Manufactured sentiments: Time to rise above culture of crowd obsession, be it for cricketers, film stars, or politicians

By Vidya Bhushan Rawat* 

India must rise above the politics of crowd worship and manufactured sentiments. Every time something happens—be it a cricket match, religious festival, or political rally—we rush to the streets in frenzied celebration or protest. Our police and security forces spend more time managing crowds than protecting law and order.

Nowhere is this crowd obsession more evident than in our celebration of commercial cricket leagues. These are private tournaments, where teams are owned by individual billionaires who "buy" players like commodities. These teams carry city names, but ask yourself—how many players in them actually belong to that city or even the state? Can these franchises really claim to represent a region? The emotional attachment we display is entirely misplaced.

This commodification of cricket has reduced nationalism and regional identity to mere slogans. With massive money flowing in, it's all business now. No wonder more and more people are rushing to invest in these teams—not for sport, but for profit.

And look at the hypocrisy. The grand finale of most major cricket events now happens in Ahmedabad. Why? What exactly has Gujarat contributed to Indian cricket compared to stalwarts like Mumbai, Chennai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, or the legendary Eden Gardens in Kolkata? This trend reeks of power and influence, not merit. It is a mockery that proves money can buy anything—even the prestige of hosting national events.

Recently, a so-called “Bengaluru” team won a league title, and some politicians reacted as if India had won the World Cup. Let’s be clear: this is not the Karnataka state team. These are private players on a privately owned team, most of whom have no ties to Karnataka. If Karnataka had won the Ranji Trophy, there would be reason to celebrate genuine regional achievement. But this? This is just branding.

Do the players even speak Kannada? How many are from the state? And yet we wave flags, dance on the streets, and allow politicians to hijack these moments for political mileage. If representation really matters—as our leaders often claim—why are they silent about these questions when it comes to sports?

Let’s not become passive spectators—tamashbeens—in a circus of corporate profits and hollow celebrations. It is always the common people who suffer: they get crushed in stampedes, stuck in traffic, or caught in violent crowds. Meanwhile, the stars they idolize speed past them in luxury buses, untouched by the chaos.

This culture of crowd obsession—be it for cricketers, film stars, or politicians—must end. No one is saying don’t enjoy a good match or film. But don’t surrender your dignity and reason for people who are in it solely for money. Tomorrow, if another team offers a higher paycheck, your favorite player will switch sides without blinking.

The truth is, this is not sport—it is capitalism in its most obscene form, dressed up as entertainment. Fake sentiments are manufactured to divert attention from real issues like unemployment, social justice, or education. The massive crowds we see are also a reflection of idle youth with nowhere else to go—a symptom of deeper systemic failure.

It’s time to change. No celebration, rally, or procession should be allowed without prior administrative approval. We must put an end to this culture of constant street mobilization in the name of hollow victories or political theatre. Let’s reclaim our public spaces for safety, dignity, and rational dialogue.

Let the media and political class focus on issues that truly matter. Let us, the people, stop being pawns in a spectacle we didn’t create.

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*Human rights defender