Indian Sports: Shining Despite Adversities
Many constantly complain about how India is not a sporting nation. But if one keeps the kind of struggles faced by Indian sportspersons in mind, it can certainly be said that it's a job fairly well done.
Sometime back NDTV's cricket expert Dean Jones and I were talking about sports in general. I agreed with him that Australia was a true sporting nation and that everything in the country was ultimately influenced or guided by sports. On my part, I felt that Indians were genetically not made for physical sport but instead for sports that require skill and temperament. I admit, I was wrong.
Satnam Singh being drafted into the NBA 10 days ago got me re-thinking and it's one of the big reasons for me changing my opinion. I mean imagine a boy from the little known Ballo Ke village from Punjab making it to the most prestigious basketball league in the world. And the more you think about it, more examples come to mind.
While the top priority for most back home is to earn a decent standard of living, despite that Indians are shining on the world arena. Most athletes struggle to make both ends meet, and even putting a square meal on the table can be tough job. A recent example of that is former national-level boxer, Krishna Raut who now works as sweeper in a civic body to survive. Unbelievably sad! Despite knowing that, Indians continue to pursue their passion for sport.
Apart from fighting poverty, the next big road block was the deplorable facilities available. Old and outdated equipment, lack of basic infrastructure and rotting sports venues. They say a good worker never blames his tools but if the tools are such, then can we blame the worker? Every sports budget allocates more funds for development, the CWG games facilities too were meant to provide a good platform for that, but the truth is there for all too see.
The ones who certainly face a double edged sword are Indian women athletes! Breaking stereotypes, the struggle of balancing family and sport and often fighting the menace of sexual discrimination- it's a tough and endless battle. MC Mary Kom, Deepika Kumari, Rani Rampal are just some of the examples of our women sports fighters who have emerged on top.
So it's not a matter of genes or genetics but a matter of the right attitude. A sporting culture will only come about if parents encourage their children, teachers encourage their students and the constant infighting in sports federations comes to a full stop.