Making Independence Day sweeter

That frame where our champion boxer Nikhat Zareen was holding the Tricolour along with the ageless Sharath Kamal was such a definitive one at the closing ceremony of the Commonwealth Games Donrsquot you think so Pherozerdquo chimed Lady Flora checking to see if her friend was listening to her after all He was partially distracted by the spectacular lighting around their Horniman Circle Gardens hangoutldquoPheroze did you hear anything of what I was sayingrdquo she continued raising her voice hoping that he would return to their conversation ldquoOhhellipyes yes I saw those scenes Quite memorablerdquo he added Itrsquos a different thing that he was fast asleep when the shindig was being aired on the television since it was past his bedtime But Lady Flora stayed glued to the telly especially after their last conversation about the Games and why Indiarsquos showing would be worth the watch ldquoI am glad you coaxed me into watching those matcheshellipour girls were fabulous especially the hockey and cricket teams that was a real nailbiter against the Aussies wasnrsquot itrdquo she added ldquoAbsolutely I was gutted with that loss But on a happier note we had so much to cheer for from our athletes in track and field to table tennis weightlifting wrestling boxing and badminton Oh and what about those women who created a stir in lawn bowls the biggest surprise package There were so many proud moments for India especially since we are hardly seen as a sportingfriendly nationrdquo reasoned Sir PMldquoYou are so right I realised each time they won a medalmdashirrespective of gold silver or bronzemdashI was jumping for joy And one must bear in mind that we didnrsquot even have our shooters since the sport wasnrsquot included in these Games Imagine if they too were part our tally would have soared and how At last timersquos edition in 2018 shooting gave us seven gold four silver and five bronze medalsrdquo Lady Flora rattled off Sir PM was silently impressed at how his friend was in top form when it came to statistics and facts about Indiarsquos sporting legacyldquoIt goes to show that with consistent and financial support we can dream and achieve big in the sports arenardquo she added ldquoMy Lady I feel this should be an eye opener this success in Birmingham should be a timely reminder that we ought to support sports in a bigger wayrdquo Sir PM pitched in ldquoWhat do you mean by that Pherozerdquo asked Lady Flora keen to hear her friendrsquos thoughts ldquoI feel the time is right to give sports an even bigger thrust in our schools across our municipal and state board schools not just in those fancy ldquointernationalrdquo schools as they call it these days Our children need to be introduced to different disciplines when they are five six or seven years old Itrsquos when the body is developing and with guidance and direction at the right time this can do wonders Look at how those two young starsmdashJeremy and Lakshya excelled as 19 and 20yearolds in their first ever Commonwealth Games because they started earlyrdquo Sir PM elaborated Lady Flora had to add in her two bits after poring over middayrsquos coverage during the Games ldquoYoursquore so right I noticed how so many of those medals came from names that we were hearing for the first timemdashhailing from farflung towns in the North East Kerala Maharashtra and Punjab In fact Pheroze werenrsquot you disappointed that no Bombaywallah won a medalrdquo Sir PM nodded ldquoYoursquove touched a raw nerve Gone are the days when our hockey team was filled with Bombay folk likewise with football and track and field events They were right there on top with the big guns from Punjab and Kerala Irsquove noticed a consistent slide over the decades Wersquove had individual medals but the cityrsquos sporting infrastructure has to offer a 360degree approach Surely we are more than just being called the cradle of Indian cricket I feel it might have something to do with our administratorsrsquo goals and targets having changed since we are now the commercial epicentre of Indiardquo sighed Sir PMldquoYoursquore so right Pheroze Look at other state capitals like Hyderabad and Bangalore They have galloped ahead of us in this regardrdquo rued Lady Flora ldquoBut I hope seeing this phenomenal success it spurs youngsters to pick up different sports and then find the right backing They should be fearless to pursue their sporting ambitionsrdquo added Lady Flora not before reminding her friend that they should head home before another downpour ldquoThese champions have sweetened the Independence Day for surerdquo Sir PM smiled as he handed her a National Flag ldquoI wish you a Happy Independence Day Pheroze and Happy New Year to you the missus and your visionary and benevolent community in advance as wellrdquo she greeted her friend as they soaked in the cityrsquos sights that were all dressed up for the big daymiddayrsquos Features Editor Fiona Fernandez relishes the cityrsquos sights sounds smells and stoneswherever the ink and the inclination takes her She tweets bombayanaSend your feedback to mailbagmiddaycom