GAME ON, INDIA!!!

India’s first individual gold at the Olympics ever since they have been in existence, has captured everyone’s eyes, ears and all other senses. News channels, news papers, websites, blogs, chats, teas, dinners, coffees, leaders, sportsmen, governments, authorities, celebrities, etc. all are discussing and applauding this single Indian, Abhinav Bindra.

Every time there is an event or incidence in which an Indian (and Indian by any remote connection) does something extraordinary in the world or as per the Indian standards, there is this hysteria, about Indian bashing, India rising, India dominating, etc.

I am not an anti national but let me confess that this habit of ours does not go well with me, this sudden realization of the greatness of the Indians by the fellow Indians, is most of the times uncalled.

Let me first congratulate, Abhinav Bindra for his golden achievement, and let me again say, Abhinav Bindra, and not the Indians or the Indian sports fraternity. Yes, he does belong to India by birth and many other such associations, but how much has been India’s contribution in his success, zero. Today, it was impossible to ignore his presence anywhere and I came to know that he has his own shooting range which is the best, even by the best of the standards.
So, he didn’t need any of India’s so called sporting facilities, one of his interests is located at Tughlakabad, though. He has a foreign coach, so even the Indian “Acharya Drona” link can’t be forged with him here. Sorry fellow countrymen, sorry.

And, now with this just one gold, we Indians are fathoming a golden start in the sports arena. I disagree. Sports are something in the culture and to excel at the Olympics level, something more inherent is needed. There are many things that we need to be a sports nation. But one thing that we can’t ignore is our monetary condition. And it’s the root cause. In a country, where a child is burdened by life-earning expectations, as soon as he/she takes birth, you can’t think of such Olympian stories and heroics. Where a child has to think of how he’s going to earn his bread; where he has to think, with how much efforts his parents are feeding him and sending him to the school (even this is a luxury), “khelna koodna bachchon ka khel nahi hai”.

And a country which has reduced a great hockey playing nation to just another hockey playing nation plagued with egos, incompetence and failures does not deserve to bask in such successes.

Another important spoke in the wheel is cricket. Talking sport in India mostly means cricket and even then we are far from being the best in it. But, what I want to mention here is the undue criticism of cricket by each and everyone in any other sport. People have problems with the kind of attention and hype cricket gets. But think logically and you will see that it’s pretty natural- all it requires to play is a ball and any thing that can send it to the boundary. So, it does not depend upon any real infrastructural needs which require heavy investments- you can play it in your room, in your balcony, garage, class, any type of ground, roads, gullies, etc etc.
This is how cricket provides a poor nation’s children, a way to break free and enjoy. Then cricket’s popularity can also be attributed to the India’s English connection.

Cricket is a perfect example of a market driven economy. Cricket has created its own market and its customer base is so large and so loyal, that for any other sport to challenge it, will require huge, huge efforts. And let me tell you it will take a generation shift for that to happen, because habits are very hard to change. And cricket is not just a habit, it is part if the Indian culture, just like Bollywood or samosas or saarees.

But, does all this mean that we that we will continue to get such golden touches once in a decade or two- no I am not saying this. And I am damn confident of India doing well in other sports, slowly but surely. It may take us a decade or two to reach there and have a significant presence on those medal tally’s, but it will happen.
Not because of the governments or any sports authorities, but because of the rise in the purchasing power of the Indian families, rising size of the Indian sports market which will drive the corporate interest and hence the essential money.

But more than this all, because of a new India that wants to win, that believes that it can win and be the best in the world.

GAME ON, INDIA!!!