India is currently facing a massive problem at the core of the country. This is an issue which is coded in all the activities which India hosts or creates – a Midas’s Touch – which shows us a prominent pattern that has been made or is in the making, which can go further on.
Cricket, the unofficial national game of the country. Cricket runs in every Indian’s blood, every citizen of India watches the prestigious league that runs as a sort of entertainment monopoly in some families – the Indian Premier League. We are all well aware of the game is played, what the franchises are, and who plays well while who doesn’t. We Indians who watch the IPL are more inclined towards following the men of the Indian Cricket Team, getting to know them; following their journey; knowing what they are practicing for; and more. Until we ask ourselves, do we even know our own players?
Most of the players in the IPL are given no emphasis or support for PR, i.e., Public Relations. Public Relations is what drives the emotions connect between an average citizen for a certain higher authority in an industry, in this case: a cricketer and the fans. Good PR builds an even deeper connection between an icon and a fan. This currently is only being done with franchises in the IPL and, admittedly, at a very mediocre level, almost as if they aren’t trying.
Public Relations involves any kind of platform where the icon can communicate their ideas freely with their fans which allows a deeper connect between both parties. Examples of good PR initiatives are: interviews, press conferences, etc. Well, IPL does conduct interviews at the end of each game. Isn’t that enough PR?
It’s not about the quantity of time spent, it’s about the quality of time spent with an icon. In recent days, we can clearly feel and see how constricted a player feels at the time of an interview. It feels as though he’s forced to be there, and its true. They’re forced to be there, they’re paid to play and not talk. But I’ll soon talk about the advantages of PR; reasons for PR to be made a monetized priority, paying the players who can talk.
Let us talk about a country renowned cricket phenomenon – Virat Kohili. One of the few exceptions of PR done slighty right but is it a thing to be proud of? Is the standard too low even for the biggest cricket icon of our current time? People who know cricket can easily identify Virat Kohili’s personality as being carefree, outgoing, aggressive and child-like. He is the life of the party and hell, seems like he throws one every Sunday for the team. Majority of his PR though, is gained from his moments with his wife – Anuskha Sharma. In my opinion, this is toxic PR. PR done for the sake of popularity and gossip. The true essence of PR lies in getting to know the personality of the legends we see on the field. We know how they play, now we get to know their journey.
This is the effect of good public relations. It helps to inspire. We are a mosaic of everyone we have ever loved and looked up to. There are millions who watch cricket live in India, these millions can be inspired by good PR done so that the young ones can be inspired while everyone can experience a deeper personal connection with the player who is sharing their story as a human.
Formula 1, the high-performance motorsport, is an example of PR being executed perfectly. Max Verstappen, the current World Champion of F1, is humanly known for his rough childhood and champion mentality. He is an inspiration to all those who race, and those outside his industry too. Daniel Ricciardo, a highly loved driver by the masses, was once hired solely for the sake of PR for Red Bull when his racing career was flattened. Formula 1, however, has a small paddock (range of drivers) and is relatively easy to invest huge amounts of time into PR. So, let’s look at another sport: English Football. Football is notorious for their addictive clubs and franchises, while their interviews always display a good range of emotions where the people can truly express how they feel and showcase their personality.
But, is the lack of personality recognition and de-humanification limited to sports? No. India has the Midas’s Touch of objectifying every single thing it comes across. In the IPL, it recognizes players solely on their performance while not recognizing them as humans, i.e., their struggles and the journey of where they reached. However, does this sound familiar in any other area of India’s industry? Competitive Entrance Exams and colleges. India is a major example of how hunting for colleges should not be done. Colleges in India merely judge a student’s competence based on their marks: if you haven’t scored enough, you’re not good enough. This is the unfortunate truth behind the Indian Mindset. Due to high levels of competition, we have dehumanized everything we touch. India is no longer a community; for the multi-cultured haven we worship India to be, India has failed to give any meaning to the culture we practice. For culture is simply a way to bring people together. This dehumanizing culture has not stopped at entrance exams, college interviews are held for the sake of an illusion of fairness. Everyone in India is seen as an asset, not as their own individual self with a personality.