1.2 billion people...& ONE gold!!!

My heart aches when i hear it...& especially from people who find it a logical analogy to quote for the dismal performance of India in the sports arena!!! Had this been a criteria, then Japan/Autralian would always have ben way far below in the medal tally!!!Well, much has been criticised & said on the despicable condition of sports here. But never has anyone made an attempt to dig deep & explore beyond the obvious...that why has India not been able to produce quality sportsmen, who could prove their talent in the world stage. The answer conspicuous to everyone is the effete efforts by govt. But NO...there is much more to it than wat meets the eye.
People find it an easy excuse always by pouring it all on the govt...that it has not made any attempts, neither invested time, nor money in sports etc etc. But delving into this we find something more...I ask you all, Is not the govt made by the people? Dont we chose our representatives from amongst us? Then wont the decisions made by them be affceted by OUR mentality?!!! YES, thats what I want to say. The fact that India has not been able to produce quality sportsmen is not solely due to govt's irresponsibility, but because of the negative attitude of the common public. The common man in india is a satisfied soul with its bread & butter. Indian public has either of two ambitions- 'Bijnas', 'Sarkari naukri'...& Aila!! the world is all under our feet...Taking it forward, we have a genetic disorder to push our sons into the profession that we are involved in...or to keep our daughters at home to get help in 'chauka chulha'. Bare those old souls but ask yourself, how many people, be it your colleague, friend, neighbour or own brother/sister have you motivated to continue playing the sport they excel in? We being an educated lot have not been able to motivate those capable sportsmen then how can we expect the govt to do so!!?? Sports in India have been taken more as entertainment than a profession. Children are mostly bared from playing more than 2 hrs a day, considering the amount of studies or fearing the injuries etc...The dreams of several young players have been strangled to death by this attitude of ours! We do not have a system where these the talent is explored & exploited. And this system arises from the ground root level! Back there in US/China, people pursue sports as a career, give more than 100% of time to it & are passionate about winning. They have a family support which is a neccessary ingredient for the sweet taste of success. We do have some rare examples like Sachin who actually gave up studies to feed their appetite for sports. But we should know that Sachin was a born prodigy and not a result of the govt's efforts.
Talking again about common public, i need to ask that in India, we talk about reservations & privileges in the name of castes & religions. Had there ever been a protest...or even a voice raised to ask for the benefit & rights of sportsmen?? In countries lik US, there are scholarships provided for sportsmen, which they take full opportunity of. While in India, it has never been thought of!
Second, Do we know how much of efforts are needed to win an Olympic medal? Its not jus the performance of an individual person on the D-Day, but a quasi-static process followed for years by a professional team of experienced people. The path to podium needs a consistent approach towards it by carefully honing the skills of sportsperson, maintaining their fitness, analysing the competitor's strengths and then rigorously vouching to overpower it. & let me tell u, this needs MONEY which finally is the greatest hinderance for us. Now when it comes to money, Not everyone is as lucky as Abhinav Bindra to be born with a silver rifle(oops, spoon). Looking at the medal tally since 1970s, we see that the top positions were occupied by first USSR, which fell down in its ranking after its disintegration, then US which ruled for almost two decades & now China in this olympix. These obviously the superpowers in terms of their economy had no issues spending profusely on sports. While considering India in that place, I'd like to quote an anecdote to you when Olympic Hockey Gold Champions- India, were denied of even entering the field to play, jus because they were unable to buy appropriate sport shoes for the match! Such despicable was condition of india before Independence. & after independence, the govt had more responsibility to augment the condition of Indian economy, rather than nurturing the sports.
You might counter it by quoting examples of countries smaller & poorer than us, like Ethiopia or Jamaica who consistently win gold in Athletic events...I agree, but analysing it we find that those winning gold were mostly already talented & gifted souls, who had just to get an impetus in the form of a better training session, and they availed it somehow. Also in India, skills need to be developed as the physique we have which really is incomparable to the athletes & players mostly from other parts of the world. This really takes us at backfoot in games such as soccer, Basketball or Track & Field events, where a good physique aids in the performance during the game.
We do have had some sports that have lost their sheen and shine like Hockey, Kabaddi, Wrestling etc. which i agree had been due to negligence from the govt's side, but i still have my notion in place...Why don't we give it a head start from our side, rather than waiting for the govt reforms? We have international level of schools, which provide a platform and give ample opportunity to excel in sports. We need to break the notion that career can only be made through studies. Its not compulsary to push students into studies if they'r not interested, or if they can't cope with them. I would quote a sincere example of the latest legend 'Michael Phelps', who himself suffered from ADHD, where he could not concentrate much on anythin, moreover studies.!! but he made it his forte, rather than faltering over it.
One last thing i need to say is that Indians would certainly prove their mettle on the field in recent future. If you take another logical analysis, I'd like to quote the growing Indian economy that has made a mark in a short span of time since the implementation of LPG in 1991. Similar reforms need to be executed for the upliftment of sports & soon India will be competing at a global level.
By the time I'm writing it, I can hear the cheers of some people around me celebrating the second medal, a bronze in wrestling after 1952!!! Probably we also get a medal in boxing!...Laughing??? I know we Indians never lose hope even if we know the reality, because we are attached more emotionallty than logically! But watever it is...I'm proud of it! From your view you see India's rise to 3 medals since 1947...From my view I see, India's start from 3 medals 2008 onwards.

The great Indian commitment!!

Wat a Mad Mad show it was...a fun filled fortnight. Suddenly the supporters turned rebels & vice versa! From nowhere some came out & turned heroes, denying a paltry sum of 25 crores for a mere vote! Yes i'm talking about a scene from the Indian Political theatre.
This last week has shown me a bright & poisitive side of our indian politicians. I never thought them as role models, but they proved me wrong!! & believe me m feeling more than happy on it. Had you ever thought that the MPs of india would ever gather at one place at one time even in the worst situations!! & this was just a petty confidence vote situation that has reflected the unity amongst all our representatives. Who knew that for good purpose, even BJP & Left would work together! Or that our honorable & small sevak Mr Amar Singh also can keep aside his ego & bond again with her highness Sonia Gandhi for a noble cause of saving the government. Who else can show such dignity?
The one news that took me by surprise was the dedication & commitment by our dutiful MPs. I was almost to tears on watching that MPs who were in a CRITICAL state after having met a accident also appeared in the galleries of parliament in order to seal their Valuable vote! Jus think that if a simple vote can be a reason for them to appear in parliament, then y not they'd b present when the government wud discuss issues like N-Deal, or the Vidarbha farmer suicides or the flood relief victims? M sure they can spend their nights reading the complex charters of N-deal in order to have their say.
If they keep displaying this kind of patriotism then m sure that India would become a superpower well before 2020!!!

Big B - A Role Model

Wenever I visit Big B's blog, I get elated coz of the positive vibes that i can feel over there, even though its jus a web page! Yeah, m speakin true!!!...I can sense it..the site atracts me, n eludes me to write once on it!! But i jus overcome that temptation(...its other reason y?).
Wat I wanna highlight here are da reasons behind it...Big B has rilly been like a role model to me coz of many reasons. Lukin back from his history, till the recent times, he's a character who has lived life on my mantra-"Change is Inevitable". I can never recall him as the same person everytime. With every muvi, every show, every luk n every attire, he brings somethin novel. It is really tuf to experiment with oneself in an industry where one movie decides the fate of actors, n he completely immserses himself in the characters!
His occasions of resurgence, wen he was first rejected as an actor, to now being an icon!! or from a bankrupt businessman to a highest tax paying filmstar!! Be it an "Angry Young Man" image, or an old aged Father/Lover, a mentor, saviour, fighter, policeman/rogue, host/ghost!!!
Wat I also like bout him is the ability to even relish the failures, be it even as crap as "RGV ki Aag", where he faced upmost criticism for his choice, or acting opposite to the sensuous Jiya in "Nishabd". He has maintained that fine balance between personal & professional relations.
He knows wen & wat to speak. It's rilly tuf for a person of such stature to speak, where each word needs to be spoken with utmost precaution, as can be totally "misunderstood" by mistake or by Purpose! He has an absolute command over both Hindi/English. Be it reciting the sweet lines of Madhushala, or challenging the villain in his baritone voice.
He had always treated his colleagues, irrespectibe of age bar, with same respect. Watever he does, he does is with complete passion, determination, planning & utter finesse! Who else can think to go on a world tour at the age of over 65, dancing & singing in front of a humungous crowd that is cheering you at breathtaking levels! Having a packed schedule more than of any contemporary or current actors and being fit, healthy & communicating with his fans amongst all this is really appreciating!
Being such a multifaceted person, yet he's so modest & sober that you might wonder what actually is he upto?
I rilly get to learn so much from him, which is less. The aura he carries around himself is totally motivating. I have no hopes of meeting him personally or even watching him from as close as wat even my eyesight permits, but in my heart i truly have due adulation & respect for him. I'd try to imbibe the qualities he exudes, & hope that we- the young generation, get to learn more & more out of him!