Indian Premier League: Bad for democracy, capitalism and India?

Each year the IPL tournament brings with it the usual round of heated debates, with naysayers and supporters taking their predictable positions. And irrespective of the heat generated, the cricketing juggernaut plows on, bringing in the crowds, even as it generates ever new controversies. This year, all the action was off-field, be it in Wankhede Stadium or a hotel suite in Delhi. As the 2012 tournament readies for its climax comes a fresh volley, lobbed by uber-intellectual Ramachandra Guha. Writing in today’s Hindu newspaper, he offers a lengthy and intriguing case against IPL, couched as an explanation why this avid cricket fan refuses to watch the matches. [We recommend you check out his “ Smash-and-grab crony league”] [caption id=“attachment_320955” align=“alignleft” width=“380” caption=“AFP”]  [/caption] “[T[he problem with the IPL goes far beyond petty corruption and boorish celebrities. The Indian Premier League is not just bad for me, but bad for Indian capitalism, bad for Indian democracy, and bad for Indian cricket,” writes Guha in an opening salvo. A number of the points he makes are familiar – IPL as an example of the sins of crony capitalism; its effects on national and international cricket. What makes it a must-read is the way he connects IPL to the “Two Indias” thesis. IPL, he argues, is cricket that caters exclusively to the aspirational middle and upper classes:

The IPL is explicitly biased against the poorer States of the Union, and implicitly biased towards what, in marketing argot, is referred to as ‘S(ocio)E(conomic)C(lass)-1.’ Maharashtra has two IPL teams, based in its largest and richest cities, yet it is the upper strata of Pune and Mumbai society that most closely follow these teams. Some watch the matches at home, over a drink and after a hard day at the office; others go to the stadium, seeking vicariously to soak in the glamour of those even richer than themselves. That is to say, they go not so much to see Virat Kohli or Sachin Tendulkar bat, but to be in the same privileged space as the Nita Ambanis and the Shah Rukh Khans, this fleeting proximity reassurance that they too are within that part of India which is Shining as well as Winning.

IPL isn’t about cricket but elite entertainment. This is why the great Indian masses don’t follow the tournament with the same enthusiasm as the national team. There is nothing Indian, he argues, about the Indian Premier League. Earlier this week, Firstpost writer Binoo John took exactly the opposite position in his piece titled, “ IPL is truly Indian, let us be proud .” John argued that it’s not the tournament but it’s critics who are elitist: “The IPL is for the masses both washed and unwashed, but yet the fact that some Indians are having unabashed fun is seen as an evil social trend. Apart from the fun there are the huge sixes. And no defensive strokes. So it is seen as loutish and not gentlemanly.” Whether you buy Guha’s argument or not, the op-ed is a must-read for all IPL-watchers. Read “The Smash-and-grab crony league” in_The Hindu_.