As I watched the "national flag dishonor at the Eden" controversy on Times Now TV for the thousandth time, I wondered as I often have before as to why we insist on spending valuable time and money over arbitrary issues that arise out of random acts of ignorance, frustration or even arrogance, and forget the significance of the word "random" in it.

Of course the cop that threw the flag over the gate and onto the ground was wrong to do so; there are laws and those must be respected. However, in my humble opinion, the crime he committed was less severe than the stripping and molestation of an "aadivasi" girl during a rally in Assam recently; the regularization of the illegal settlements in Maharashtra not so long back and in Andhra Pradesh very recently without actually anyone bothering to look into key issues as to how such irregularities can be prevented in the future; the consistent misuse of official funds by various government bodies that are supposed to lay roads, clean drains and build flyovers and instead take kickbacks from contractors to build roads that break in three months flat, build flyovers that put a stop to surrounding traffic for two-three years in which time a less corrupt body could put up two additional flyovers, and maintain the nation's business capital's drains in such a way that one strong spell of rains make the city stop and that seems to happen year after year without anyone really getting their "sentiments hurt" as it happens when they see the national flag dumped out by a careless policeman.

We live in despicable living conditions, some less so and some more, and our friendly neighborhood politicians are determined to bring in more reservations without even going a step to discuss as to when such steps would help in achieving the final aim; that of actually eliminating reservations when it might be considered redundant due to progress of the backward classes they are meant for. Reservations are all right but will that alone achieve the objective; isn't any thought going into improving education at the primary levels and thoughts on how to get more of our rural classes into schools and colleges and make their education better?

You might wonder what this has to do with cricket and I would honestly say not much. However, while the hullabaloo with the national flag dishonor issue made me start to pen my thoughts, I couldn't help but relate to how closely these frustrations mirrored my frustrations with India's cricket governing body, the BCCI.

They can seek to select a coach with a vision, and insist on giving that coach their chosen players to go to a world cup with, irrespective of whether they fit into the coach's vision for which he was brought on-board. They can appoint a Gavaskar and a Shastri to every panel possible, including the all important one of selecting the national coach, very well knowing that the two gentlemen would take months to have one damn meeting on the issue. They can announce an IPL in response to the competition's ICL, and the world cup winning Rohit Sharmas, Robin Uthappas, Gautam Gambhirs and RP Singhs find no mention in the glittering functions and announcements at the launch while the heavyweight prima donnas who didn't play the world cup and who have no experience of Twenty-20 posed for photos amid much fan fare. They can wait on the decision of a known failure at captaincy for days on end because he happens to be the nation's blue eyed boy and a state mate of the BCCI prez and the chairman of the national selection committee, while a rustic dasher from Ranchi stands on the sidelines wondering if a world cup isn't quite enough to stake a claim.

I could go on and on and on about the BCCI and the stupidities that it indulges in daily and it would be no use. Just like the nation is concerned with more impending matters such as whether Sachin Tendulkar cut a cake with a tri-color in it or whether "Aaja Nachle" is insulting to a certain community or not, the BCCI is more concerned with whether it should charge 30 million or 300 million for corporate sponsorship of each of the IPL teams. As to how the team will cope with the bouncy pitches it will encounter in Kangaroo-land towards the end of the month, it will probably ask Sunny and Ravi to figure it out and those two gentlemen would probably try their best to meet on the issue before the world cup of 2011.

We really need to re-look at our priorities, all of us!