My grandson suddenly asked me that morning: “Nana, what would you do if someone gifts you an elephant?” As I looked askance at him, he pointed out to his laptop screen that had the headlines on Dipa Karmarkar’s BMW. It was gifted to her, post-Rio performance. It was part of a desi game played by chief ministers, ministers and sports associations which had public funds at their disposal and had no scruples on their instinct to splurge it.
Andhra Pradesh and Telangana did their best to outsmart each other and Haryana was not ready to lag behind. Some private money-bags also joined in the merry-making. This ‘elite’ believes that Dipa must use her BMW, probably that would pave the path for her success in 2020 Olympics. Reportedly, a decent sum stands transferred to her bank account. The Agartala government has also decided to repair the road to her house to make it BMW-worthy. Some of the spoilsports like yours truly recalled the adage ‘it is easy to manage poverty but impossible to manage affluence’. How these celebrated sportspersons shall acquire the new management skills at this stage? Young enthusiasts are convinced that athletes, like our much-admired cricketers, shall take a few lessons in money management and that would motivate them to earn higher laurels for the country.
One wonders why the controllers of purse-strings never think of augmenting facilities for the young in sports and games. Should talent not be picked by the state, given all the facilities to grow up, hone their skills in right conditions in schools, colleges and universities? Was it not the right occasion to declare schemes for better management of the uncared-for stadia in the country? Sports associations and boards have become the playgrounds of the crafty bureaucrats, politicians and business tycoons. What better example than the BCCI, flushed with money but totally bereft of any evidence of having helped the growth of cricket in educational institutions.
After the post-Olympic euphoria, one came across some sensible analysis of the present conditions by bronze medallist Sakshi Malik. Hailing from Haryana, the state that has a lot to achieve in the area of sex ratio, Sakshi is the first Indian woman to win an Olympic medal in wrestling. She said: Instead of giving individual players that much money, it should be put in to improve facilities for the aspiring young, particularly from villages and areas which still remain neglected. No facilities exist for girls even at block or district levels, what to say of villages.
Paralympian gold medallist Mariyappan Thangavelu set a golden example, highlighting the national concern. He donated `30 lakh of the `70 lakh prize money to his school. Not only sports bodies and governments, even ‘great’ cricketers could learn from him. This is the time to seriously begin preparations to nurture a culture of sports in India.
Alternative strategies must be evolved and put in place. One example: Create or convert one school in each district to a residential sports school, fully funded by the state. Budding sportspersons from all other schools in the district be transferred to this school at state expense. Given the right environment, they would excel in their academic performance also. States like Haryana or Punjab could create functional stadia at block level within three years. Why should BCCI not transfer funds to, say, 100 colleges and 25 universities each year to promote cricket, football or volleyball?
All this requires an attitudinal transformation, particularly among the powers-that-be who still believe in the culture of “owner’s pride, neighbour’s envy”. Veteran sportspersons must voluntarily come forward and present a pragmatic strategy to nurture sports and games in India. rajput_js@yahoo.co.in