Circa 2021, India a changed nation in Sports
New Delhi
(Not long ago, what was India's story with Sports? When the Indian contingent came back empty-handed from the Olympic Games every four years, there would be no post-mortem examination of the failures. 2021 - the story has changed.)
Two northeastern ladies proved that the 'New India' has arrived.
Manipur's weightlifter Mirabai Chanu used to take lifts from unknown truckers to go to the
stadium for practice. She won the Silver medal on the opening day of Tokyo Olympics
and good luck started.
Assam’s Lovlina Borgohain was another star who virtually snatched a bronze in women’s
welterweight (69kg).
Of course, so did others. Neeraj Chopra has redefined 'javelin' for millions of Indians.
His admirers later wrote - Neeraj Chopra made use of 10 precious seconds of his life to end India’s 121-years
wait for a track and field medal at the Olympics.
P V Sindhu bounced back from a disappointing semi-final loss to pick up bronze and become the first Indian
woman to win multiple Olympic medals.
India is a changed nation in sports today. 'Naya Bharat' as envisioned by its dreamer Prime Minister.
Conventionally, one could call it 'fire in the belly' - a salad of powerful sense of
determination and ambition for any competitor.
Indians were happy to believe in the old dictum that one could win or lose but what is important is the
game. The show must go on ... etc etc. And for officials, babus and coaches - these events
used to be shopping melas and tourism bonanza.
Now it's different. That was 2021.
For the first time since its independence in 1947, the nation of 1.3 billion people finished with seven medals,
including a coveted gold in the men's javelin throw.
The Indian men’s hockey team made history as it claimed an Olympic medal after 41 years. Overall, India finished 48th among the participating nations.
There were fairy tales in the entire show. Indian women hockey captain Rani Rampal's father pulled a
hand-cart and mother worked as a domestic help. There were others with similar stories of penury to
medals and social respectability.
"I always wanted to see an Indian win an Olympic Gold (in athletics)," said a proud sprinter P T Usha,
who had finished fourth and missed Bronze in the 1984 Los Angeles track event.
It was 'Olympic fever' for days in a nation - which looked demoralised fighting Covid19 and the
pandemic-inflicted economic crisis and joblessness.
But there are a few vital underlining messages from the moments of sporting glory for India, and thus
a few important lessons too.
One important takeaway is that Tokyo2020 marks the emergence of the underdogs.
But the bigger message would be that the Sports have proved to be tools of great social
metamorphosis for a country of 135 crore plus which was satisfied till now not winning any medal for years.
The 'revolution' also meant a few bigger stories -- fighting two 'almost permanent' malaise - Poverty and Patriarchy.
The year 2021 and Tokyo2020 for India marked a major and positive turning point more from a social point of view.
"This is now an era of underdogs and underprivileged. Women have fought patriarchy specially in Haryana and
a host of hockey players and others are in sports essentially in search of a better life", wrote one sports writer.
Unlike cricket stars from Delhi and Mumbai, the young boys and girls in athletics often are homeless.
A few stayed in mud houses. Sports was a game-changer in 2021.
For a long time, Indian boys and girls focused on the classroom, aiming to be doctors, engineers,
and bureaucrats with easy to live jobs.
The Indian education system still values the ability to mug up. Sport was never important for the
educated middle classes.
In Haryana, the society is generally of conservatives and male chauvinism.
The state recorded lopsided sexual demographic in 2012 where there were just 877 women to every
1,000 men following years of infanticide and abortions. In 2020 too, there was marginal improvement, yet
these concerns remain. Now the state has 922 girls for every 1000 men.
It was not easy to do well in sports for young girls braving these social hurdles and tough conditions.
In Haryana, parents want young girls to wear Salwar-Kameez (outfit that covers the entire body) and that they
should return home before dark. There would be Khap-panchayats (kangaroo courts) in villages passing diktats
on women attires and matters related to girls conduct in public places and marriages.
However enthusiasm and new dreams defined people's approach. This was exemplified by the players' performance
and the encouragement they got in the run up to the sporting extravaganza especially from parents and various
sporting bodies.
Gold medalist Neeraj Chopra, an in service defence personnel, also comes from a little known village Khandra in
Haryana and his father has been a humble farmer.
There is also a paradox. Despite patriarchy issues and conservative social structure, in 2021, 25 percent of India's
athletes in the Olympics were from Haryana.
The state's population is little over 2 per cent vis-a-vis the national figures.
Another woman hockey player, Parasdeep Kaur, says people tell her father that she should be married off without
further delay. Little wonder, she is the only one pursuing the game from her village.
Bronze winner, boxer Lovlina Borgohain hails from a development-starved place called Sarupathar in
Assam adjoining Nagaland border.
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 a serious job crisis for years and the answer was ‘Unemployment fees
(Bekar Bhata)’; they never bothered to consider sports as a viable alternative means to encourage youngsters.
2021 would mean different things to sports and Indian sports lovers.
ends
New Delhi:
(Is US still the global leader? In November, Chinese Prez Xi Jinping said, “It is playing with fire, and if you play with fire, you will get burned". The reference was US support to Taiwan.)
It has been the most frustrating year for Americans in the recent past, but the journey continues.
A regime change marked 2021 in the United States. But the transition of power
was not at all smooth and reflective of a healthy democracy.
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| Biden: Flanked by VP Harris, Secy of State Blinken |
Joseph Robinette Biden - a former Vice President Joe Biden - is the 46th President of the US who assumed office on Jan 20 this year.
"Democrats suggested they could charge President Donald Trump with “high crimes and misdemeanors” for inciting a mob that attacked the Capitol," reported 'The New York Times' , definitely adding to the shame of all Americans and their much touted claims over democracy.
However, at the end of the calendar year, Biden hosted virtually a Summit for Democracy trying to enlist the support of key global players including India and its charismatic leader Narendra Modi against the supposed hegemony of two authoritarian powers, Russia and China.
There is a paradox in it too as India has certainly inched close to the US over the years, while Russia and China
are closer between them. And of course Beijing maintained blow hot-blow cold relationships with both New Delhi
and Washington throughout circa 2021.
For Biden of course, the worst crisis and that hit America's global reputation was in the form of the Afghanistan
crisis. In simpler language, it was a 'botched up' withdrawal of NATO forces from Afghanistan and the Taliban
took over Kabul on August 15, 2021.
Americans had themselves to blame for everything.
The so called 'Doha' assurances of the Taliban leaders
In the last few years came a cropper.
Of course, a few weeks after the August high drama punctuated with loss of face for Uncle Sam, India's
no nonsense External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar did some plain speaking.
"....When I say levels of concern, the commitments which were made by the Taliban at Doha, the US
knows it best. We were not taken into confidence on various aspects of that," Dr Jaishankar said
speaking virtually at the Leadership summit of the US-India Strategic Partnership Forum (USISPF).
Only on August 26, Biden's Afghanistan policy hit his country most.
At least 60 civilians and 12 US service members were killed as Islamic State
claimed responsibility for the dastardly Kabul attacks. It turned out to be the deadliest day for US
forces in a decade, subjecting President Biden to face sharper criticism.
The evacuation of western forces and others from Afghanistan plunged into a deeper crisis as
multiple explosions in Kabul killed scores throwing the entire world into panic.
Biden took a stand in his national broadcast and asserted:
“We will not forgive, we will not forget. We will hunt you down...".
But the truth was much bitter to be sweetened or otherwise by his rhetoric.
The Afghanistan debacle has done extreme damage to drive home the point that the
international community needs to understand that unlike the past - the US is perhaps no longer
the real 'leader' of the 'free world'.
Some skeptics said, America is now getting the taste of an increasing blow-back for pursuing bad policies over
decades in Afghanistan and elsewhere in the name of fighting the terror. Why it had to trust Pakistan beyond a point ?
On Nov 16, Biden to cut short on 'military engagement' with Beijing held the first virtual meeting with Chinese
President Xi Jinping for three and a half hours.
But the long meeting did not have much to give in substance.
A US spin was that the ice has been broken and the downward decline in the US-China relationship
would stop. Chinese President Xi even called Biden "an old friend"; but there was a categorical 'warning'
also about playing with 'fire'.
“It is playing with fire, and if you play with fire, you will get burned,” the Chinese readout quoted President
Xi as having stated over US support to Taiwan.
"Xi warns US over support for Taiwan secessionism," screamed a 'Global Times' headline.
But old timers say, American history is not quite new to such criticism and humiliation.
In the 1970s after Vietnam fiasco and mishandling of Iran, it had become fashionable
to portray the US as 'leaderless'. Then it was the erstwhile Soviet Union taking advantage of
the American 'weakness'.
But as they say, 'born again Americanism' was soon back under Ronald Reagan and Jimmy Carter days
were quickly lost in memories.
For the US policy makers, the year 2021 had begun with some of these refrains -
“If we are the people’s house, let’s do the people’s work and let’s vote to impeach this president (Trump)”.
But by August-September, some surveys claimed Trump was regaining his lost ground at the national level.
The 'Marketwatch.com' said in December, - Biden’s biggest challenges in 2022 would be to
convince Americans that ‘the United States is on the right track’ and of course winning the
economy battle.
Fight it every step, as the maxim goes.
ends
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| Democrat Modi was 'invited' for Summit for Democracy |
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