Sight & Sound
There’s no escaping cricket
Amita Malik

LAST week, I reminded myself that if there are crores of people who love cricket, there are also crores who do not and it is not fair to cover only cricket in this column. So I decided to watch other channels and other programmes.

I first switched on Zee TV for their delectable programme Jeena Isi Ka Naam Hai, which has been reborn since its original much-loved anchor, Faroque Shaikh, returned to it and we saw the last of Suresh Oberoi, now busy with BJP politics. I cannot claim I welcome the return of the skittish lady who dresses like a model with fancy clothes and silver eyelashes, and gushes about participants in her little waiting room. She is as redundant as her comments, since Faroque is so self-sufficient. But if I thought I would get away from cricket, I was mistaken.

Guess, who was on? Why, none other than Sourav Ganguly, or as the Bengalis call him. "Banglar Gaurav, Amader Sourav".

He did not appear totally relaxed, he is obviously a very private person. He sometimes gave wry smiles and most of the time no smiles at all. But the programme had its moments, such as his old mathematics teacher referring to his good marks.

Then there was "Uncle" Dalmiya, who reminded him of the time little Sourav was kicking an orange about because he wanted to be a footballer and was not even remotely interested in cricket. And his wife Dona had a lovely anecdote about the first time he took her out to dinner. "He ordered two fried rice, two chilli chicken, two everything, but ate it all and left me just a few bits and pieces." Ganguly really warmed up when Zaheer and Badani appeared as a surprise in the studio and told us what it was like to have him as captain. They said it was a wonderful experience.

At this stage I thought I would give cricket the go-by and return to good old politics. In fact when channels showed the netas on their campaign trail, what I found most fascinating was what they had for breakfast. It was quite surprising to find Mayawati eating cornflakes like a lady, with the spoon delicately conveyed to the lips. The most lavish spread was at Amar Singh’s place. He prefers paranthas. Bhupen Hazarika decided to rustle up something in his Guwahati Kitchen. Rajesh Pilot’s son, who drove his own car, chose breakfast at a wayside dhaba, while Madhavrao Scindia’s son served a pleasant unostentatious breakfast in his palace. Everybody, one was happy to note, also offered breakfast to the interviewer (which Barkha Dutt lapped up with obvious relish). This was not the case during previous election coverage and one is glad the netas realise that interviewers can also get hungry. I am not sure whether Balasaheb Thackeray offered anything to Rajdeep Sardesai, so Rajdeep made the most of his time.

Since politics coverage is getting so serious and competition makes channels, anchors and experts go overboard at times, I preferred to watch the funny side which makes the ultimate results much more fun. There is no programme yet to touch NDTV’s Gustafi Maaf and Double Take.

It is political satire at its sophisticated best. I place next the inimitable Jaspal Bhatti’s Chunavi Bhatti and his Feel Good Party on Zee, although I wish they would cut out the funny noises in between, which are even worse than canned laughter.

Getting away completely from politics (as Amitabh Bachchan said he has) in Pankaj Pachauri’s two-part interview on NDTV India, I found that Pachauri’s interviews are so different from the many others on other channels. Pankaj speaks an elegant but simple UP Hindi, as he comes from Mathura. Also, unlike most interviewers, especially those in English, he knows his Hindi literature and was able to quote aptly his father’s verses to Amitabh. Lasty, he has worked for years in London for the BBC and in the USA and Hong Kong and has a cosmopolitan view of things. The best compliment came from Bachchan. When Pachauri thanked him at the end of the interview for his illuminating answers, Bachchan responded with: "But you asked such good questions."