The coming of age of India in the Olympics, and on the World Sporting and Cultural map might just have been given a boost by the tremendous effort of the 25 year old Chandigarh lad, Abhinav Bindra. With his Gold in the 10m Air Rifle Event at the Beijing Shooting Range Complex, he has not only given India her first gold medal at the World’s Biggest Sporting Stage, but also her first ever Individual Gold Medal in her 108 year long history at the Olympics. India’s first individual medals were the two Silver medals India got in the 1900 Paris Olympics due to the fantastic work by an Anglo-Indian lad from Calcutta, Norman Prichard. He had dreamt of seeing India making it big in the world stage. His dream has finally been fulfilled but only to some extent by Abhinav Bindra’s gold medal winning performance at Beijing 2008.
We, Sports Enthusiasts, are hopeful that Abhinav’s remarkable achievement will open the flood gates for our Improvement in the Sports other than obviously, Cricket. We hope it will bring about a sea change in the Indian Sports scene. Vishwanathan Anand winning the World Championships made us all very happy; the Indian media heaped him with praises and admiration. This continued for a week or so and then it slowly faded away. The same will probably happen in Abhinav’s case as well. We will bask in Abhinav’s glory for as long as Cricket takes centre stage.
One year ago, Indian shooters threatened to boycott the Olympics because of lack of ammunition, rifles, pistols and the lack of world class facilities. Abhinav will be given a lot of cash awards and incentives now by publicity seeking people, but where were these people when Indian shooters were ruing the negligence given to them?
Even if we add up all the incentives given to Abhinav it will only add up to a meager 3 crores which looks like popcorn compared to what Dhoni earns weekly. But comparing Dhoni’s achievements and Abhinav Bindra’s achievements, it is Dhoni’s performance which looks like popcorn.
Let me point out a few of the reasons why Abhinav Bindra’s achievement really matters for us Indians:
1. It is India’s First Individual Gold in the World’s Biggest Sporting Stage, The Olympics.
2. First Olympic Gold for India in 28 years since Indian Hockey Team’s Gold in the widely boycotted 1980 Moscow Olympics.
3. For the first time in 28 years we were able to hear our National Anthem, Jana Gana Mana being played in the World’s Biggest Stage, Olympics. I don’t know about anyone else but the moment really sent a shiver down my neck.
4. It also the first gold medal for a South Asian and also only the third individual medal if we also add South-East Asia.
But some things never change. Here are few of them which will stay as it is:
1. Optimists might think the Abhinav’s Gold inspire many young Indians to take up non-Cricketing Sports. But due to the lack of facilities and infrastructure, they will eventually get disheartened at henceforth quit their sports. Lack of career opportunities also plays a major role in this. Not everyone is as lucky as Abhinav, to have a personal Shooting Range in his 18 Acre House on the outskirts of Chandigarh.
2. Optimists might also think that Abhinav’s Gold Medal in the Beijing 2008 Olympics will open up the eyes of the Cricket loving administrators and power hungry politicians and also that of the Cricket mad people of India. But it is as good as guaranteed that this will basically not happen. Thus, Cricket will again play spoilsport in the development of other Sports in India. They will get nothing but a step motherly treatment. This has been the case for the last 25 years.
3. Dhoni and his cricketing compatriots will still do the bulk of the advertisements. He will be building more Swimming Pools in his Ranchi Bungalow. But ironically Indian swimmers don’t have enough pools to practice in.
4. Abhinav Bindra, in spite of all the accolades given to him will still not get the due recognition form us, Indians. Although he has won The Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award in 2005, hardly anyone knew him before 11th August, 2008. I was amazed and shocked to see some of my friends asking me who Abhinav Bindra is even after his astonishing effort in Beijing. Everybody will forget this History Creating young guy.
5. Even after Kapil Dev said that Abhinav’s Victory is “ far far bigger than the 1983 World Cup “, Cricket will still be our religion and it’s cricketers our Demy Gods. Other sports will receive a step motherly treatment from us, Indians.
6. Other Sports will still get only a few seconds of bulletin and a small column in the Newspapers, while Cricket takes away all the limelight. Whole shows and whole pages will be devoted to only cricket. Cricketers will be still covered with sponsors from their head to toes but other Sportspersons have to buy kits and other things needed for their training and practice by their hard earned money.
But ignoring all this negativism let me now come to the Man of the Moment, ABHINAV BINDRA. Some critics might argue that he has been lucky to receive all the Best facilities. But it is only recently that he had a shooting range built for himself. It was built by his father’s money. It is to be again clarified that he has been anything but lucky especially regarding the facilities he has received.
Lastly, I must confess that my heart goes out for all the young aspiring Sportspersons, who want to emulate the success of Abhinav Bindra (Gold in Being 2008 Olympics), Col. Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore (Silver at the Athens 2004 Olympics), Karnam Malleshwari (Bronze in 2000 Sydney Olympics), Leander Paes (Bronze in the 1996 Atlanta Games), because even though they have got the talent, ambition and will for success they will not able to fulfill their dreams due to the slapstick behavior of everyone else concerned i.e. the various sports authorities. But people like Sushil Kumar, Akhil Kumar, and Vijender Kumar Singh have earned success despite the system that is prevalent.
Ounce for Ounce, pound for pound, if we want to see the best athletes in the world, scour the roads of our cities. In the midst of all the traffic, we will find men pulling and pushing cargo by hand, just like they have done for millennia. It’s pure brute strength that pushes the cargo. Sit down with these men, who we all pass daily, and we will find the lowest body-fat ratios of any men anywhere in this world. Take the best of them and train them for the track and field events and a whole bunch of champions will emerge.
Each year, the Best American athletes go to train in Colorado, 5000 feet above sea level. Colorado is chosen because training at high altitudes makes the lungs stronger. If we take our best and train them in Leh, 14000 feet above sea level, imagine what supermen and superwomen we might develop. The Indian Countryside and cities are replete with future Olympians. These men and women train daily in the harshest of conditions with simple diets. Without a doubt, with proper training and infrastructure, these men and women will add to our Olympic golds. It’s a shame that the world has missed 100 years of Indian Olympics prowess; it would be a travesty if the world misses another 100 years.
Bye,
Dipanjan
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