The sporting spirit...
“The important thing is to find what the error is. Not who made it .” Something I read in a (cheesy) quote calendar. And just today, the entire Paes Bhupathi debacle just made me reflect on these words. The performance of India in the Asiad games tells a woeful tale. The winner China won 147 gold medals, India won 8.
There will be, I am sure, a lot of debates following this on the news channels, the papers, the media in general. On whether sports are not given enough importance in Indian schools, the society etc. But maybe there is a different reason behind the dismal performances. Maybe the answer lies in our attitudes itself.
For instance, the entire circus that Paes made. There is no professionalism in our sport at the end of the day. The fact that one needs to be a team player, to sacrifice for the team, if necessary, is rarely accepted by sports people in India. The ruthless professionalism that the Australian cricket team displays, is what makes them the winners they are.
And this brings us to yet another point, that definitely in the Indian ethos, that killer instinct is lacking. Indians are bred more towards contentment and seeking happiness. The inner drive, the motivation, which eventually lead to the sweat and sacrifices that ensure a win, are often just not part of the Indian psyche.
And as to Paes questioning the commitment and fitness of Bhupathi…..well, one just cannot stop laughing. The idea of Indian sportspeople questioning any one s commitment generally brings to mind the line of “Well, look who’s talking?”.
I am not saying that there aren’t committed sportspeople in India. On the contrary, there are shining examples of what we could achieve combining talent and commitment. Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Irfan Pathan, Anil Kumble, Nisha Millet, Sania mirza, Raj Vardhan Singh Rathore….there are quite a few examples that come to the mind. But you will generally find that these truly committed individuals are the ones who prefer to fight their battles on the field. You will not find them dragging their battles to the media, making a circus out of it. They prefer to let their actions speak for them. Which, if you ask me, is the smartest way of fighting the battle. Because , at the end of the day, sport is all about action. Its about following a strategy, playing and winning. It is not about back biting or bitching to the media, it is not about MPs sitting back and introducing policy. Its about professionalism, about not letting these external factors get to your game. Which I think Mahesh Bhupathi has displayed wonderfully in the Asiad games, by continuing to play with Leander Paes and winning the gold. Something definitely the sportspeople of our country could try and emulate....
BY NANDINI
P.S. This was written quite some time ago(when the Asiad games was in the news)....just posting it now....
“The important thing is to find what the error is. Not who made it .” Something I read in a (cheesy) quote calendar. And just today, the entire Paes Bhupathi debacle just made me reflect on these words. The performance of India in the Asiad games tells a woeful tale. The winner China won 147 gold medals, India won 8.
There will be, I am sure, a lot of debates following this on the news channels, the papers, the media in general. On whether sports are not given enough importance in Indian schools, the society etc. But maybe there is a different reason behind the dismal performances. Maybe the answer lies in our attitudes itself.
For instance, the entire circus that Paes made. There is no professionalism in our sport at the end of the day. The fact that one needs to be a team player, to sacrifice for the team, if necessary, is rarely accepted by sports people in India. The ruthless professionalism that the Australian cricket team displays, is what makes them the winners they are.
And this brings us to yet another point, that definitely in the Indian ethos, that killer instinct is lacking. Indians are bred more towards contentment and seeking happiness. The inner drive, the motivation, which eventually lead to the sweat and sacrifices that ensure a win, are often just not part of the Indian psyche.
And as to Paes questioning the commitment and fitness of Bhupathi…..well, one just cannot stop laughing. The idea of Indian sportspeople questioning any one s commitment generally brings to mind the line of “Well, look who’s talking?”.
I am not saying that there aren’t committed sportspeople in India. On the contrary, there are shining examples of what we could achieve combining talent and commitment. Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Irfan Pathan, Anil Kumble, Nisha Millet, Sania mirza, Raj Vardhan Singh Rathore….there are quite a few examples that come to the mind. But you will generally find that these truly committed individuals are the ones who prefer to fight their battles on the field. You will not find them dragging their battles to the media, making a circus out of it. They prefer to let their actions speak for them. Which, if you ask me, is the smartest way of fighting the battle. Because , at the end of the day, sport is all about action. Its about following a strategy, playing and winning. It is not about back biting or bitching to the media, it is not about MPs sitting back and introducing policy. Its about professionalism, about not letting these external factors get to your game. Which I think Mahesh Bhupathi has displayed wonderfully in the Asiad games, by continuing to play with Leander Paes and winning the gold. Something definitely the sportspeople of our country could try and emulate....
BY NANDINI
P.S. This was written quite some time ago(when the Asiad games was in the news)....just posting it now....
posted by Nandini at 2:56 AM
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