Thats my Fish

The Japanese have always loved fresh fish. But the water close to Japan has not held many fish for decades. So to feed the Japanese population, fishing boats got bigger and went farther than ever. The farther the fishermen went, the longer it took to bring the fish. If the return trip took more time, the fish were not fresh. To solve this problem, fish companies installed freezers on their boats. They would catch the fish and freeze them at sea. Freezers allowed the boats to go farther and stay longer. However, the Japanese could taste the difference between fresh and frozen fish. And they did not like the taste of frozen fish. The frozen fish brought a lower price. So, fishing companies installed fish tanks. They would catch the fish and stuff them in the tanks, fin to fin. After a little thrashing around, they were tired, dull, and lost their fresh-fish taste. The fishing industry faced an impending crisis!
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But today, they get fresh-tasting fish in Japan .
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How did they manage? To keep the fish tasting fresh, the Japanese fishing companies still put the fish in the tanks but with a small shark. The fish are challenged and hence are constantly on the move. The challenge they face keeps them alive and fresh!
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Have you realized that some of us are also living in a pond but most of the time tired and dull? Basically in our lives, sharks are new challenges to keep us active. If you are steadily conquering challenges, you are happy. Your challenges keep you energized. Don't create success and revel in it in a state of inertia. You have the resources, skills and abilities to make a difference.
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Take a Risk, take a chance. Put a shark in your tank and see how far you can really go!

Ek Din

Ek din aisa bhi aana hai dono Ke do mein se ek ne chale jaana hai. aisle jeena seekh le ke jeene mien taqleef na ho.
The immortal romantic lines, love beyond life. If man and woman were made for companionship why do they have to live alone once the other dies. Another one of life's wonders. I wish I was superman and could change this

10 Things Great Managers Do By Steve Tobak

There’s all sorts of rhetoric about what good bosses should and shouldn’t do these days. I guess that’s a good thing. Unfortunately, most of it’s pretty basic, generic fluff that sort of blends together after a while.
Even worse, a lot of it’s, well, utopian. It panders to what employees want to hear instead of giving truly practical and insightful advice on what makes a manager effective in the real world where business is everything and everything’s on the line.
This list is different. It’s different because, to derive it, I went back in time to the best characteristics of the best CEOs (primarily) I’ve worked for and with over the past 30 years. It’s based entirely on my own experience with executives who made a real difference at extraordinary companies.
Some were big, some were small, but all were successful in their respective markets, primarily because of the attributes of these CEOs. Each anecdote taught me a critical lesson that advanced my career and helped me to be a better leader. Hope you get as much out of reading it as I did living it.
10 Things Great Managers Do
Maintain your cool and sense of humor, especially during a crisis. When our biggest customer - and I mean big - thought I leaked a front-page story to the press, I offered to resign to save the relationship. My boss, a great CEO, gave me this serious look, like he was thinking about it, and said, “You’re not getting off that easy.” Then he broke out into a big smile.
Tell subordinates when they’re shooting themselves in the foot. Sometimes I can be pretty intimidating and I’ve had CEOs who shied away from giving it to me straight when my emotions got the better of me. Not this one guy. We’d be in a heated meeting and he’d quietly take me aside and read me the riot act. He was so genuine about it that it always opened my eyes and helped me to achieve perspective.
Be the boss, but behave like a peer. I’ve worked with loads of CEOs who let their egos get the better of them. They act like they’re better than everyone else, are distant and emotionally detached, or flaunt their knowledge and power. That kind of behavior diminishes leaders, makes them seem small, and keeps them from really connecting with people. They’re not always the most successful, but the most admired CEOs I know are genuinely humble.
Let your guard down and really be yourself outside of work. You know, teambuilding is so overrated. All you really need to do outside of work to build a cohesive team is break some bread, have some drinks, relax, let your guard down, and be a regular human being. When you get to be really confident, you can be that way all the time. That’s the mark of a great leader.
Stand behind and make big bets on people you believe in. One CEO would constantly challenge you and your thinking to the point of being abusive. But once he trusted and believed in you, he put his full weight behind you 100 percent to help you succeed. He’d stand up for you even when he wasn’t sure what the heck you were up to. And he’d give you new functional responsibilities - something up-and-coming execs need to grow. Okay, he wasn’t perfect, but who is?
Complement your subordinate’s weaknesses. I often say it’s every employee’s job to complement her boss’s weaknesses. The only reason that’s even doable is because we’ve all only got one boss. But I actually had a CEO who did that with each and every one of his staff. For example, I’m more of a big picture strategy guy and he would really hold my feat to the fire by tracking my commitments. It felt like micromanaging at first, but I eventually realized it helped me to be a more effective and strengthened the entire management team.
Compliment your employee’s strengths. It takes a strong, confident leader to go out on a limb and tell an employee what they’re great at. Why? I don’t know, but I suspect it’s hard for alpha males that primarily inhabit executive offices. Anyway, it’s important because we can’t always see ourselves objectively. Twenty years ago a CEO identified how effectively I cut through a boatload of BS to reach unique solutions to tough problems. Today, that’s what I do for a living.
Teach the toughest, most painful lessons you’ve ever learned. As a young manager at Texas Instruments, I once asked my boss’s boss for advice about a promotion I didn’t get. He told me a candid story about the hardest lesson he’d ever learned, the reason he was stuck in his job. He made himself indispensible and didn’t groom his replacement. It was painful for him to share, but it opened my eyes and made a huge difference in my career.
Do the right thing. Just about everyone says it, but I’ve only known one CEO who both preached and practiced it to the point where it became a big part of the company culture. You’d walk the halls and hear people say it all the time. He meant two things by it. When he said it to you, it meant he trusted you to do just that. He also meant it regardless of status quo or consequences. He had extraordinary faith in that phrase. Now I do too.
Do what has to be done, no matter what. It’s a rare executive who jumps on a plane at a moment’s notice to close a deal or gives an impromptu presentation when a potential investor shows up unexpectedly. It’s even more rare when he does it without asking questions or hemming and hawing about it. He just does what has to be done. That kind of drive and focus on the business is relatively common with entrepreneurs in high-tech startups - but it shouldn’t be. It’s the mark of a great manager who will find success, that’s for sure.

The Story of Dhyan Chand by Rajesh Kalra

I have been bemused by the recent clamour that the rules for awarding Bharat Ratna be modified to include sportspersons too so that our batting sensation Sachin Tendulkar can be awarded the nation’s highest civilian award. Given the way some of the national civilian awards have been devalued in recent years, especially Padma Shri, with all sorts of people with doubtful integrity and accomplishments getting selected, considering Sachin for the nation’s highest award would easily seem one of the most merited.

I too am a fan of Sachin who has provided joy to millions of Indian, indeed the world, cricket lovers with his supreme batting displays. Even more than that, I marvel at the manner in which he has handled himself while being scrutinised so closely for well over two decades. Not a shred of allegation on his personal and professional behaviour. Of course, the way he has managed to retain the passion for the game that would do men half his age proud is something folk stories are made of.

However, despite all these great things attributed to Sachin, I am still unconvinced that if indeed the rules of the game are changed to include sportspersons, Sachin should be the first in the line to get the award.

The one name that comes to mind immediately is that of our hockey great Major Dhyan Chand. Whether you are a hockey lover or not, anyone who claims to be a sports lover would, or should, know about Dhyan Chand. He was instrumental in the country winning three successive Olympic Gold medals in hockey - 1928, Amsterdam; 1932, Los Angeles and 1936, Berlin. Such was his mastery when the sport was indeed India’s national game, that there are tales of people travelling from different countries to just watch him play a game of 70 minutes.

And while Sachin’s feats may still be getting there, Dhyan Chand’s accomplishments and stories are already part of the sporting folklore. Consider the following:-


At Berlin Olympics in 1936, when India played its first game, word went around that a wizard was at work on the hockey field and it drew spectators from other venues. A German newspaper carried a headline: The Olympic complex now has a magic show too. Posters were put up all over Berlin asking people to watch a show like never seen before.
At one occasion, a lady spectator said if he was such a wizard, could he play with her walking stick. Dhyan Chand did, and scored goals, with the walking stick.
Apparently in 1935 at Adelaide, Australia’s hockey capital, Dhyan Chand and cricket great Donald Bradman came face to face. After watching him play, the Don remarked: He scores goals like runs in cricket.
And of course, the most celebrated story of how Hitler, after watching his stupendous performance at Berlin Olympics, offered him the German citizenship and also a promotion in the German army. Of course, Dhyan Chand refused.

And this is just a sample of stories around the man, whose exploits on the hockey field with his team mates, especially his elder brother Roop Singh, are enough to write a book on. Honestly, do you think Sachin’s exploits, amazing though they are, come even close?

As I said, I hold Sachin in extremely high regard but there is yet another major difference between Sachin and Dhyan Chand. When Dhyan Chand played, it was the golden age of hockey with several great players, but Dhyan Chand’s stature was unquestionable. He was unparalleled. However, while Sachin too is considered great, there are his contemporaries who, depending on who you speak to, are considered as good, if not better. Internationally, these would include those like Brian Lara or Viv Richards, and at home, easily the redoubtable Sunil Gavaskar and India’s man for all seasons, Rahul Dravid. Of course, how can one not mention the Don, but there has rarely been talk of Sachin being greater than him.

In Dhyan Chand’s case, however, there was no one who came close. In terms of stickwork at least, there have been the likes of our own Mohd. Shahid or the Pakistani duo of Hassan Sardar and later Shahbaz, but absolutely none had such a mesmeric influence over the game as Dhyan Chand.

So, back to the debate on whether Sachin should get the Bharat Ratna or not? Yes, most certainly. As I said, he merits it ahead of a lot of others who keep getting national awards these days. But should he be the first one? I most certainly think not. Dhyan Chand it should be.

Do we really want a New India

Have been following the Anna movement with some interest daily. 15K odd people joined the struggle yesterday. Some got put in Jail. So now they are war hero's. Surprise Surprise the opposition gets involved.

This is making me think.

1) Do we want a new government? No of course not. Looking at the options we have and you will see what I mean. What we want is this government to change its ways. But can this government do that? Can it Really? With the government getting blackmailed by its coalition allies on hourly daily basis, the government is rendered ineffective. They can only work 20% of the time for the people and the rest of the time to help its on cause and stay in power. Who is responsible for this mess? We the people who vote for the person who speaks the local language and we are comfortable with. People in the South dont always trust the people in the North (just an example)
2) Do we really support Anna? I am sitting in my comfy seat in KL saying I support Anna. IF I really supported Anna and the cause I would be down there with my friends supporting them in Delhi. 2 thing come out of my last statement. I know of a lot of people who have joined the cause because they dont want to seem out of the crowd. Secondly this is mostly a Delhi revolt. Out of millions of people who live in Delhi 15K showed up (peanuts I must say). Does anyone from Assam care?
3) Who wants the change? Not the rich, the current situation affects their net worth in the Indian stock market. Not the upper middle class- They lose big pay packets if MNCs leave, Not the middle class (frankly they want earn their 3 meals a day and kids have good education. They deal with so many more day to day problems that a lokpal bill can never solve. and certainly not the poor class (which by the way forms the largest part of the population) as they wont even know what Lok Pal is and what's written them. Get them educated first. Let them eat first. Let them lIve first
4) What is the plan for the Anna team? Will he die or will he eat? This revolution will take a turn if Anna dies fasting. And no I am trying to be a cynic but unless the movement as a long strategic plan this movement will fail without a tragic incident. They just dont have the mass movement.
5) News is calling this Anna movement. Its not, its an anti corruption movement. I am against the self proclamation that this movement is going towards
6) What's Anna issues over and above what Gandhi faced- Anna faces a larger population broken into multiple small communities.

A closing note: I want to see corruption end in India. I hope this movement works. But not at the cost of taking us back 20 years.

The Problem with perfection RON ASHKENAS

If you're not familiar with the law of diminishing returns, it states that at a certain point adding more effort will not produce significantly more gains. The challenge is knowing when you've reached that point. For many managers this is an important question: How far do I keep going on a project before I declare that it's "good enough" — and that further effort will not significantly change the outcome?

Several years ago I worked with a project team charged with increasing sales to its large corporate customers. At the first meeting the team brainstormed ways to drive up sales, but before moving ahead decided to collect data about current sales and survey sales managers and customers. Since it wasn't clear which ideas might work, this seemed like a logical next step — until the data analysis work dragged on for months as the team tried to reach the perfect answer.

I've seen this pattern in many organizations where, instead of moving into action, managers insist on doing more analysis. In some cases this is part of a company-wide "paralysis by analysis" culture, while in others it is a personal tendency of the manager or team involved. Either way this oft-repeated pattern results not only in wasted effort, but significant delays in moving forward.

From my experience, there are two often-unconscious reasons for this unproductive quest for perfection. The first is the fear of failing. In many organizations, coming up with a recommendation that doesn't ultimately succeed can be career limiting. So to avoid this fate, managers put in extra effort to get the "right" answer, and back it up with as much data and justification as possible. Then, if it doesn't work, nobody can say that they didn't do their homework.

The second driver of unproductive perfection is the anxiety about taking action. Studying problems and coming up with recommendations is safe territory; while changing processes, procedures, incentives, systems, or anything else is much higher risk. Action forces managers and teams out of their comfort zones, driving them to sell ideas, deal with resistance, orchestrate work plans, and potentially disrupt work processes for colleagues and even customers. So one way to avoid dealing with these messy issues is to keep the study going as long as possible, thus delaying any action.

Because of these psychological dynamics, breaking free of unproductive perfection is not easy. But if you are a project sponsor, leader, or team member, and want to move into action more quickly, here's an approach you can try: Instead of viewing "action" as something that follows research, think about how action can occur parallel to research. In other words, rather than coming up with perfect recommendations and then flipping the switch months later, start by testing some of your initial ideas on a small scale immediately — while collecting more data. Then you can feed the lessons from these experiments into the research process, while continuing to implement and scale additional ideas.

For example, in the sales case described above, the team shifted its patterns by selecting three corporate customers where they could quickly test some of their ideas, in a low-risk way, in collaboration with the sales teams. With one customer, the sales leader experimented with selling products and services together, rather than having services as an after-sell. A second sales leader added a paid advisory service to his offering. The third worked on building relationships higher up in the C-suite. The lessons from these experiments were then incorporated into the team's recommendations, which were then tested with several more customers and so on. Within a year, most of the corporate sales teams were working differently and increasing their overall sales.

Clearly the ideas that first emerge through this iterative approach are not going to be perfect, but by sharpening them through field-testing rather than theoretical analysis they will eventually become good enough to deliver results. Working in this way also reduces the risk of recommending the "wrong" ideas and the anxiety about managing change, since small-scale tests provide rapid feedback and engage others in the organization right from the beginning.

Perfection certainly makes sense when designing an airplane or an office building. But if the search for perfection is leading you to diminishing returns and an avoidance of action, it might be worth taking a different path.

Network-key to the top

Online Networking Guide
Stanford Who’s Who is an elite organization
of selected executives, professionals and
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extend beyond our membership program.
Stanford Who’s Who
utilizes a wide variety of
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members. For example,
the Who’s Who Black
Book is offered to those
individuals who complete
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your professional biography in this world
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tribute your professional achievements, and is
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published online as part of the Stanford
Who’s Who website.
Another excellent promotional tool is the
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Stanford Who’s Who offers a Multi Media
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SECTIONS
1
STANFORD WHO’S WHO
Discover how to utilize one of
the most powerful internet
networking and personal
marketing tools.
2
LINKED IN
The Professional Social
Networking site is just waiting
for you tap it’s potential .
3
TWITTER
Simple messages limited to 140
characters could be your key to
success!
4
FACE BOOK
Now with more users than
Google! Facebook not only let’s
you network with your friends
and family, but can be a powerful
tool to network yourself or your
business!

LinkedIn
Relationships Matter. That is the motto of linked in.
Your professional network of trusted contacts gives you an
advantage in your career, and is one of your most valuable
assets. LinkedIn exists to help you make better use of your
professional network and help the people you trust in
return. It’s mission is to connect the world’s professionals to
make them more productive and
successful.
Linkedin is a great resource for
networking yourself. Here are five tips
for success with Linkedin.
1. Build Your
Connection Base. Connect
with past co-workers, friends, and
professional connections. But don’t
limit yourself, Linkedin has a wealth
of resources for you to reach out and
make new connections.
2. Join Groups. Your first foray into networking
on Linkedin is to join groups. Linkedin makes it easy to
target groups that are within your industry or that may
be potential clients.
3. Be Active. Don’t just join a group and read
the conversations, be part of the conversations!
Networking yourself is all about communication, don’t
waste your time by just being silent in the corner.
Contributing to discussions is the prime “foot in the
door” to start your networking. You will begin to build
new relationships by engaging in intelligent discussions.
4. Update Your Profile. Keep your profile
fresh with up to date information.
Link your Twitter account to your
profile so your new contacts can get a
news feed on your accomplishments.
Constantly updating and being active
will translate your level of
commitment to networking. Always
make sure your profile is complete.
Ask your friends to post
recommendations on your profile,
these are testimonials to your
character, knowledge and work ethics.
5. Start a Group. Don’t just follow, be a leader.
Start a group on Linkedin, invite your other contacts to
participate and voice their opinions.
L INKED IN
FACTS
URL: www.linkedin.com
Founded: 12/2002
CEO: Dan Nye
Description:

Twitter
Twitter is a micro-blog, social networking tool that
enables users to send and view messages, known as Tweets.
The “Tweets” are text posts, limited to 170 characters.
5 Tips for Using Twitter
1. Tweet: Tweet, and Tweet often. Look for
interesting content.
Keep people
abreast of what
you are doing
throughout the
day. The way
Twitter was
designed is you will
be forced to keep
your tweets short,
it’s up to you keep
it sweet. Tweet
two to three times
daily to maintain your presence. Download one of the
many twitter mobile apps to constantly keep in touch
and have the capability to Tweet media such as photos.
2. Reply: Respond to other tweets. Keep yourself
in the Twitter conversation. Networking is about
communicating, engage the people you are networking
with.
3. Search: Learn and use Twitters advanced
search tool. This can put you on top of relevant topics
and put you in touch with new contacts.
4. Complete: Keep your profile and bio complete
on Twitter. Make sure your profile matches your
message and goals for
branding yourself.
Customize your page
to stand out and
utilize the real estate
to brand your
message.
5.Promote: Just
like your website, you
need to promote your
space on twitter and
gain followers. How?
Here are some ideas: link your twitter account on your
email signature, place a link on your website, place your
Twitter info on your biz card, keep tweeting and build
your recognition as an expert.
TWITTER
FACTS
URL: www.twitter.com
Founded: 2006
CEO: Evan Williams

Facebook
Facebook is nothing short of a social media revolution. In a
short time it has gathered more users than Google. A simple
concept of creating a digital identity, allowing you to easily find
others with similar interests, old
friends and classmates and targeted
marketing.
1. Profile: Full complete
your profile on Facebook so
people can easily identify you
and get in touch with you.
Through your profile you will
be able to create group and
fan pages.
2. Create group or
fan pages: What’s the
difference you might ask? To
quote Facebook “Facebook
created Pages when we
noticed that people were
trying to connect with brands
and famous artists in ways that
didn’t quite work on Facebook…Not only can you
connect with your favorite artists and businesses, but
now you also can show your friends what you care about
and recommend by adding Pages to your personal
profile.” Groups are smaller scaled than Pages are. You
could easily compare a group to a club. One of the
major differences is that when you update
on a group, it comes directly from your
personal account, where on a fanpage
you can create updates that appear from
“fan page” itself. Groups are great for
oroganizing on a personal level and for
smaller scale interaction around a cause.
Pages are better for brands , businesses,
bands, movies or celebrities who want to
interact with their fans or customers
without having them connected to a
personal account, and have a need to
exceed Facebook’s 5,000 friend cap.
3.Communicate: Start
communicating. Whether it’s just
personal networking or networking your
product, business or page. Engage in
conversions and relevant discussions.
The more you get your name out there,
the more people will “like” your page.
Download Facebook’s mobile app so you do not miss an
opportunity to participate in discussions.

The rise from the ashes

August 14, 2011
Posted by Michael Jeh 51 minutes ago in Michael Jeh
A modern team that could reinvigorate the old game
Alastair Cook is understated and classy © Getty Images
Irony. One of the most underrated pleasures. Best savoured slowly and with none of the joy and exhilaration that comes with winning or triumphalism. It's almost bitter-sweet in flavour because it brings with it no great sense of personal achievement or patriotic fervour; just a wry smile and a shake of the head.

Irony is spread thick on British toast this Sunday morning. In a week which Andrew Strauss described as not being one of England's finest hours (with reference to the riots), the much-maligned English cricket system of the last 20 years finally brought the throne back to the birthplace of the game. On one hand we have a staid, traditional, somewhat old-fashioned country (in the nicest possible way I might add) showing off an ugly modern face that looked so incongruous among the iconic tourist sights of London. Barely a few days later we saw a slick, ruthless and thoroughly modern cricket team, even down to the style of clothing they now wear on the field, polish off a tired but formidable (on paper) Indian batting team that boasts many of the modern greats.

There is nothing old-fashioned or traditional about this England team, even down to the Irishman in the middle order and the various other players whose heritage can be traced back to the four corners of the globe but who are now as proudly British as you like. No sense of disenfranchised youths among this lot! And all of this in an old British city (Birmingham) that is now as famous for its Indian balti restaurants as anything else. Ironic indeed.
For India, the gentle fall to earth was predictable but surely it must hurt a little bit to relinquish the No. 1 ranking so meekly. Okay, it is clear that Test cricket is not necessarily at the top of the BCCI's priorities and that is their prerogative. India have earned the right to prioritise their own goals and who would begrudge them that privilege? They are the World Champions in the shorter format, their innovative economy has reinvented Twenty20 cricket to the extent that everyone is copying their blueprint. The irony I suppose is that for a country that scoffed at Twenty20 cricket when it was first born, it took but one triumph in South Africa a few years ago, when a young MS Dhoni led a team of pups to a world championship, for India to now relegate Test cricket to a definite second, third or even fourth priority. No one at the BCCI will ever admit it but maybe even IPL ranks higher in the pecking order.

India are not the only ones seduced by that mistress - Australia too have proved that despite the rhetoric, IPL contracts are on a par with any sense of national duty. We only have to remember Michael Hussey and Doug Bollinger arriving late for a Test series in India because of commitments with Chennai Super Kings to realise that it would be hypocritical to single out the home nation as the only ones smitten by the IPL's fluttering eyelashes.

It is ironic too that for a country that is widely regarded as the most cricket crazy nation on earth, the longer form of the game has lost its spectator appeal. You would think that for a nation which loves cricket as much as India does, the more cricket the better. To a certain extent that is true but it's not the five-course meal that Indians now love to watch. They have embraced the take-away, fast-food concept and are now exporting it with added spice! Some people would argue that the Indian cricket fan still follows Test cricket as closely as ever but they just don't like watching it at the stadium. Even allowing for some of that, looking from afar, one can't help but feel that the players themselves know that their real stardom lies in the shorter format.

With the retirement of Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman and Sachin Tendulkar looming, one cannot help but feel that they will take a bit of that five-day magic with them. Virender Sehwag has a magnificent Test record but such is his style that one tends to link him more closely to the shorter game, although his numbers suggest that he's actually a more credentialed Test player than anything else. More irony.

For England, I can only see a fairly extended reign at the top. They will need to find a spinner to replace the excellent Graeme Swann but the rest of their squad looks robust and endurable. Now that Kevin Pietersen's star has waned slightly, they lack the genuine stars that the Australian and Indian dynasties boasted during their reigns but ironically (there's that word again!), that actually makes England a more complete outfit. In Alastair Cook they have a future record-breaking run machine but it is probable that he will creep up silently on greatness in a manner quite unlike Tendulkar, Ponting, Sehwag, Lara et al.

Cook is the quintessential British stereotype in that respect - understated, efficient and classy without feeling the need to convince anyone else. He is unlikely to be the poster boy for junior cricketers in England but for all that anonymity, he might just be the dinosaur that Test cricket, and English cricket, needs to keep the embers burning.

Who will challenge England in the next few years? Just about everybody but I don't think they'll dethrone England for a few years yet. I don't think they will dominate to the extent that the Aussies crushed all before them during their halcyon period but in typical British tradition, they will be efficient and clinical, winning more than they lose in the next half-decade. I rate South Africa as their most likely challenger for no other reason than they have the same efficient work ethic that Andy Flower has managed to instill into this team. The South African domestic system is quite robust and, like county cricket, it doesn't necessarily have to be the best domestic competition in the world to turn out a squad of about 15 players who can take on the world. Mind you, a question for another blog piece might be the issue of which country has the best first-class system. Australia can no longer claim that as its birth-right but who else has the depth to match it?

Not to be particularly jingoistic - I don't really care who sits on the throne - but after watching Britain's youth laying waste to a proud country that I so dearly love from my many years of playing cricket and my days as a student at Oxford, I can only hope that Strauss and his men realise that cricket needs them to rule with a velvet glove not an iron fist. We've seen what can happen when young people feel disenfranchised and ignored by the powerbrokers - regardless of whether we agree with their gripes or not (and frankly, I don't!); cricket too, even Indian cricket, can learn something from that. Rule with grace, mind your manners, innovate with imagination but never forget that the roots of the game still lie in slow-growing soil. The Tendulkars of the world can grace any stage but his pedigree was born of traditional parenting. Watching a slowly unfolding Border/Dravid/Yousuf/Kallis/Warne masterclass in Test cricket is a pleasure that should not just be for the video archives - there's room in cricket for all types of kingdoms.

The King is dead. Long live the King. That's irony