So the Parliament has passed the Telangana Bill. As so many people have been (& still are) saying so many things on the subject that I will not add to the din.
But this is also the right time to look into the issue of reorganisation of states. The last time it was done, language was the basis of the sculpting. However, it did not end the demand of many sections & we ended up creating a lot more states. Many of these demands (including mine, though not linguistic) are still not met.
Also, considering the no. of languages, including dialects, in India, language should not have been the defining criterion for creating a state in the first place. But the wise men of those times did not have any better option. For, how does one go about splitting & uniting a diverse country such as ours?
Worry not, for I have the answer. Yes, and it is not divisive but a uniting one, the only thing loved by each Indian - Cricket. Now, why should Cricket be the basis of national restructuring? Here are my reasons:
Unifying - Cricket is the only adhesive bond in the country. Bollywood may come close, but does not match cricket in uniting us Indians. (Just consider the no. of films that are protested (and banned) for hurting the sentiments of the people.)
Acceptance - Its only cricket that is accepted by all Indians. Other sports may have their pockets of influence, but are bested by Cricket in those regions too. Proof being the Kochi & Kolkata teams in IPL!
Inclusive - Cricket is the only activity in India that respects talent & performance, irrespective of religion, caste, ethnicity. This is where a boy from the backyards of Jharkhand can become the captain, while the son of a former world record holder does not find a place in the national team.
Professional - Unlike all other organisations, sporting or others, Cricket is run along professional lines. It is also an extremely profitable venture. This is the result of the way the organisational pyramid is structured & the fact that experts are involved wherever needed.
Representative - Cricket is the only sport where former cricketers (aam admis of the game) are actively involved. Even after their playing days are over, the high & mighty of the game (administrators, IPL franchisees) listen to them & seek their advice.
Global Influence - While we may have given the world Zero or invented the wheel, the automobiles were invented in the West. Its only cricket where India influences the world opinion & guides the future.
Nationalism - We are interested only in matches involving the national team, not the regional teams. I hope, if Cricket is the basis of recasting the states, we Indians would also stop bothering about individual states and focus only on the nation & its progress.
Successful - Is there any other field where India has been so successful? The reasons for this consistent success being all of the above.
For all these reasons, only Cricket qualifies as the model of how India should be run. Step-1 is reorganisation of states.
So how do we restructure the states? Simply create as many states as there are Ranji teams. Except for Services & Railways, the Ranji teams (or the Cricket Associations) are anchored geographically. We just need to demarcate the states on the basis of the catchment area of each Ranji team. While most states have their own associations, some have more than one. These would be carved out into separate states.
I do not foresee any opposition to this proposal because, the demand for new states is raised primarily by disgruntled local/regional politicians who have been denied their share of the cake. Most of our Cricket Associations are infested with politicians. So, if they are satisfied with the geographical spread of their cricket association how can they object to a state created on the same basis?
Thus, we would see the end of demand for a new state. For those who are worried about what would happen to the Parliament, don't worry. Our politicians are ingenious enough & shall find new excuses for using pepper sprays.
