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Sagar Shah is not a name you may be familiar with. He is a FIDE (World Chess Federation) master and aspires to be a Grandmaster (GM) soon, a hallowed title in the world of chess and a matter of prestige in India. Once he does become a GM and succeeds, there would be toasts raised to another Indian sporting hero celebrated by the common man and our administrators alike. But, in the meantime, Sagar trudges the arduous road to the top by himself, packing in a CA articleship and chess practice in his day and travelling to tournaments on his own finances. In India, of all places, the adage that success has many fathers but failure is an orphan rings true especially the way we treat our sporting heroes – as expendables.
After all the negative publicity around the Commonwealth Games, the spectacular opening ceremony and a bright start by the Indian contingent in the Games may have silenced critics for now, but our sporting ethos still remain weak in terms of real reverence and respect for the heroes who have essentially blazed their own trail to become the pillars on whom our sporting legacy as a nation rests. P T Usha, who was not sent an invitation for the opening ceremony for the Commonwealth Games said that she is hardly alone in this kind of a snub. Sushil Kumar came back triumphant from the World Wrestling Championship but his coach, Satpal Singh (1982 Asiad gold medalist and Dronacharya awardee), was asked to step aside at a photo session by M S Gill. Dhyan Chand died of liver cancer in a general ward at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, uncared for by the nation and Olympic medalist Keshav Yadav was snubbed by the then CM of Bombay, Morarji Desai when he asked for financial help to get to the Helsinki Olympics in 1952, where he won the medal.
Explains P T Usha to TSI, "If you compare India with other countries, at my time there was nothing at all. Now a lot of facilities have been developed in many cities. But the right approach is missing. At our time, people still won medals for India without any facilities. So, imagine, if good infrastructure and funds are given now, India would win so many medals. Also, after winning medals, how many of them are honoured enough and encouraged to keep performing? No one even realises where medal winners disappear. So this should be the responsibility of the country to give them such facilities that they perform well at every sport event and bring more medals." Usha’s mention of the ‘responsibility of the country’ should be a wake up call for us, who tend to be swept by the euphoria and hype every time the media breaks a story about a Sushil Kumar winning a gold at the World Wrestling Championships, but at the same time forget to connect the dots in the bigger picture when flooded by stories of how the CWG preparations went horribly wrong. Amazingly, after the opening ceremony, the tone seems to have changed again.
The Commonwealth Games are not only a platform to showcase our capabilities to host an event of this stature, but also a great chance for our athletes to showcase themselves. Karnam Malleswari, the Olympic medalist in weightlifting at the Sydney Olympics, tells TSI, "It’s a big honour that the Commonwealth Games are being organised in India. This way, so many people will get a chance to show their talent and also sports will be seen in a new light and sports culture will be encouraged. Now whatever infrastructure is built for CWG, after the event, our people will be able to use it and develop their sports talent." But it is the burning question that she poses next that merits attention, "Why is it that we have to wait for an Asian Games or CWG to build these facilities?" Indeed.
Part of the answer to that ‘Why’ lies in our reaction to sporting success. Rather than lay emphasis on the pride and honour of representing your country, sporting bodies are far too busy counting the monetary implications of the success. Or are busy fighting between themselves, like is the case in hockey. In the millstone of egos and politics, the dreams and aspirations of thousands get grinded who just wanted a shot at representing the country and earn it glory. Says Usha, "When I was practicing and participating in sports, my only focus was to win the race and bring medals to the country. I really didn’t bother about what the country would give me."
Meanwhile, Sagar still toils at making his endgame better as he scans ‘Dvoretsky's Endgame Manual’ (considered a classic on this topic) and becoming a GM soon. While his family implores him to get a job, his only hope is to be able to show them Vishy Anand’s bank balance. But he confesses that he wants to achieve all this because he loves the game so much. Perhaps he only aspires for what Usha says, "The biggest honour for me is that even after so many years of winning the medal, people still talk about me."
Wake up, India! Your next sporting hero need not be the one who receives the biggest hype or the most endorsements. It has to be someone who truly enjoys the game.
For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.
The hunt for hostel and paying guest (PG) accommodation for students
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Sagar Shah is not a name you may be familiar with. He is a FIDE (World Chess Federation) master and aspires to be a Grandmaster (GM) soon, a hallowed title in the world of chess and a matter of prestige in India. Once he does become a GM and succeeds, there would be toasts raised to another Indian sporting hero celebrated by the common man and our administrators alike. But, in the meantime, Sagar trudges the arduous road to the top by himself, packing in a CA articleship and chess practice in his day and travelling to tournaments on his own finances. In India, of all places, the adage that success has many fathers but failure is an orphan rings true especially the way we treat our sporting heroes – as expendables.
After all the negative publicity around the Commonwealth Games, the spectacular opening ceremony and a bright start by the Indian contingent in the Games may have silenced critics for now, but our sporting ethos still remain weak in terms of real reverence and respect for the heroes who have essentially blazed their own trail to become the pillars on whom our sporting legacy as a nation rests. P T Usha, who was not sent an invitation for the opening ceremony for the Commonwealth Games said that she is hardly alone in this kind of a snub. Sushil Kumar came back triumphant from the World Wrestling Championship but his coach, Satpal Singh (1982 Asiad gold medalist and Dronacharya awardee), was asked to step aside at a photo session by M S Gill. Dhyan Chand died of liver cancer in a general ward at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, uncared for by the nation and Olympic medalist Keshav Yadav was snubbed by the then CM of Bombay, Morarji Desai when he asked for financial help to get to the Helsinki Olympics in 1952, where he won the medal.
Explains P T Usha to TSI, "If you compare India with other countries, at my time there was nothing at all. Now a lot of facilities have been developed in many cities. But the right approach is missing. At our time, people still won medals for India without any facilities. So, imagine, if good infrastructure and funds are given now, India would win so many medals. Also, after winning medals, how many of them are honoured enough and encouraged to keep performing? No one even realises where medal winners disappear. So this should be the responsibility of the country to give them such facilities that they perform well at every sport event and bring more medals." Usha’s mention of the ‘responsibility of the country’ should be a wake up call for us, who tend to be swept by the euphoria and hype every time the media breaks a story about a Sushil Kumar winning a gold at the World Wrestling Championships, but at the same time forget to connect the dots in the bigger picture when flooded by stories of how the CWG preparations went horribly wrong. Amazingly, after the opening ceremony, the tone seems to have changed again.
The Commonwealth Games are not only a platform to showcase our capabilities to host an event of this stature, but also a great chance for our athletes to showcase themselves. Karnam Malleswari, the Olympic medalist in weightlifting at the Sydney Olympics, tells TSI, "It’s a big honour that the Commonwealth Games are being organised in India. This way, so many people will get a chance to show their talent and also sports will be seen in a new light and sports culture will be encouraged. Now whatever infrastructure is built for CWG, after the event, our people will be able to use it and develop their sports talent." But it is the burning question that she poses next that merits attention, "Why is it that we have to wait for an Asian Games or CWG to build these facilities?" Indeed.
Part of the answer to that ‘Why’ lies in our reaction to sporting success. Rather than lay emphasis on the pride and honour of representing your country, sporting bodies are far too busy counting the monetary implications of the success. Or are busy fighting between themselves, like is the case in hockey. In the millstone of egos and politics, the dreams and aspirations of thousands get grinded who just wanted a shot at representing the country and earn it glory. Says Usha, "When I was practicing and participating in sports, my only focus was to win the race and bring medals to the country. I really didn’t bother about what the country would give me."
Meanwhile, Sagar still toils at making his endgame better as he scans ‘Dvoretsky's Endgame Manual’ (considered a classic on this topic) and becoming a GM soon. While his family implores him to get a job, his only hope is to be able to show them Vishy Anand’s bank balance. But he confesses that he wants to achieve all this because he loves the game so much. Perhaps he only aspires for what Usha says, "The biggest honour for me is that even after so many years of winning the medal, people still talk about me."
Wake up, India! Your next sporting hero need not be the one who receives the biggest hype or the most endorsements. It has to be someone who truly enjoys the game.
For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.
The hunt for hostel and paying guest (PG) accommodation for students
Best Colleges for Vocational Courses in India
Anna Hazare: My Prime Minister
Social Networking Sites have become advertising shops
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