominant national boards within the ICC for most of its history. England, Australia and South Africa created the old Imperial Cricket Conference in 1909; apartheid South Africa exited the British Commonwealth in 1961 and fell out of the ICC, leaving the English and Australian boards as leading players and dominant forces until 1993. But, over time, Anglo-Australian dominance began to erode with the emergence of India. Until 2005, the ICC had been based at Lord’s, the hallowed London cricket ground in St. John’s Wood regarded as the spiritual home of the sport. That year, after a nearly unanimous vote of its executive board, the ICC moved its headquarters to Dubai. Contemporary press accounts of the move describe the decision as financial: Dubai was offering an incentive package with favourable tax treatment not to be found in the United Kingdom. Yet there was a broader, structural impetus behind the move as the BBC observed - cricket’s “power base has now moved to the east.” World cricket got a pivot in Asia – India in particular, because the recognition of its future and prosperity increasingly depended on its growing fan base in India, and to a lesser extent in Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka. This pivot foreshadowed the emergence of today’s Indian dominion over cricket. But India has been cricket-mad for decades, and it has long been the largest cricket-playing nation in the world, so the question arises why India’s size and enthusiasm hadn’t translated into greater power earlier. As Richard Harrow, a respected cricket observer, puts it “There probably isn’t another market in the world where one sport matters so much disproportionately to everything else.” We can look at three things: the Indian economy took off; Indian television rapidly expanded and thoroughly commercialized itself; and Indian cricket created a new, more broadcast-friendly league. Each of these developments reinforced the commercialization of the ICC. India rose to become the source of 70 to 80 percent of revenue generated under the ICC umbrella. And for 2018 released figures ICC’s worldwide event-related revenue stood at nearly USD 196 million. The Cash Cow Indian Cricket: It might not seem quite out of place - in the 2016-2023 rights cycle ICC revenues touched USD 2.5 billion. India’s kitty - USD 293 million followed by England – USD 143 million, 7 other full members namely Australia, Pakistan, West Indies, New Zealand, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and South Africa each get USD 132 million. Zimbabwe has agreed to USD 94 million and the associate nations get as per the contracted terms with ICC. India’s cut in the global ICC revenues would have been much higher but for the strictures put in place by Shashank Manohar (the previous ICC boss). India had objected vehemently and it would be quite right to increase the share given the clout it has on world cricket. The rise of Indian Premier League: IPL has been a crucial development in India’s ascendency in world cricket. Modelled on European soccer clubs the IPL, launched in 2008, is a league of private franchises free to draw players from anywhere in the world — distinct from the ICC model of nation-based teams. Playing a shorter form of the sport known as Twenty20, the IPL has been hugely successful for television viewership. It all started with the popularity of Indian cricket which gave birth to a cacophony of more than 800 private channels in more than twenty languages. Astonishing though, these newly created private channels were willing to bid hundreds of millions of dollars to get cricket on their airwaves. In parallel, with their enormous audience in mind, Indian channels successfully bid for the broadcast rights to ICC world events. These broadcasting rights have been a “game changer,” ones that altered “the fate of Indian cricket.” The recently concluded 2023-27 cycle media auction for IPL fetched the Board Rs. 48,390 crores!! Without doubt, India is emerging as the undisputed global cricket superpower, dominating international commerce, driving international decision-making and remaking international institutions to align with Indian priorities. India now sets the agenda in a sporting world long dominated by former colonial power England – now reduced to an important but not decisive role. This all became possible through the political strength India’s economic growth delivered. That’s why the new cricket world order also tells us something about how a wealthier and therefore more powerful India might approach international politics in the future. Consider the ICC restructuring itself: it met with resistance within the organization from Pakistan, South Africa and Sri Lanka - all of which stood to lose substantial financing.

Having created a firm grip on world cricket the highly successful IPL franchise conglomerate – comprising a bunch of professional businesspeople - with an eye on growth and smartly aligning their business to the now widely talked about and hugely respected Indian economy, strode forward and grabbed all the six franchises in the soon-to-be-launched T20 league in South Africa. Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL), owners of Mumbai Indians, has been awarded the Cape Town franchise while Chennai Super Kings Cricket Ltd., Chennai Super Kings’ parent company, has acquired the Johannesburg franchise. The other owners are Lucknow Super Giants’ RPSG Sports PVt. Ltd. (Durban), Sunrisers Hyderabad’s Sun TV Network (Gqeberha, formerly Port Elizabeth) Rajasthan Royals’ Royals Sports Group (Paarl) and Delhi Capitals’ co-owners JSW Sports (Pretoria). Nita Ambani, RIL director, was delighted with the new acquisition. “We are excited to take the Mumbai Indians’ brand of fearless and entertaining cricket to South Africa, a nation that loves cricket as much as we do in India! South Africa has a strong sporting ecosystem, and we look forward to exploring the power and potential of this collaboration,” Mrs. Ambani said in a statement. “As we grow MI’s global cricketing footprint, we remain committed to spreading joy and cheer through sport!” Entering Big Bash and The Hundred is a matter of time! BCCI has announced the introduction of Women’s IPL from the coming season. It will place our girls on a bashfully dominant platform – that they are playing really well is everybody to see – Harmanpreet Kaur and her brand of aggressive cricket has won the Asia Cup, played enterprising cricket in England and have been performing excellently at the Big Bash!

It has been a week since Barry Richmond came to Kolkata. His host Geeta Ramani knew the city well and was happy to offer insight. She loved the open-mindedness and intellectual curiosity of the city. “Kolkata is laid back, old world, colonial. People have time; it’s a little easier”, said Geeta. In Bengali culture women are always considered equal” – rather a natural manifestation than the idea of being more privileged! “It’s very progressive, I didn’t even think about being feminist because I never needed to be.” That is Kolkata for you. And when Barry strode off to buy a book - knowing Kolkata’s reputation as an educated city and its love for books, venturing into College Street was easy taking the underground Metro to Central Station. Oh, back to a decade or two, it amounted to a sweating ride on a bus full of smoke and dust. What a relief!! Kolkata’s population swelled to 1 crore 40 lakh in 2011 from a simple 15 lakh 20 thousand in 1901 – a burst of more than 800% in 110 years (only Mumbai and Delhi have higher demographic profile). Surprisingly, its population is 60% in non-farming sector (I am taken aback – what happens to agriculture?) resulting in urban per capita GDP (gross domestic product) blossoming into more than Rs.1,68,000. On the flip side new roads had woefully stopped coming primarily owing to thinly laid bare land and, more so, because of overpopulated and dense housings. No wonder Kolkata became a hotbed for an underground “rapid transit system”. Popular business models show that a city or town must have a per capita GDP threshold coupled with population density for any metro operation to become viable. As the blueprints were tabled, the Calcuttans suffered many a torn roads and shivering gothics. It was time for the underground metro to announce its arrival. And the first Metro trudged on in 1984. The Metro Lines: The whole of Kolkata metro landscape has been marked by six zones fondly called the “lines” Blue Line: The Line 1 of Kolkata Metro is the North-South Metro line. It is now referred to as the Blue Line. The route comprises 26 stations with 15 underground stations, two stations on the surface and 9 elevated stations. It covers about 32 kilometres of distance from Kavi Subhas to Dakshineswar. The oldest metro line that was started in the city on October 24, 1984, was a small section of 3.4 kilometres, connecting Esplanade to Bhowanipore (now Netaji Bhavan). More sections were later opened, such as Tollygunge metro station to New Garia station along an elevated route. In 2013, the line was extended in the north with a new section connecting Dum Dum station to Noapara. In February 2021, a four-km section from Noapara to Dakshineswar became operational. Green Line: The Kolkata Metro Line 2 route includes a total of 17 stations with 11 elevated stations and six underground stations spanning a distance of 22 kms. On February 13, 2020, the first phase of the East West Metro corridor from Salt Lake Sector V to Salt Lake Stadium was inaugurated. The Phoolbagan Metro station was the first underground metro station in the East West Metro route to be opened. East - West metro: Kolkata Metro underwater tunnel The 16.6 km long East-West Metro corridor includes 5.8 kms of the elevated route and 10.8 kms of an underground section. Of this 16.6-km stretch, 520 metres will be under the riverbed of the river Hooghly. The twin cities of Kolkata and Howrah will be connected by an underwater tunnel is developed 33 metres below the riverbed of the river Hooghly. The Green Line will finally connect Howrah with Teghoria. East West Metro is the most ambitious project of Kolkata Metro. As shown in the figure above the full operation will be carried out in two phases. Phase-I will connect Sector-V to Sealdah Station – Phoolbagan and Sealdah will be underground stations and Sector-V to Phoolbagan would have elevated stations (elevated stations are the ones structured above ground). Sealdah to Howrah Maidan will be completed in Phase-II. Purple Line: The Line 3 of the Kolkata Metro is under construction. The route will start from Joka Metro station in the south and connect Esplanade in the north, covering a distance of around 15 kms. The project will be developed by Rail Vikas Nigam Limited (RVNL) owned by the Indian Railways. Yellow Line: The Line 4 or the Yellow Line metro route in Kolkata will connect Noapara and Barasat in North 24 Parganas. This Kolkata Metro route, which is under construction, will be around 16.8 kms. Pink Line: A 12.5-km metro stretch will be developed, connecting Baranagar to Barrackpore as part of the Kolkata Metro’s Pink Line route. Orange Line: This 29.8-km route of Kolkata Metro will link New Garia with Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport via the two satellite towns of Salt Lake and New Town. Once opened, metro Line 6 route in Kolkata will provide easy access to the Kolkata Airport, especially for those living in the southern and the eastern parts of the city. As the Future Beholds: About one million people join India’s workforce every month. And our country of roughly 1.35 billion is poised to hit a demographic sweet spot in about two decades (when optimal number of India’s population would be in the working age and will have few dependents – World Economic Forum). In order to successfully graduate from lower-middle-income status and comfortably take over from China as the world’s fastest growing major economy, India must rewire its labour force and make its infrastructure better nourished and more open. Clearly the population explosion will lead to rapid urbanisation (the China Model) and medium to small cities will have appreciable per capita GDP. India has lined up major overhaul of these cities with Metro Neo and Metro Lite rapid transport systems. Metro Neo’s are lighter and smaller than the existing model Metro trains and cost around 25% of the conventional systems. Metro Lite costs around 40% of normal Metro budgetary outlays. Some of the proposed Neo and Lite cities are Amritsar, Ludhiana, Chandigarh, Jalandhar, Jabalpur, Ranchi, Hubli, Mathura, Dholera, Thane, Gwalior, Bareilly, Dehradun, Bhubaneswar, Mangalore apart from Uttarakhand, Raipur, Vadodara, Rajkot, Prayagraj to name a few. Barry was overwhelmed to know all this from Geeta – sitting in a London tube, Barry was enamoured with the glint and positivity of Indian economy and what he had seen back in Kolkata a couple of weeks ago. He will miss soaking the serene simplicity and raw warmth of the wonderful City of Joy! Disclaimer: The names Barry Richmond and Geeta Ramani are imaginary and do not have any resemblance to any person(s) dead or alive.

Historically, mathematics (and science) and related careers have been viewed as fields more suitable for boys and men than for girls and women. While there have been some advances made over time, gender remains a factor impacting on: • Achievement in mathematics. • Attitudes about mathematics and towards oneself as a learner of mathematics, and • In participation rates in mathematics once it is no longer compulsory. The latter impacts on future career options and opportunities. For many years we have been reading about gender differences in mathematics learning. And for many years, too, we have asked what we, teachers, parents, and educational bodies, can do to ensure that girls are not left behind. Sadly, we have to accept that after at least five decades of serious research, hard work, and good intentions, subtle but persistent gender differences continue to be observed and described. Further research and actions are clearly needed. PERFORMANCE It is often reported in the literature that, on average, boys outperform girls in mathematics. Is this true in Australia? Let’s look at the Numeracy component of the nationally mandated NAPLAN tests. The consistency of the findings is startling. In each year, and at each grade level, over the past decade boys have, on average, slightly outperformed girls. But the overall picture is more complicated. Consider further results from the NAPLAN Numeracy test – see the entries for 2019 in Table 1. It can be seen that: • A slightly higher proportion of girls than boys met the National Minimum Standard. • A higher proportion of boys than girls scored in the highest band Schools, parents, and society A school’s culture might influence students’ beliefs and teachers’ behaviors. For example: • School based assessment practices. Are timed tests, on which boys often perform better than girls, the exception or the norm? • How students are grouped for learning across and within schools and classrooms (e.g., single sex/co-education, mixed ability/ability grouping). What beliefs may be reinforced by the different grouping practices? • Why might opportunities for collaborative activities in and beyond the classroom be important? • Timetabling of subjects and the resulting subject choices that need to be made. What may be implied by particular subjects being blocked together? Beyond school Does the content of the print media, films, and TV portrayals of women and men in STEM activities reinforce or challenge stereotypes? Do the figures in the table below reflect parents’, friends’, and broader society’s attitudes and expectations towards STEM and STEM-related occupations for boys and girls?