Call this, if you will, the ranting of an embittered old man!

My lifelong passion is cricket, and in more recent times, the political world has become an obsession, not joyful as with cricket, but born of a profound anxiety about the state of the world. Given such a predilection, these days my life revolves around the ongoing IPL and the revolting theatrics of politicians, particularly Modi and Trump. And the dehumanising rhetoric of other public figures, such as the cockroach-fixated Chief Justice of India.

As a logical corollary, I cannot help but ponder how debased our world has become, both in our pursuits and way of thinking. While technology has brought mind-boggling material progress in almost every domain, I see an all-pervasive dumbing down, vulgarity and corruption permeating the innards of society. We have lost touch with tradition, decency and the values that make us human.

The sheer crassness, the disrespect for tradition, and the callousness that disfigure our age have found fulsome expression in the wham-bam razzamatazz of T20 cricket, which has swamped other forms of the beautiful game. It's weird that at a time when technology has given us so much more time for sports and pastime, T20 cricket has dwarfed the noble game, partly based on the hogwash that the cricket fan can ill-afford the time for the 5-day grind of Test cricket or even the one-day game.

The brutal fact is that T20 cricket is all about commerce and instant gratification. It isn't cricket! To modify what the great CLR James observed: "What do they know of cricket who only T20 cricket know!" Michael Holding, the great fast bowler, got it right when he referred to T20 cricket as "McDonald's" compared with the 'fine dining' that is Test cricket. But he is one of the few naysayers.

In contrast, that unabashed devotee of Mammon, Kevin Pietersen, initially criticised T20 cricket for its sheer lack of substance: "I can't bear to watch them. They are so boring!" Today, that guy is a leading proponent of T20, raking in moolah as expert commentator and mentor, not only extolling the virtues of this slap-bang caricature of cricket but urging cricketers to prioritise the financial benefits of T20 global franchise tournaments over other considerations.

It is an epic tragedy that T20 cricket, which has corrupted the noblest of games, is drawing all aspiring cricketers to its fold and its crude, graceless ways. And Test cricket, already marginalised, fights a losing battle to survive!

While on sport, one cannot help but bemoan the comparable bastardisation of the other great game that our country once excelled in - hockey. I recall those halcyon days up until the 1980s when hockey was a game of artistry, replete with spellbinding dribbling, feints, wristwork, and short passes. That's all gone, now replaced by an altogether different ballgame where speed and brute power have become the overriding panacea for success. What a shame that the world will never again witness the mesmerising skills of a Dhyan Chand, a Harbinder Singh, or a Mohammed Shahid, because their kind have been consumed by changes in the rules and playing conditions!

Politics is the nadir of society's many ills today. Indeed, politics and politicians have always been viewed with distrust. Long ago, Jonathan Swift observed: "Politics, as the word is commonly understood, is nothing but corruption." But no area of human activity has become as degenerate and corrupt as the politics of the present day, driven by politicians like Trump and Modi.

They have fashioned a new genre of politics that Naomi Klein calls the "fascist clown state" that is built on oppression, nepotism, buffoonery and falsehoods. What's most frightening is that these showboat demagogues, racists to the core, are out to shred the shared inclusive identity that is the hallmark of secular democracy. To hold on to power, they have divided their people, who are now at war with each other.

They are the consummate grifters, brazen in their nepotism and exclusive allegiance to corporate interests. Trump has pulled off the greatest bloodless heist in history. Since taking office last year, Trump has gamed the stock market, manipulated the bitcoin business, received personal gifts including an aeroplane, sued his own government for leaking his tax returns, and, to top it all, with the aid of his own Justice Department, granted himself, his family and businesses a blanket eternal immunity from any kind of tax audit and prosecution. It is estimated that his net worth has increased by over $3 billion since he took office as President.

Modi, by contrast, has been circumspect and infinitely more devious in his kleptocratic ways. In the name of "strategic disinvestment" and "monetising non-core assets," his regime has been unbundling a slew of precious state enterprises and bartering away government land for a song to his cronies.

He has corrupted every institution and bent them to his will. The greatest damage has been inflicted on the judiciary, which has become an active accomplice of the regime. As pointed out by Dushyant Dave, "Since Modi took over as PM, every Chief Justice who assumed office has failed the judiciary. One after another, they compromised hundreds of cases under Modi's influence. Today the judiciary is the single biggest reason for the collapse of the rule of law in India."

Having critiqued institutions and public figures for degeneracy and for eroding society's mores and values, it is only appropriate that one also pays attention to one's own diminished humanity.

Last month, I met with a few dear friends for lunch. Madhu initially protested that he would not have a beer as he was proceeding on a week-long trek in the Nepal Himalayas the next day, but he was easily persuaded to change his mind. Last week, I sent him a WhatsApp message asking if he had enjoyed relieving himself in the thunderboxes or out in the open during his trek. He replied that he did not go on the trek but "got two stents in my heart instead." He added that he was back home, felt great and hoped to hit the tennis courts by early next month.

His matter-of-fact response filled me with remorse for my absence in body and spirit at a time of his gravest need. I realised with a strange ache that in today's self-serving world, even something as precious as friendship had become dreadfully superficial, more instrumental than value-based. There was a time not so long ago when we, friends, met at our homes, with families an intrinsic part of our friendships. It was home-cooked food and mainly rum. We gossiped, shared our joys and sorrows, and were there for each other. That's gone! Friendship is now limited to stag meetings in restaurants and WhatsApp messages. My closest friend has not been to my home for years.

Even family ties have taken a beating. Although I belong to a huge nuclear family, we always had one or two cousins living with us so long as my parents were alive and in control. Any close relative visiting our city stayed with us, even if it meant spreading beds in every nook and corner of the house. But today, although we live in much more spacious homes, there is not the same warmth and hospitality of old.

As for our neighbours, far from loving them, we barely know them. Clearly, we are losing touch with our own humanity.

The world today is not a nice place. What Gramsci observed in 1930 seems to be happening in our time: "The old is dying and the new cannot be born; in this interregnum appear a great variety of morbid symptoms."