Journalists turn cricketers !

At the Sprawling Sardar Patel stadium it was one more cricket tournament today. Player after player played his role to his best. Cheer girls continued to cheer both players as well as a small crowd of spectators.

Fours, sixes and outs were cheered by drumbeating. Members of the playing team danced as cheer girls responded to hits and misses on the ground. This is how the members of the Gujarat Media Club had its cricket carnival at the ground.

The players literally toiled, because majority of them were not players in any sense. However, in India given a chance anyone can play cricket and so our friends of the GMC could. It was more to bring together the members and their families around the stumps.

It was a cricket tournament of the journalists, by the journalists and for the journalists. Except handful of outsiders it was purely a journalistic affair right upto spectator. It had a commentator, a practicing doctor. Assisted by some journalists, Dr. Parag Shah did commentary for more than four hours (with more than hour lunch break).

His running commentary was frequently punctuated by his musical interludes when he sang a line or two of old film songs. No doubt the free commentary of Dr. Shah had this untold rider. I will run your show, you lend me yours ears for my songs filled commentary. And he would turn a singer to lift sagging spirits of people on and off the field.

Presence of GCA president Narhari Amin, Hitesh Patel who is known by the name Pochi and Ameesh Saheba, of ICC empires panel gave the event a real cricket look. Defence PRO Satish Menon, Railway PRO Jayant Jitendra were there to add colour to the media event.

There was a guest spectator, Milind Ghatwai of Indian Express presently posted in Bhopal. Ghatwai who is here for the crisis management in the Ahmedabad edition strolled into the stadium to meet old friends. Certainly, a good Sunday for Milind .

At the end of the day, journalists and their families returned home with some kind of satisfaction. Some had known about families of others. Some developed new contacts. For the outgoing team of the GMC office bearers it was a task accomplished, agenda of the tenure finished!

It was a 10 over knock out tournament GMC had organised with the sponsorship of the IOC. There were four teams. The team which lifted the trophy had representatives of Gujarat and Hindi newspapers.

Gujarat Media Club elections: A tame affair

The first elections of the corporate style Gujarat Media Club does not seem to invoke any interest among its over 100 voting members. Thursday was the last day for filing nominations. The replies of Club's Secretary General Brajesh Singh about nominations are quite philosophical. Brajesh says its voluntary service. People have to spare time from their busy schedule in fixed 24 hours and so on. The fact is that no one is interested in elections.

On the other hand about 40 members are attending net practice for the IOC-GMC Trophy on March 16. Elections for the first elected body are also scheduled for the same day. With State Assembly Session on and examination season already started, the crowd for net practice is impressive. In such a situation, lackluster election is quite surprising. Gujarat has had several journalist bodies in the past, but the Club under the Companies Act is first of its kind.

Founder President of the Club, R K Misra is not going for the second term. For him foundation of the club and spade work for one year is Mission Accomplished. He says that he had been trying to set up a journalists' body for the last four decades or so. It was quite embarrassing to see excellent Clubs in other cities while Gujarat had none.

With this Club Misra says that his dream has come true. In the first year, the Club has corpus of about Rs.10 lakh. It cannot be touched as per the rules. Now the new team has to raise the club further on this foundation, he says. Misra does not see any problem in this. This may take some time, he says.

As the promoter of the Club, Misra has a clear vision and well defined agenda for the new team. First of all we should always be ready for change, he asserts. I am setting up an example by not seeking second term. The agenda of the new team, he says, should be the agenda for growth. It should develop revenue and welfare model for the Club and its members. There should be viable economic activity for women to help create a bond among families of the members.

In the absence of formal nomination, it appears that the new team will be formed through consensus. Let’s see what consensus evolves on March 16 when members meet for the Cricket match and the lunch. Brajesh has confirmed that like last year there would be lunch this year too!