I grew up in Dimapur in Nagaland, we used to mock at people coming from Sarupathar-Borpathar. I saw their simplicity and innocence. Those days, some of them did not know how to use land phones. Today they have Olympic medalist !!
Sarupathar assembly constituency in Assam where Lovlina’s village falls also has some of the worst roads.
New Delhi:
This is not an attempt to rewrite history or even make a critical analysis of the history itself. History is also related to struggles, and fighting in life does leave memories. A new reputation often drives out the old one.
August 7th, 2021 came as a Red Letter Day for India just a week before India makes foray into the 75th year of Independence.
A modern India – coming out of colonial legacy – has many stories. Neeraj Chopra’s Gold at the Tokyo Olympics gives a new dimension.
More so because in this year’s Sporting Extravaganza, India’s total Medal tally was highest so far at seven, and the country was ranked 47th. It is for the first time, we are above 50-mark.
It’s time we call it the emergence of ‘Naya Bharat’ or a ‘New India’. Under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the political interference has been discouraged and the talented sporting stars got adequate support.
But are there a few lessons for a democratic nation like ours?
Once upon a time – even 1990s and around India’s participation in Olympics was dubbed as a decorative exercise, something to uphold the spirit of harmonious relations with the global community!
But in retrospect, it has been proved that just a few years of reboot and things can turn miracle.
Looking back, perhaps it may not be erroneous to suggest that there was a ‘conspiracy’ in year-after-year failures of a country of one hundred crore to do well in sporting extravaganzas.
And it suited the ‘jugadu political’ culture – the country has grown used to.
The Olympics did not mean sports or winning medals. To many Indians, so called sporting officials it meant junkets and shopping!
The ‘Sports Ministry’ both in Delhi and states was just another office which no high profile and performance oriented Netas wanted to get into.
Hence, a regime of the day in 1991 took it for granted and announced country’s highest sports award in the name of a politician.
This was not first time. Hundreds of stadium and sporting complexes too have been dedicated to the Neta class and that too to a particular family.
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| The Salvation time for Hockey |
In states, at best the Sports and Youth Affairs portfolios excited a few for the subsidies; and the ‘favours’ they could throw out to citizens as freebies – again screened by ‘Jugadu politics’.
It was not without good reason Sunil Gavaskar once said, “More than having sports in politics, we have politics in sports”.
The story of poor show in Hockey for decades too has been debated.
That way the year 2021 marks not only a year of discovery of a Golden Haryanvi boy, Neeraj Chopra, it also marked India winning maximum medals and the great game of hockey coming out of its Rip Van Winkle slumber.
It was true salvation.
Politically, the Congress has ruled India and the states for decades. The Leftists remained permanent self-styled virtuous and efficient lots.
In states such as West Bengal, there was job crisis and the answer was ‘Unemployment fees (Bekar Bhata)’; they never bothered to consider sports as a viable alternative means to encourage youngsters.
Of course, political goondaism thrived in West Bengal to Kerala and also in cow belt states.
Of course there were sports in Kolkata. But they were more in football in the form of players ‘changing three clubs’ and the stinking politics involved in it.
There were other areas nevertheless. Film ‘Kony’ starred by legendary Soumitra Chatterjee as a swimming coach showed how politics, poverty and social stigma worked as roadblocks.
Stories were no different in northeast.
The success of Manipur stars or a Mizoram hockey star and Assam Boxer in Tokyo show this year makes it clear how the sporting talent of native youngsters over the decades remained neglected across the region.
It is time now the country keeps up the momentum it has attained after so many years.
The achievements could not have come at a better time than now when the prophets of dooms are in full time occupation to run down the country in more ways than one.
They could be in search of a new row yet again.
'Team India' at the Olympics also gave the country a fresh lease of life when things looked demoralised due to plethora of reasons – from Covid19 to economic crisis and the so called ‘republic of intolerance’.
If anybody has been ‘intolerant’ in this country in the last few years, unfortunately are those who give themselves the certificates and titles of liberals.
This writer has called these groups ‘Sickulars’ and one is convinced most often these Indians are the real fundamentalists.
This is a tragedy and the lesson from Tokyo is that these lots should be shown their real places.
Ends
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But years back in 1972, gymnast Mantu Debnath would have gone to the Olympics. However, those who mattered couldn't find a coach.
I remember in 1984 once visited Sarufathar in Assam... It was so rural and under developed that I felt what would the people do other than farming or a Govt Job. And now an Olympic star from this region. Truely North have changed.
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