Mera Bharat Mahan, despite the cliché appeals to the heart so much. We therefore feel bad when our ranking, in several affairs — a modest assertion — actually and unfortunately in most, stands low down compared to most other countries. Every circumstance where we lag behind is a matter of concern; but many are very complicated, inter-connected with myriad other things, needing huge transformation, and therefore difficult to attain. It is in this background that our attention may be riveted to one area that appears to be doable. Why cannot our sporting life be changed for the better through concerted planning and effortsIJ And the initiative has to come from the Government.
A nation of our size and population does not excel in any sporting event that can make us proud. It is distressing to find us lower in position than those of many tiny countries; citing names is not the best thing to do. The point is why are we in such a stateIJ Why are we not able to locate talents and train them to be at par with sportspersons from the winning countriesIJ If we are one among the few countries to develop nuclear capability, we must also be capable to march over others in sports. For that we need a passion for the country to make it. There are plenty of examples from the world. Two examples, reconstruction of Japan after the Second World War in the past and after the Tsunami recently, and the much-talked-about Economic Miracle of some Asian countries just before this millennium set in, may suffice.
Reverting back to our issue, we may consider just three-four points for making a turnaround. We may remember that any great development is borne first in the mind. So it is the idea of sports that must come to occupy a central place in our minds and transplanted into our scheme of things. To begin with, our national priority should become promotion of the spirit of sports. Success in sports will not only boost the national pride but will also serve many social needs of our people. Though it is not going to be easy, we should not forget what they said “'the battle of Waterloo was won on the play-fields of Eton”.
The next move should be to map the local potential, a step even before the talent search or selection process is begun. That is to say that tapping the region known for its local sports and games, i.e. to find the best sailors from Kerala, hockey players from Punjab and so on, just as an example. We may have to think in terms of one India and not always look for representation of every State for making it a “truly national” team — we have our many representative institutions to meet that objective. After all there is always some special local talent everywhere, which should become our strength and not the quota system, otherwise Benares, Saharanpur, Kanchipuram and Moradabad would not have been known for their highly skilled craftsmen. It is this talent in sports that we need to capture. This is has to be followed by talent scouting — catch them young — as coaching has to start early for making the youngsters ready for competitions. Intensive competitions across extensive areas have to be organised, not only for the sake of boys and girls but for the ubiquitous involvement of the local public. Sports in this country has to be repopularised and made into a movement.
All this is possible only through a very sound and organised institutional mechanism, which is either in disarray or non-existent. Building institutions is again not easy. Apart from finance, it needs political will, commitment and dedication of the professionals, discipline among the planners, implementers and the beneficiaries, i.e. learners and the trainers. The sports infrastructure and facilities have to be created all over the country with regional and national level institutes for advanced training. The sports administration will have to undergo a revamp for this purpose.
Investment has to be made and money found for that purpose. The funding by the State is crucial but it may not remain a drag once the cycle of backwardness in sports is broken. When the cheeks and knee caps can be used for advertising, sponsorship for meeting the cost of sports can also be met through the same process. Corporates, big businesses, philanthropists could be gradually co-opted for this national objective - they may slowly adopt the shining stars, initially for publicity, but later through internalisation as ownership develops along with success stories. In any case, this expenditure is worth the while. Just as we need to make huge investment in defence for national security, we need to spend for national prestige, so that our young men and women could keep their heads high during national and international sporting events. We deserve the laurels and should strive for it hard.