Gestures worth emulating...

A nation is known best by the people it chooses to remember. Unfortunately in India, we choose to remember the wrong sort of people, or rather, we choose to avoid remembering the most eligible type of people. You have memorials, grandiose and opulent, dedicated to the memories of politicians, who admittedly did a lot for the country, but frankly, could have done a lot more, but chose not to, owing to political considerations, considerations for which this nation has had to pay a rather heavy price.

So, who do I fancy? Well, for one, members of the armed forces. I mean, besides India Gate and a few small cenotaphs scattered here and there, we don't have a single monument dedicated to the brave soldiers who stay awake at nights just so that we may live to see another day. Have we forgotten these men and their trials and tribulations in our zeal to progress? Have we found it fit to turn our back on the past that they represent, not comprehending that in the process, we condemn the present that they have given us? I hope not, and yet I am circumspect.

Another category of forgotten heroes and heroines is sportsmen. When I think of sportsmen, I am NOT referring to cricket. Frankly, I have nothing against it, but in comparison, we have more dignified sports which we could take pride in excelling rather than cricket. That a nation of 1 billion people finds it a matter of great exultation in winning a single silver medal at the Olympics serves to illustrate the level to which we have permitted sheer commercial gilt to overshadow real sportsmanship. In contrast, nations like China, Russia, the U.S., and others (which, perhaps coincidentally, don't happen to be cricket playing nations) simply hog the medal tallies. Perhaps, we could do with taking a little attention away from cricket and its shenanigans, and focusing the same on other disciplines such as athletics, swimming, gymnastics, weight-lifting, etc.

However, this is impossible, at least while companies view cricket as the only source of getting some publicity for themselves. That is where Sabeer Bhatia, the creator of Hotmail, is creating a new trend. His firm, Arzoo.com, has committed itself to sponsoring Mary Thom, three-time world women's pugilist champion and currently resident of rural Manipur, to the tune of Rs. 3 lakh (approx $6,800) for an extendable period of one year. The sum may seem peanuts, but considering the state of affairs in conventional Indian sports organizations, it would go a long way in ensuring that Thom can give competitive sports one more chance.

Another major development along the same lines is the decision of the Tatas to associate themselves with the Prakash Padukone Badminton Academy as a financial partner that would cover all the infrastructure related expenditure of the Academy. This support is expected to help the Academy to revive all its major initiatives, including conducting tournaments and sending its wards for training abroad. Link to The Hindu's article. Thanks are due to Aditya for discussing this point.

It would be worthwhile to see whether Mr.Bhatia's and the Tatas' gesture is acknowledged and maybe even emulated by other corporates. The State may have failed to perform its duty in this regard towards society; let us see where the private sector stands in this arena.

India in the Blues!

The recent debacles faced by the Indian cricket team in South Africa shouldn't ideally come as a surprise to people. I mean, a team that's more active on the ramp than on the field wouldn't display any better results, would it? Sure, a player is entitled to earn his bucks while he is still at the top, but isn't performance a parameter for earnings, or have we become so starstruck that we are content with vintage performances, rather than focusing on current achievements?

Maybe the team isn't to blame entirely. I mean, cricket in India is such an hectic activity, wherein barely has one tournament ended, that another one starts off. And we aren't talking about machines here; we are talking about sentient humans, people who are bound to feel fatigue, stress, and the travails of incessant playing. Where's the time for them to bond with their families, to let their hair down and relax? Of course, one would retort that they ought to cut down on their endorsements; that way, they would have plenty of time to relax and rejuvenate their body and soul. But let's be practical here. I mean, when there's no guarantee that you will remain in the team for the next match, which player will take the risk of not earning a potful of gold while he can? Besides, no one cares for a former player, besides sports channels. And mind you, the way the Indian team's playing now, I doubt that sports channels will want to host cricket shows, as they are sure not to get really interesting advertising revenues out of them.

So where does the rot lie? In the Board, perchance. Maybe the rot is endemic to the entire cricket establishment in India. When one reads of articles of how the inclusion or exclusion of a certain player becomes a matter worthy of discussion in the highest echelons of legislative and executive power, one comes to comprehend just how far politics has pervaded what was once merely a sport, a game that gave joy and delight.
Perhaps, these debacles are a good thing, as now people will want more professionalism, more performance-oriented incentives, and more sport-friendly initiatives from the powers that be. The killer instincts that we see in other teams is not so much because they are better than us; rather it is because they have no need to focus on things other than sports. Here, players must consort with politicians, bureaucrats, and other officials to ensure that they stay on in the team. Sure, this must occur elsewhere as well, but maybe, I believe, it happens to a greater extent here.

Domestic cricket in India isn't exactly seen as glamorous, and we tend to be pessimistic about the future, snatching from promising players the opportunity that they truly deserve, while aging players continue to fight on against much younger opponents, and expectedly, deliver defeat most of the time. Regionalism, while an appreciable sentiment at times, tends to get in the way of ensuring that the team that represents the nation gets the best possible talent, as and where it comes from.

Perhaps cricket in India needs to lose the moolah that has come to be associated with it in recent times. I mean, contracts worth Rs. 300 million are great, but are we seeing performances equivalent to all that expectation? This team, the current one, comprises of people who are regarded as the best sportsmen in their individual capacities, but why is it that this team of superheroes fails to work in unity? Where's and why is there a lack of strategy?
Just blaming one individual or a singular group of individuals will not work. The approach has to change for the behavior to change. We need to demand that we get what we deserve, as a right, as a privilege. And those who fail to serve, must be axed, period. Then whether they be Davids or Goliaths should not concern anyone.