New Businesses, New Concepts, New Sports……. Why not a new SECURITY FORCE?

A invests Rs. 1,00,000 in a new yet to be tried and tested business concept. A invests on the notion of its attractiveness but believes it to be a high risk business. One year down the line, B wishes to enter the same business as A, but there are entry/regulatory barriers or no licenses available for starting the same business. B talks to A and invests Rs. 20,000 for 10% stake in A’s business. One year after B invests in A, B’s holding value increases to Rs. 40,000.

Do we know about any other businesses better than the one mentioned above?

Such business is known as Indian Premier League (IPL) or IPL can also be termed as “Industrialists & Performers (Players) Lounge” (Cricketers are also performers, more so in 20-20 Cricket).

The case used above is that of Rajasthan Royals team owned by consortium of Emerging Media and Mr. Rupert Murdoch’s son, wherein they bought the team rights for $67 million in 2008 and sold 12% stake for $ 16.8 million to Shilpa Shetty and her beau Raj Kundra.

The entry barriers are high, esp. due to the regulatory barriers and licenses, in addition to the limited availability of seats/shops/slots. To acquire one license, we need to possess political clout, money at all times is important for any business plus the profile of the person who will run the business. Your employees are your brand managers, who possess more attitude than the owner and carry the status of demi-God. In addition you are always in media limelight, questioned on your business for which you possess little knowledge or perhaps have little control. There’s only a season or less than two months to harvest and sell and recover/make money. Yet there are so many contenders for two more licenses. Nobody imagined there would be such a fight for starting a business in liberalized era of Indian economy.

We have a wonderful business built over here, with ‘n’ number of brands and ‘n3’ number of human brands in the contest. The marketing and the buzz created around the event leaves everyone touched. The organizer leaves no stone unturned to hype the event with good news and all the controversies. Lifestyle, business and Sports section of the media are all busy covering the event. If the owner hugs or shakes hand with a participant (player) or makes a statement, it serves at least two sections of the media. Politics somehow happens and stays in the backyard. Politics can indeed break the space for all the other three.

Yet the most teething issue is the security.

Lalit Modi clearly know his work, I know he will pull it off. But for our country, are we better than this or much worse than this?

Australians have already been threatened by Bala Saheb due to the racial incidents on Indians in Australia. Its sad, ironical and satirical, that a political party, not in power, holds the rights to threaten foreigners visiting India for goodwill mission (I strongly believe sports is indeed a goodwill gesture) when they are targeting, bullying and killing North Indians living in Western part of India.

Now some pseudo terror Outfit or a specialist arm of Al-Qaeda is threatening to disrupt the ongoing Hockey World Cup and the hyped, glitzy and most glamorous event of cricketing world of 20-20, the IPL. The scare or threat is taken seriously in wake of the Pune blasts. Especially when America is pushing India to name Al-Qaeda behind the terror outfits operating in India for Pakistan purposes.

PC, our Hon’ble Home Minister is trying his best to convince the participants, that India is a safe country. Ricky Ponting is thinking, Shane Warne is ready to skip the event in lieu of the terrorist threats. America and Terror are the only two destructive elements left in this world. Terror, the word itself is enough, we need not define who, why, what, when and where?

IPL organizers are talking about base price of $225 million for obtaining Team Rights. Sharing of revenue from match collections, broadcasters and other ‘n’ number of modes of income. They perhaps need to create a terror pool for security, by reducing a small amount of proportion of sharing of the teams. Team owners are little jittery about providing security to their employees (players). Pakistan players are missing due to security reasons. SRK can tell better as even Pakistani players were appealing at the end of the day, it’s fine if we don’t play but stop bullying SRK.

Indian Govt. lost last year’s revenues from IPL due to security reasons. Providing security to useless politicians over players due to Elections. We had little forces available for promoting the event. I was saddened not because IPL was shifted or politicians were provided security over the event. But why our country was projected as such a vulnerable nation, which is unable to handle terror and envelop us with a blanket of security, even if it may not be by action but by words. A wise said, “If you cannot find peace at home, then peace does not exist for you and you cannot find it anywhere”.

Now the IPL, Home Ministry are trying and running to move every police personnel to protect the players. Perhaps that also seems to be pretty big a price for promoting sports or the event. We witnessed a sample at Jaipur match, there were hundreds of police personnel on ground for protection of 13 players on field at the end of the match. By the sheer number, we could comprehend how many were deputed at the stadium, hotel, airport; those places must have been enveloped by police security like fortresses. We manage to evade the terrorists of any attempts, but does it serve the purpose.

India has around two dozen Central Police and Central Paramilitary Forces besides Police and Army, Navy and Air Forces employing around 2.5 million. Each of them was created for a purpose over a period of time as demanded by the requirements of the country like Railway Protection Force (RPF) for Railways, Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) for protection of PSU’s. Delhi Metro stations under surveillance by CISF. Now the question arises whether the time has come for creation of another Police/Paramilitary Force for sports.

Last year bore the testament the current forces are not sufficient for protecting our nation. A Nation as the idea behind India is under attack. It’s not about cricket or IPL.

Lalit Modi may walk out of the event on March 10th 2010, if he so chooses.

But IPL has created something which makes India stand out and say to the world. After all, Pakistan always frowns upon all the statements India makes/states. A match between India and Pakistan is seen as a day in war. When Indian team visits Pakistan or vice-versa, it’s bigger than the heads of the State entering into a dialogue. But still Pakistani players snub their differences with India and don the hat of Rajasthan Royals, Kolkata Knight Riders or any other franchise of IPL for the love of the game as they say.