Hecho en india....
Maybe I am a traitor (to all the cricket lovers), a mouthpiece (to all the non-cricketers) or just a biased individual (to all those who love sports) but I have to admit that this morning's newpapers and the internet have brightened my day:
- India lost to the West Indies (high time they realised that complaining of burnout cannot serve as an excuse for a highly complacent preparation for an international level tournament) and what a wipeout it was - 4 to 1 knockout...Way to go Windies, thanks for blowing the wind off these bloated egos!
- Saina Nehwal became the first woman to win a 4 start shuttle badminton tournament- Phillippines Open.
- Rathore regains form to win the Cairo shooting championship. (old news, i know...but I read a lot of details just this morning)
- Barkha Dutt also voicing the same opinion and sharing the same concerns of mine regarding our very own Guerrouj- Budhia http://www.ndtv.com/columns/showcolumns.asp?id=1036.
- Brazil and Japan bringing in their footballers (street or competitive) to display their prowess in India.
Yeah, I know that the French Open has begun for the first time on a Sunday..the invincible Federer was made to sweat..Hingis claimed that she will go a long way in the tournament....blah blah.... Croatia winning the world team cup (being a Goran fan, I must confess that this was great news!) but somehow all that seemed so trivial compared to the news of India's performance and involvement in various other low profile sports. Saina's win in the Phillippines Open was such a whiff of fresh air especially after Aparna Popat's setback with the d'Cold incident (after which she has struggled to regain her previous standing). What was even more refreshing was that this young success has absolutely no financial and emotional burden when it comes to pursuing her game - BPCL is taking care of her travel fee and Mittal Sports fund (which, by the way is encouraging great talent) catering to her training fee and any other accessories that she may need - this news came as such a relief to me, because it was nice to know that forays are already being made into sports apart from the over exposed cricketing fraternity. When I read excerpts of her interview, I could actually feel her energy and 100% commitment she had towards her game bexause there is nothing else to worry about. She has a world class coach (our 2nd All England Championship champion, Pullella Gopichand) and her entire badminton fratrnity suporting her; really, what ELSE can a sportsperson ask for! Then it was our Olympic Champion's turn (with Globosport arranging all his sponsors)- Rathore-whose only "aim" in life is to hit the bull's eye and makes it seem like child's play. The sheer guts and nerves of steel that he displayed in Cairo quelling his Chinese compatroit's challenge was one for the history books. Then there are the Brazilian and Japanese football associations trying to break new gorund and even hunt for talent right in our own streets! It was good to see various organisations taking up such initiatives and encouraging such events. So what if they have "ulterior" motives for the same, so what if they are cashing in on all the publicity and hype around the world cup..it is still good to see people talkng about sports other than CRICKET!!! Now, that was a great series, huh? 4-1...and yeah..they have great chances to win the world cup!!!! I really wouldnt like to comment on that..simply because I have the same reasoning as Gavaskar..if they are really passionate about the game, a question of burnout simply doesnt arise! They'd better stop acting like pampered overgrown babies! Geeeeeez! Anyway...I was just checking out the latest news when I came across this column of Barkha Dutt's. Extremely good reading ..and needess to say, presented all her ponts in a very crisp and hard-hitting manner...thanks Barkha for putting things so clearly..I cannot agree more with you!
All in all, what I see that sportspersons "made in India" are growing to be of exportable quality :) and I would love to see more! The Indian sporting fraternity should be able to garner a lot of interest and investment from global markets..and hopefully the day shouldnt be too far!
posted by MMmmm at 10:46 PM
10 Comments:
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i am a pessimist with the indian sport scene. however, your info on rathore is refreshing.
with all other sportspersons something or the other is lacking
btw, i did hear there was another budhia a 7 yr old somehere.. i think i read that on rediff
have you and info on this?
GOd...felt like reading sportstar! You maintain some depths in sports I guess..not my cup of tea...anyways..keep posting!
Regarding Budhia, I dont agree with you or Barkha Dutt. My logic is as follows:
- Running 65kms is bad for a 4 yr old. Allowing a 4 year old kid to run that far is definitely bad parenting and possibly border line child abuse.
- The fact that the kid wants to do it is not very important.
I have personally known kids who have wanted to touch the cooking flame or eat shoe polish, among other things. It would be a bad idea to let a kid do any of these things. It is also a bad idea to let Budhia run that far. The consensus in the medical community seems to be that it is bad for him in the long term.
- It is undeniable that other(far richer) parents also exploit their talented kids.
It is also generally accepted that multiple wrongs dont cancel each other out and make a right.
Many many kids get pushed too far in this country. Adding Budhia to the list doesent make anything better.
My two cents.
Wow!! k..thanks a ton for that comment! First up..I have mentioned in my previous blogs that it is wrong to push him to such limits..and about his parents...being sold for Rs.800 doesnt guarantee a much "healthier" lifestyle for the child.
A lot of kids do get pushed to the edge...and that is where, we, as a community need to step in, rather than let the govt take charge or park this issue until he is "old enough" to handle it! Avenues must be created to encourage them, but certain checks also need to be made to keep it in bay...the medical fraternity gave its 2 cents, now let it come up with numbers that are a good limit for this prodigy and we can take it from there!
I agree that there are far greater wrongs that happen in India than making a child run too far. There are people far worse than Budhia's coach, but the point is that he hasnt been doing the right thing.
If you agree that the kid shouldnt be running this much, why are you upset with the Orissa government for trying to put a stop to it?
Is it that you are ideologically opposed to government interference?
Or is it that you feel that Budhia's coach was acting in good faith and that he is being vilified for no reason?
Agree with your comments btw.
Just trying to understand the sense of outrage at the government and child activists getting involved.
I am not taking sides here..but all I am saying is that leaving a prospective Olympian awaiting the "right time", which, frankly speaking, will never arrive if the govt is made incharge, is an extremely silly decision...we simply dont seem to learn from our mistakes to let the govt take things into its hands!
I definitely dont think he should stop running...that is just a way to fuel his downfall...I guess 30 years too soon! he needs to be trained...nothing can be achieved without some sort of discipline and vision.
Mr.Das, however, I dont think has commited a crime..but yes, he should have acted with more caution and sensibility..there is a part of us that always craves for fame..and that is exactly what drove him to it.
About the activists...frankly..I think that a large share of them prove to be excess baggage...dead weight..with just MBA aspirants being involved...not at all selfless or even faithful.
I guess I am just looking at this differently than you.
To me the Orissa government, for once, did the right thing. It saw press reports of a kid being treated inappropriately, and it did what it could to stop it.
I completely agree with you that the government will most likely do a really bad job raising and training the kid, but to me, that is a separate issue.
It will be really great if the community can get together and find a way to take good care of the kid.
You have inspired me to start blogging now.
http://random-thoughts-from-kaushik.blogspot.com
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