by Rupa Ranganathan, first published April 17
NFL’s first ladies are on an exciting mission. They are touring India to audition Indian women to start a new squad of cheerleaders for The Royal Challengers, a Bangalorean cricket team owned by prominent liquor moghul Vijay Mallya, who also owns Kingfisher Airlines (famous beer line from his brewery line). Cricket’s new avatar in India has come a long way from the five day test matches with players donning crisp white cotton pants and shirts with matching sweaters reminiscent of the British Raj. The Washington Redskins may have just hit upon a new cultural export from America. Tunku Varadarajan’s excellent oped in the New York Times titled “India’s Game, U.S. Spice” tells us “how brash India has become, and also how this brash new India has transformed cricket – once the most staid of sports –into a game that is perilously close to a circus.” At first shocking and even blasphemous to traditional cricket lovers, this bold foray into the staid world of cricket is just a sign that there is much more to come. Will this trip be a flash in the pan or will these maidens usher in a new passage to India? Recommended reading
Tunku Vardarajan’s Oped
www.nytimes.com/2008/04/15/opinion/15varadarajan.html www.churumuri.com popular Indian blog with deep insights about people and events in the Mysore region (in the Indian state of Karnataka)
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