Whither Sporting Culture - I

 

 

New Delhi, August 29 (PTI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday paid homage to hockey legend Major Dhyan Chand and said, his Government was committed to supporting sports and ensuring that more youth were able to play and shine. ‘It is an occasion to compliment all those passionate about sports and those who have played for India,’ the Prime Minister said in a tweet. l New Delhi, August 29 (PTI): Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya was joined by hockey legend Zafar Iqbal in paying tributes to Major Dhyan Chand on the National Sports Day here, with the latter also emphasising on the need to focus on disciplines like table tennis and swimming for bigger medal hauls in the Olympic Games.

 

The birth anniversary of hockey wizard Major Dhyan Chand is celebrated as National Sports Day. CELEBRATION of the National Sports Day had its own special importance in the wake of the Olympic Games at Paris where India’s sporting performance brought mixed emotions, let alone the low number of medals. For, despite the hype the Indian preparations for the Paris Games received, the outcome of the sports extravaganza showed that India still had a very long way to go before it could ever count itself as a major sporting power -- no matter, then, the assertions of the national leadership about supporting sports in every possible manner. While there is no doubting the good intentions of the Government and its commitment to supporting sports, every doubt raises its head about the nation’s ability to elevate its standards in sports. Though by-gones be by-bones, the outcome of the Paris Games for India have given rise to many questions and issues about the manner in which the larger Indian society looks at sports. There is every reason to suspect if the larger Indian society really has a serious commitment to achieving higher levels of sporting excellence and stand tall and strong in global competition.

 

Even though India has often done fairly well in regional and continental sporting competitions, its international-level showing has been far from satisfactory. Even if the Government is spending much higher sums of money generally on sports and national preparedness in sports for competitions such as the Olympiads, the sporting community has not been able to rise to even the basic expectations -- of the common people. India does have its heroes and heroines in sports -- like the javelin-throw superstar Neeraj Chopra or badminton sensation P.V. Sindhu. Yet, the talent pool does not seem to have enough depth to keep producing champions of real global standards -- a fact the nation has often discussed over time and felt disappointed.

 

Time it is, therefore, to start analysing why the Indian performance has not risen to respectable levels vis-a-vis global standards. Countries like China that started sending teams to Olympic Games much after India did have surged forward leaving India behind -- gasping and panting. And then there are countries economically much poorer than India producing medal-winning sportspersons almost habitually. The sportspersons of those nations do not have financial resources to fall back upon, Yet, they keep bringing in medals after stunning performances in different disciplines. It obviously means that the larger Indian society has a problem in its culture. In other words, socially the Indian people are not oriented to sports as a competitive activity. And of late, the Indian society has developed a psychological hang-up (block) about sports. By way of that, increasing numbers of Indian families keep discouraging their young ones from a serious and involved participation in sports not as part of a medal but also as sheer entertainment and spiritual nourishment. Of course, there is much lip service to the cause of sports -- right from the top down through all societal layers. But when it comes to competitive sports, the larger Indian society just goes limp. This may sound as a harsh indictment, all right. But in the given circumstances where even a Vinesh Phogat becomes a national heroine without winning a medal, time it is really to delve deeper into the national psyche to know why sports are yet to become a way of life for us.

 

True, everybody may not and need not take to sports as a passion and mission. But is it not a matter of national shame that only a small number among us rises above the ground to pursue sports -- with only a token support even from the larger society and the authorities and the Government ? This really brings us up to asking ourselves very serious questions about the genuineness of our collective interest in and commitment to sports. What kind of societal mindset have we allowed to evolve over the years? What kind of academic philosophy have we nursed over time in which sports do not have even educational and spiritual value? We must raise ruthless questions about this. (To be continued)