Today's our 61st Independence Day.
I am almost habitually cynical. I find it easier to look at the flaws. Not that I don't appreciate the good, but my eye has a bias for the bad. So, it would be easier for me to say things like, how badly we have done as a nation over the last 60 years.
But, honestly, I don't think so. I think we have come a long way, and though we have miles to go, before we are anywhere nearly as developed as some of the prosperous nations, it would be doing a great disservice to ourselves, to say that we have not significantly progressed.
Comparing ourselves, in the first place, is not a very sensible thing to do. Why would you want to measure India against nations, who have had working democracies for the past few centuries, or didn’t have to face tyrannical foreign rule that sapped away all of their resources? It hardly makes any sense to compare with nations, who are patronised by other nations or countries with absolutist regimes. (Actually, I would have not existed had I, or rather my parents, been in such a country: I happen to be the second child). And its naïve to think everything is rosy there. It’s not. Whatever we have become today, is entirely because of ourselves, and largely inspite of, rather than because of foreign intervention. And we should learn to be proud of it; as a nation we are independent.
Inspite of the essentially feudal mindsets of most of our people, we still have a functioning democracy. We have largely managed to maintain our territorial integrity, inspite of meddlesome and hostile neighbours. We produce enough food for the country to survive on, and some more. Our literacy rates have grown 5 times from 1947. Our scientists, authors, painters, educationists, even movie-makers are held in high esteem by the rest of the world.
Make no mistake though. We are far from being a perfect nation; we are not even on our way towards perfection. We can be though if we, you, I and everybody else, become a bit more accountable: not to anybody else, but to our own self, our own conscience. If we all do our part of the job right, we will do even better. It’s not too much too ask for, I believe.
We still have a quarter of our nation living under the poverty line. And I believe things can be done to change that statistic. Its unbelievably stupid, to think that we can do nothing about it. Think hard enough and we will surely be able to come up with something. Not a plan to change the world, but something insignificantly small for all, yet not so insignificant for few, or even one. Its doable. Just do it!
Happy Independence Day!
Showing posts with label India. Show all posts
Showing posts with label India. Show all posts
Friday, 15 August 2008
Wednesday, 13 August 2008
A GoldMine?
This is quite unbelievable! An Olympic Gold, two days back. Now, we have won another football tournament! And even this was no ordinary tournament: this was the AFC Challenger's Cup. This means that India qualify for the Asia Cup, 2011 in Doha.
It’s a bit of a shame that we as a country have to celebrate qualifying for the Asia Cup, inspire of having won two Asian Games gold medals. But, keeping in mind the dearth of recent successes, there is reason enough to celebrate. However, things seem to be looking up now. 2 international tournaments in 2 years give us enough reason to be hopeful.
We will never be the giants in Asian football, leave alone the world stage (for that matter, any sport which is played at the world stage). But we can atleast ensure that our sporting teams don’t become the national embarrassments they were becoming in the recent past.
Sport has a huge influence on a nation’s psyche and morale, therefore on a nation’s culture. Strong sporting nations generally tend to be very hopeful and upbeat. How much sense this makes on the part of the people I am not sure. But point is that you, or I, or even the poorest person you know, fail to recognise that it is very unlikely that, no achievement of our national team (or an individual) will actually do us any material good. It’s just about feeling good at that moment, which does get carried over. And like in most other case in life, the bitter aftertaste of a loss is greater and lasts longer than the sweet taste of success. Women, however, show exceptionally good sense in these matters. They generally couldn’t be less bothered.
Sport can also serve to be an instrument for sparring between nations. “War minus the shooting”, as George Orwell would say. The Soviet Bloc recognized this fact all too well. It’s another matter that the means employed by them were far form advisable; the infamous doping experiments were shameful violations of both sporting conduct and humanitarian spirit. Not that the US teams were saints themselves. But I have to resign to the fact that history is mostly written by the winners, and anything else becomes a part of the sub-altern variants to it.
Getting back to India: let’s just hope that we continue, or start, to do well in sports which are played at the global level. And hopefully, we’ll also start doing better in sports played by 10 nations (or is it 9 now?).
It’s a bit of a shame that we as a country have to celebrate qualifying for the Asia Cup, inspire of having won two Asian Games gold medals. But, keeping in mind the dearth of recent successes, there is reason enough to celebrate. However, things seem to be looking up now. 2 international tournaments in 2 years give us enough reason to be hopeful.
We will never be the giants in Asian football, leave alone the world stage (for that matter, any sport which is played at the world stage). But we can atleast ensure that our sporting teams don’t become the national embarrassments they were becoming in the recent past.
Sport has a huge influence on a nation’s psyche and morale, therefore on a nation’s culture. Strong sporting nations generally tend to be very hopeful and upbeat. How much sense this makes on the part of the people I am not sure. But point is that you, or I, or even the poorest person you know, fail to recognise that it is very unlikely that, no achievement of our national team (or an individual) will actually do us any material good. It’s just about feeling good at that moment, which does get carried over. And like in most other case in life, the bitter aftertaste of a loss is greater and lasts longer than the sweet taste of success. Women, however, show exceptionally good sense in these matters. They generally couldn’t be less bothered.
Sport can also serve to be an instrument for sparring between nations. “War minus the shooting”, as George Orwell would say. The Soviet Bloc recognized this fact all too well. It’s another matter that the means employed by them were far form advisable; the infamous doping experiments were shameful violations of both sporting conduct and humanitarian spirit. Not that the US teams were saints themselves. But I have to resign to the fact that history is mostly written by the winners, and anything else becomes a part of the sub-altern variants to it.
Getting back to India: let’s just hope that we continue, or start, to do well in sports which are played at the global level. And hopefully, we’ll also start doing better in sports played by 10 nations (or is it 9 now?).
Tuesday, 12 August 2008
Bull's Eye!!!
ABHINAV BINDRA!
Finally! What can I say? A billion plus people. Over 100 years of competing in the Games. And finally, finally we have a gold medalist! Well we had quite a lot of them, in hockey. But that's a team sport, and it’s a separate tragedy. I won’t spoil a joyous occasion and a celebratory post.
But we have an Olympic Gold Medalist! It’s incredible that I am finding it so incredible! Thanks a lot Abhinav Bindra. You have made my day dude and of all other Indian sports lovers. I am dedicating you an entire post! Imagine! How happy I must be!!!
Irony lies in the fact that today, the glorified f*ck*rs in flannels screwed up again in Colombo. God knows which is more irritating: the fact that manage to lose to such teams or the fact the losers still laugh their way to the bank.
But that, again, is meant for other occasions. Today, it’s about Abhinav Bindra.
Okay, what all has he done today.
1st Indian to win an individual Olympic Gold.
1st Gold Medal for India since Moscow, 1980.
He now becomes both the current World Champion and the Olympic Champion.
He has also probably annoyed the Chinese a hell of a lot! They have won this event in the last two Games, and now they lose it in their own country. The poor Chink even started crying!!!
The guys got some serious nerve. To win an Olympic event, coming back from behind, to shoot Bull’s eye in the last shot! Unbelievably filmy stuff! He still should have at least 2 more Olympics in him. Hopefully that would mean 1 more gold medal!
Other Facts: (Hail Wiki!)
From Doon School.
Youngest Indian participant at Sydney, 2000.
Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna in 2001 (only 19 then).
MBA from University of Colorado.
CEO of Abhinav Futuristics, a PC game peripherals distributors. (http://www.abhinavfuturistics.com/, a very annoying soundtrack though.)
Well, we in this country don’t waste our time in creating stars and also in shooting them down. But hopefully this one will last for long.
Shine On You Shooting Diamond!
PS: Too bad he hasn’t updated his own blog!
http://abhinavbindra.blogspot.com
Finally! What can I say? A billion plus people. Over 100 years of competing in the Games. And finally, finally we have a gold medalist! Well we had quite a lot of them, in hockey. But that's a team sport, and it’s a separate tragedy. I won’t spoil a joyous occasion and a celebratory post.
But we have an Olympic Gold Medalist! It’s incredible that I am finding it so incredible! Thanks a lot Abhinav Bindra. You have made my day dude and of all other Indian sports lovers. I am dedicating you an entire post! Imagine! How happy I must be!!!
Irony lies in the fact that today, the glorified f*ck*rs in flannels screwed up again in Colombo. God knows which is more irritating: the fact that manage to lose to such teams or the fact the losers still laugh their way to the bank.
But that, again, is meant for other occasions. Today, it’s about Abhinav Bindra.
Okay, what all has he done today.
1st Indian to win an individual Olympic Gold.
1st Gold Medal for India since Moscow, 1980.
He now becomes both the current World Champion and the Olympic Champion.
He has also probably annoyed the Chinese a hell of a lot! They have won this event in the last two Games, and now they lose it in their own country. The poor Chink even started crying!!!
The guys got some serious nerve. To win an Olympic event, coming back from behind, to shoot Bull’s eye in the last shot! Unbelievably filmy stuff! He still should have at least 2 more Olympics in him. Hopefully that would mean 1 more gold medal!
Other Facts: (Hail Wiki!)
From Doon School.
Youngest Indian participant at Sydney, 2000.
Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna in 2001 (only 19 then).
MBA from University of Colorado.
CEO of Abhinav Futuristics, a PC game peripherals distributors. (http://www.abhinavfuturistics.com/, a very annoying soundtrack though.)
Well, we in this country don’t waste our time in creating stars and also in shooting them down. But hopefully this one will last for long.
Shine On You Shooting Diamond!
PS: Too bad he hasn’t updated his own blog!
http://abhinavbindra.blogspot.com
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