Funds should be poured into infrastructure, equipment, grounds etc but by no means least, staging mega events which can inspire an entire country
Funds should be poured into infrastructure, equipment, grounds etc but by no means least, staging mega events which can inspire an entire country I have long been an admirer of Mani Shankar Aiyar for his sharp mind, dry wit and felicitous turn of phrase. Of late however, he has come across as a grouch, intent on making waves for the sheer hell of it. One cannot say whether this is a natural consequence of anno domini or frustration at an increasingly diminishing audience which he can enthral with his erudition, but the latest manifestation of his grouchiness took my breath away.
"I would be unhappy" said the learned Rajya Sabah member, "if the Commonwealth Games are successful". If he wanted to create shock and awe, he succeeded spectacularly. It would hardly be hyperbole to state that every Indian is biting his fingernails and praying that the Games are completed smoothly so that our reputation for staging mega sporting events is a worthy counterpoint to our economic clout. It is therefore ironic that an Indian of his stature and a former Minister of Sport to boot, should be guilty of uttering such a disgraceful comment.
What a statementAccording to Aiyar, the funds spent for the Games could have been utilised for ensuring a better sporting future for Indian children by providing them sports training. For sheer monumental over-simplification, this glib statement takes the cake.
A better sporting future for our kids is the result of a multi-pronged strategy starting with the creation of a genuine sporting culture particularly amongst the denizens of the hallowed precincts of Parliament, getting all educational institutions to include sport as a compulsory subject and replacement of the "topper" syndrome with a more holistic approach to education so that our youth develop into well rounded citizens of a great country.
This requires an almost violent paradigm shift away from how our system currently operates.
Then comes the more mundane, but equally important issue of money, which can and should be poured into infrastructure, equipment, grounds, coaching, national and international exposure, competition and last, but by no means the least, staging mega events which can and do inspire an entire country. We have only to witness what happened in South Africa, the irritation vuvuzela notwithstanding.
Aiyar goes on to say that India offered the Olympic Association of every Commonwealth country $ 100,000 as a "bribe".
I was privileged to be part of the contingent to the West Indies when India bid for the Games and yes, the then Prime Minister of India Atal Behari Vajpayee authorised the leader of the delegation to announce the grant of this sum to all the Commonwealth countries to help them to prepare for the Games.
Hot favourite Canada had also offered financial help to various countries for this purpose. It was open and above board, not some furtive negotiation with the Commonwealth Games authorities with some corrupt officials benefiting from the largesse. Our bid was bigger and better - end of story.
Now let's concentrate on making the Games a huge success and not waste our time with piffle of the sort dished out by Mani Shankar Aiyar.
