Senior Planning Manager

How Wankhede treated Indian Cricket team!

Border Gavaskar Trophy is underway. Ash anna recently retired and I can't consider myself lucky enough to see the 4 seniors play for the last time together. Getting to watch them at the iconic Wankhede stadium was nothing short of a dream. It was the third Test, Day 3, of the India vs. New Zealand series. The visitors were bowled out early, leaving India a modest target of 140+ runs. On paper, it seemed like a cakewalk. But, with an out-of-form top order and the ghost of Ajaz Patel's spin heroics, nothing was guaranteed. Ignoring all advices of skipping the match, I finally got my hands on tickets (in black of course). My faith in Wankhede's electric crowd promised this would be worth every penny. By the time I had reached the entry gates, there were atleast a thousand crazy fans waiting to enter on a Sunday morning. Young kids and teens talking in Bambaiya slangs in blue and white jerseys queuing up to see a team that is already down 2 matches and no guarantee of a win. As the chants of “India! India!” got louder, it was clear I wasn’t alone in the madness. While I was still in the queue, suddenly, the crowd inside went quiet. A wicket had fallen. Moments later, the roar of the crowd returned as Virat Kohli walked out to bat. The excitement was short-lived though, as Kohli was run out soon after. India was 3 wickets down in no time. I feared the crowd might turn against the team looking at their passion. But, I was horribly wrong in questioning the unwavering passion of Mumbaikar’s for cricket. As wickets fell, tension was palpable. But this crowd was something else. No jeers, no anger, just unwavering faith. As Pant began his innings, crowd rallied behind him with chants of his name. Every run was applauded. As Pant completed half century, crowd went berserk, as if we had won the game. It didn’t matter that India was still on the back foot. It was a moment to cherish. As game progressed, chants of Ganpati Bappa Morya accompanied with Dhols kept getting louder. Now every dot ball was getting appreciated(Quite a downall)! Despite the setbacks, crowd kept the energy high with Mexican waves and synchronised rendition of Vande Mataram. Pure Goosebumps!! Between all the fervor, Wankhede showed true sportsmanship by appreciating every effort of opponents. Be it a failed catch attempt, or a good fielding effort, all got applause. I vividly remember how crowd appreciated Glen Philips standing on the boundary line for his bowling. After the game finished, crowd didn't waste a minute to wait, expressing their disappointment. The only 2 NZ fans in the stands teased us, 'We can't hear you anymore'. Mumbai fans instead gave back ,'You will hear us at the Lords'. That camaradiere and support was so refreshing to see. Rare to see these days. Wankhede that day wasn’t just a stadium; it was a living, breathing celebration of cricket. The fans showed the world how to love the game, support their team, and respect their opponents—all with civility and unmatched passion. No matter which team won, test cricket definitely did!

Waves of corporatisation in India

Corporatisation can be generally referred to as standardisation and formalisation of a business firm along the modern techno-industrial lines. This practice of corporatisation began in Britain during industrial revolution when big companies based on coal, iron and steam engine set up industries across England and there was a need for standardisation of business operation of a particular company all across the country. This later spread to United States (beginning from Cotton textiles and plantation firm having large holdings), France and Germany during 19th century. As far as India is concerned, it has witnessed four waves of corporatisation First wave of corporatisation was based on Kolkata beginning with East India Company, which gradually opened up for multiple English companies after 1858 GoI Act. Later on several companies of textiles, chemicals and heavy industries opened their offices in Kolkata, of whom many beginning to be owned by Indians too. Second wave of corporatisation began in Bombay Mumbai when Manchester based textiles companies opened up their head offices in Mumbai in purpose of handling export of raw cotton from Gujarat and Maharashtra and importing finished textiles from England through Mumbai port. Later on several Gujrati Marwari textile companies opened factories and offices in Mumbai. Corporatisation in Mumbai went for a long period of time I would say, even after independence. It benefitted from spread of communism in Bengal, which made Kolkata unattractive destination for investment, and LPG reforms, after which companies boomed in India who subsequently only found Mumbai as most suitable site for office. Third wave of corporatisation began in Delhi-NCR, Bangalore and Hyderabad coinciding with IT boom in India. Availability of talent pool became the biggest common factor triggering corporatisation in these three cities. We are currently in fourth wave of corporatisation which is not limited to handful of big cities. Corporate world also streching their roots to multiple cities like Chennai, Vishakhapatnam, Ahemdabad, Bhubaneswar, Indore, Jaipur, Lucknow etc as well. Companies are opening their offices in other cities as well for managing their operations in regional level. Several start-up companies are also emerging. In future companies likely to shift their peripheral operations involving technical staff in other cities and limit only managerial level tasks in respective offices in big cities.

India, Brazil, Africa for Permanent UNSC Seats

- **Russia** supports **India, Brazil, and African countries** for permanent **UN Security Council** seats. - **Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov** emphasizes the need for representativeness of the global majority. - **India** has long advocated for **UNSC reform** to reflect 21st-century realities. - **UK, US, and France** back India's bid for a permanent seat. - India last served as a non-permanent member in **2021-22**. Source: [News 18](https://www.news18.com/world/russia-believes-india-brazil-and-african-countries-should-be-represented-in-unsc-lavrov-9092795.html), [The Economic Times](https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/india/russia-believes-india-brazil-and-african-countries-should-be-represented-in-unsc-sergey-lavrov/articleshow/114402106.cms)