One of the most beautiful aspect of “LIFE” is the enriching journey though some of the larger than life experiences and breath-taking moments.
There are some moments which certainly touch our very soul. Those are the ones which we always want to cherish in our minds for times to come.
And with Olympics already begun, there are many to choose from.
Welcome to the biggest sporting tournament where Earthians throng in from all across our beautiful globe to participate . It’s the biggest feat of humanity to commemorate and venerate the typical human values .”SPIRIT”, “COURAGE” and “WILL”. So much kaleidoscopic it is in terms of colors, emotions and skills that even Martians will end up being couch potatoes in front of their TV sets.
Under the giant canopy of Universal brotherhood, there are many mesmerizing moments. Black athlete passing the baton of team-spirit to a White one . A Muslim women weightlifter lifting the weight of “Pardah” over her shoulders to mark a change of order in her society. An Afghani hugging an American at the end of a race forgetting the leftovers of those American bullets on his body. Athletes from the lands of hunger and poverty, showing resilience and perseverance of their genes in marathons. And many athletes taking those long strides against all the odds.
But amidst all those fairy tale moments there is one moment that is special for me. Chanting of my National Anthem against the backdrop of our fluttering high TRICOLOR with our champion holding tight that metallic honor and smiling at the whole universe. As if that smile spoke voraciously of the triumph of Indian spirit. It is a message to the whole world that we are not behind in this field either.
But if I revisit our history, I don’t find much difference between this moment and a Dodo. Both are extinct.
Never in the history we have made the world have an awe at the sporting prowess of our country. Thank God! we have a reverent status in cricket.
What more surprising is that we all know what is the reason …. Even a 6th standard kid will jot down those points which a 60 year old will lament about.
Still, there is no progress for its revival or may be it will take another century for those changes to cause an effect.
Last night when I was reading an article of Ashish Tharoor about our dismal performances, I found his most of the points quite obvious. But there was a strong point at the end which stirred me for a moment. And soon I knew he had hit the home run. It was a message to our protagonists to have their hearts forged into steel.
Just forget about the sordid state of sports in our country.
What’s the point in complaining about the poor infra, lack of funds, disinterested politicians and above all the mindset of our countryman …. who prefer to see the sizzling beauties of Bollywood holding the pious torch rather than the poor and underachiever athletes of our country.
Still the sports as a career in our country is like a mirage in Gobi desert. Our mothers still force us to solve those Resnic and Halliday’s mechanics problems and not allowing us to tame the trajectory of a shuttle c*ck practically.
So basically your excuses won’t change an atom in your country. This cruel world bows to WINNERS only. U will have to win. I personally don’t see much difference with the skill levels of you and that of other countries. Just be more courageous to face the task for a moment more. Who knows that extra step u took towards finish line, that extra punch u slammed, that extra moment u defended your goal post, may end up being the most cherished moment for your country and for the generations to follow.
If a devastated country like Iraq can rampage the Euro2004 finalists with a scoreline of 5-2, I don’t see why we should not be turning the tide .
So much being said but with no effect. If words had made that much difference, there would have been 1 billion writers in our country. But it’s finally the arena of sports where emotions take back seat. All that prevails is your hardwork, commitment and skill. I believe all is there, just a little more strength in your hearts is needed and soon “Victory” shall be ours.
Wherever the results go, we know that you represent everyone of us in front of the whole universe. U are already our “CHAMPIONS”.