Chak de .. the afterthought!!

Vain - the word that comes to mind trying to remember where my train of thought left me the last time I was visiting the world of sports. Much has passed tween the day of the last post and today, India gave a scintillating performance in the T20 world cup, came back from an underdog's position to salvage some pride in drawing the Natwest series to a closely matched 4-3 loss. Ah.."the age old cricket-centric story" I hear you say ;) No offence to cricket as a sport, but temme one thing .. where exactly does India stand in other sports? Do we hold any weightage when it comes to ANYTHING beyond the realm of the bat and the bowl? True, we do not have to excel at everything we might be interested in, but that inkling of interest, a slight shadow of existence, has to be present for us to acknowledge the vigour that goes into an Indian team for hockey, basketball, anything!!

I know it might entail a blame game that am expecting too much of the sportsperson represented by the girls in Chak De if I say, that for all this lack of focus they too are to blame at some level. But I daresay, doesn't the onus lie with the sportspersons too, to actually pursue their dreams and desires in a manner that ensures their efforts realise their true destiny? Sure we idolise strong women and idealistic men of the past, for their principles and resolve but we fail to see beyond the obvious. These people weren't born great, twas through their concerted efforts to make sure that they fought for what they considered worthwhile. It isn't enough in a bureaucratic country like India to simply perform. The initiative rests with you to get the performance accepted and rewarded its due credibility. Sure sounds a lil out of the way and outright superficial, but consider this - if you were the sportsperson, and you achieved something absolutely extra-ordinary, wouldn't you like the world to know that it made you feel amazing, that of all the laurels showered on cricketers, you deserve some too, even if you failed at something but to just reach that level of competition means a lot to you personally and as an Indian?! :)

I know most of my views wouldn't find any takers, prolly the reason why I never trust my words to convey what I really meant. However, there remains the remote possibility of rekindling the desire in sportspersons like the Chak De girls, who have long forgotten the legacy they left behind, to achieve something far more satisfying than the mere sense of achievement. One might pacify the craving by simply stating that these laurels are inconsequential for their personal satisfaction. But alas, wish it were that simple, in a country that runs on word-of-mouth, the need to boast about your achievements becomes incessant. Its not about giving in to the system, its about working around to make sure it does not screw you over. If I, as a total average sports lover, can realise this fact, and actually have the audacity to tell all the sportspersons out there to publicise their feats, I sincerely hope they can respond in the affirmative as well!! :P Until and unless the veterans do not ensure that people come to know of what they did for their country, the future of these sports shall remain bleak, coz deny it as we may, this nation needs a wake-up call - and if being boastful is the key - then so be it! I do not mind sacrificing a prejudice to uphold a virtue! The words say it all ! ;)

Amidst all these thoughts, I reminisce of a simpler time when things must have been so much matter-of-fact to explain. For all these random ramblings, all I can surmise is - if you ever did it for India .. let the people know it .. for there is no other way to go about making people love the sport you once fell in love with ;) And that is the rub .. to become that medium of passion for the sport that once defined you and that you remain to be an embodiment of :)

PS Chak De has become the national slogan for the Indian T20 cricket team .. another wasted opportunity .. prolly am reading too much into it .. or prolly am not ! ;) And for heaven's sake .. tell the director that goals scored in a penalty shootout for hockey DO NOT get added onto the final score !! :)