Shocking case of class bias in sports

There is definite class bias in Indian sports, very evidently there is socio-cultural as also compulsions of Market. But for the government to toe the line is shocking. This blogger believes that elected governments are dangerously being influenced by market which in most case accentuates class bias. Indian sport is a case in study.

Games like golf, lawn tennis etc get undue importance since it is inaccessible to millions of Indians. Golf is a case in study-arguably one of the dumbest game, it is one the costliest game with equipments and facilities costing lakhs of rupees (with a mission to put the ball in the hole!!). I am not against people who play the game but the importance these games get. The class bias is evident. In Indian context since very few people have access to these kinds of games they rarely do well in international forums. It is quite clear babalogs best is mostly appallingly mediocre in the international arena. This statement can be extended to most other field and a study on India’s contribution in the world. Whatever example we have like Paes, Nehwal, Bindra, Anand and many more is because of rare individual talent and persistence against heavy odds (very much in danger of co-opted by market greed. Guess what happened to Mirza). Even the recent better performances in over rated game (read cricket) have more to do with democratization of selection process. So we have more competent players rather than babbling sycophants from elite section who go on the knees when encounter white skins (read gentlemen). What defined them was mediocrity packed in well accented English (since then many have migrated to Market media and have taken up the cause of freedom. No knowledge no nothing just got to talk). Unfortunately these variety are still in majority/influential at the policy making level the reason why class bias still exists in sports. Consider the condition of games like Hockey, Kabaddi, wrestling, athletics and so on and analyze the people involved in these games. They are from lower strata of society for them sports is a mean to survival the reason why they tend to be competitive despite lack of basic facilities and bias (nothing explains Milkha Singhs and PT Ushas over the decades).

To win a medal in Olympics that too in highly competitive games like Wrestling or boxing is a tremendous achievement. This need to be understood and put in context. Sports like wrestling and boxing are played around the world unlike many games in Olympics that most people haven’t even heard of (one of the many reason why West end up wining so many medals). To compete with the best of the world (the world incidentally consists of 180 odd countries) in highly competitive sport and to come third is a tremendous achievement. Also consider that India has not won any individual medal in these sports in 60 odd years. Also consider the odds the players concerned had to go through. It is a kind of sport that has not much economic security in this society. What carried them through was pure passion for the game. Talented they were is proved by the medal they won. By not honoring these sports persons the government of India has erred quite badly. It also is a pointer to insensitive people at the helm. It is shocking state of affair.

Celebrating being a Republic…

Every citizen is equal is what a republic country stands for. Republic day parade is a celebration of that ideal. It is a spectacular event along the Rajpath, this blogger had the good fortune to witness as a kid. I was probably 7 or 8 when we went for republic day parade. It was tremendously exciting occasion. Getting up morning very early on a foggy day, despite the cold mandatory bath, and then bundled into huge army vehicles, clinging to whatever one can hold (since they never had any sitting), still maintaining some dignity was a challenge. Reaching Rajpath as early as 6am, that was only half the journey. Then the challenge was to find a place to sit, once we had to stand all through the parade, next time though we sat on the ground next to India gate (incidentally we came in national TV too when they pan the audience as the aircraft dropped flowers). I also recall having to write an essay on experience of attending Republic Day parade in school.

This blogger does follow Republic day parade, now though the enthusiasm has waned. I though feel that although sacrifice of Defence force and other gallantry acts should be honored at the highest level, military “might” could be underplayed and celebration could be more inclusive. Republic day celebration is extremely important part of a nation state (ideally there shouldn’t be any country or borders but we don’t live in an ideal world). It is also a time to introspect on progress of society as also security issues.

What we learn from the Defence Force is the meaning of sacrifice for higher goal (in a market driven world of manipulations and blatant selfishness this looks an anachronism), and the importance of being a responsible citizen. Another is need of being disciplined and physically fit. These have impacted me a lot, although I don’t have much regard for discipline in my life (sometimes furiously negate it) but when dealing with others have always given importance to discipline. This blogger is into teaching and has taken thousands of classes over the years very rarely have I been not on time, this is something instinctive. When you are given a time, reach on time. Period. If you don’t agree to it refuse but when commit see that you follow it. Also tried to be physically fit, morning walk/jogging being important part of it. At one point I also thought that if you don’t go for morning walk you are missing something big. There is so much beauty in the morning sun. Unfortunately though mornings now give me wheezing, and I don’t live in best of places for walk (may end up seeing people defecating!!). Also having spent so much time in Delhi (probably the most lawless metropolitan city in the world) and other cities despite these seeing others break rules still make me angry.

When extremes meet!!

More photos at Photo blog

“New Birth of freedom” a historical event at Washington

Obama’s inauguration as President of USA was probably one of the very few events concerning an individual that was watched and followed by billions of people around the world. This blogger though very tired from a hectic day followed it till the last sentence, I guess the excitement of people around the world got into me too (but yes within few minutes later I was fast asleep!!). It was amazing to watch history being made. The snap taken from BBC.

What we are doing when historical events are unfolding is something that gets etched in our mind for a long time. The same is the case of national tragedies. During conversations I recall story of grandmother dropping tumbler of water and shouting Aiyo on hearing that Nehru has died. In kerala particularly, events of common people do get meshed with bigger events (two malayalam movie brought it out quite nicely; one was my all-time favorite Danny another is Naiythukaran. The English movie Forest Gump was also interesting). Like when EMS died I was at Chandni Chowk having lime soda, happen to glance the hanging newspaper!!. When Indira Gandhi was assassinated I was standing in the last row of the class with raised hand as punishment !!. The reason was we were celebrating the event since we were sure of getting holidays (appalling behavior one would admit), the teacher though not sure of the event thought it necessary to punish us. I also recall when Bhopal gas tragedy unfolded I was studying Chemistry and thought of trying the chemical structure of Methyl Isocyanate!!. Dude was not thinking about people dying but chemical structure that is very strange (but yes last few years I have visited Bhopal twice to get to know the gravity of the tragedy)!!. I guess all of us has some story to tell.

Obama’s inauguration has lot to celebrate but at personal level there is bit of creeping vagueness. I know lots of people who are finding difficulty in getting job, those who have lost jobs. Their insecurities seem to be getting into me, considering that my employability too is very fragile.

look into oneself!!

I took this snap few days back in Bengaluru.

The kid who identified Golden Oriole

Golden Oriole is a spectacular looking bird, bright yellow with a jet black wing and tail, and a blood red beak. Add to it a flute like musical note. Makes it a must watch bird. It is a migratory bird found mostly in Europe and west Asia migrating to Indian subcontinent during winter. To spot this bird is a rare occasion; also consider that it is a shy and secretive in its habit keeping itself quite busy in high canopies, making it very difficult to locate. It was for this very reason that I was pleasantly surprised when a 7 year old kid was not only able to spot but identify this bird for the group of birdwatchers-some of them quite seasoned veterans. It was an amazing experience.

It happened last month when this blogger was with group of birdwatchers at Lal bagh, they meet once a month in here. I had spent some time with this group last year too around this time. It is a motley collection of forty odd people ranging from tremendously excited kids (some even toddlers) to elderly. They gather at about 7:30am at the glass house and venture around for six to seven hours, in the meantime new people join, some form subgroups and so on. It is when someone spot a rare bird that the group recongregate with flurry of action pointing their binoculars and camera, while others try to guide still confused to the exact location “no no not there..you see that branch…no no the one on the left ten o clock angle..see that. Can you?” and so on. Some end up really frustrated not able to locate, in the meantime the bird has flown to another branch!!. It is at this particular juncture a veteran would elucidate his knowledge about the bird to anyone ready to listen with anecdotes (most avid birdwatchers I have found to be compulsive conversationists when meeting their kind). There was a commotion when this kid started running around yelling “oriole, golden oriole”. People rushed around trying locate the elusive bird. Having spent sometime with the bird (some even calling it ‘watch of the year’) their attention turn to the boy, he became cynosure few try to pull his cheeks which he dealt quite deftly. I found myself talking to his father who claimed to be completely ignorant about birds and comes to these walks only because of his son and then he said “offcourse his grandfather is interested in birds and has many books”. Aha so that explains it. In the meantime the kid had vanished and the harassed father spend next precious minutes trying to locate him.

At that kid’s age my intentions towards birds were diabolical to say the least. We kids had gulel (catapult) to bring down birds or beehives. I took up bird watching more than a decade back when I had escaped to Bharatpur bird sanctuary from Diwali noise and pollution of Delhi. Here I met some foreigners and found myself listening about birds and more birds, they invited me to their hotel and over drinks discussed more about birds. They were Europeans who traveled around the world cataloguing birds. They had some sophisticated cameras too. It was spectacular world for me, and henceforth I too got hooked to birds, next 6-7 years I was regular at bird sanctuaries. Woodcock’s Birds of India is best way to start. Now off course there is so much in the Net. Bird watching needs lots of patience. And yes groups are big no to bird sanctuary, respect the birds be silent, you are only a guest. No plastics. No littering.

Post script: oriole name comes from Latin aureolus meaning golden. In Hindi it is referred to as peelak (from peela-yellow). I have posted the photo I took, it has not come all that well, I need a long distance lens…will take sometime to buy and start a new blog on birds. In the meantime I have taken the photo from the net.

Crony capitalism: The big underbelly of Indian corporate

Satyam Inc. was waiting to happen what was shocking was extend of money involved whooping 7000crore!! (incidentally one crore is 100 lakh, and one lakh is 100000Rs. Consider also that one Kg of rice cost 20Rs!!!). So much for greed fuelled capitalism.

The blogger has been a supporter of government regulations as part of corporate governance. Government’s role has become significant in recent times. Few decades back government was interventionist in a corrupting way and had tendency to be authoritative. Times have changed. This blogger believes that with technological development as also the awareness among people the chance of authoritarianism in democratic government is quite negligible atleast in Indian context. If ever it happens it will not be able to sustain.

The danger is from unbridled market. With market controlling media what we are seeing is a nexus between Politicians, Corporate and Media. This is what is referred to as crony capitalism and India is very much susceptible to this. It is about loving the family and friends, also referred to as “inside trading”!!. In the garb of capitalism there is a swindle happening at a colossal proportion. One must be a fool to think Satyam is an exception. 7000crores over so many years cannot be an exception, the checks are only in paper. It means that something is really wrong in the way the capitalism functions (also consider that Madoff made of with billions of dollars). Clearly Corporates shouldn’t self regulate, they epitomizes nothing. They are trying to run business, and government should be facilitator keeping contexts of societies in mind. Satyam’s tag line is “What Business Demands” (really demands??. Some really get complacent even in arrogance, that they don’t realize it has become obvious). Corporates in recent times have not only been a failure but also have swindled the hard earned money of common people, jeopardized lives of millions of people. Further they have put societies and environment at risk over the decades. GDP is no indicator about anything nor is sensitivities of sensex.

The dangers of Market authoritarianism is not fully understood in this part of the world. Since policy makers are influenced by gainers of this system and needs some shockers like Satyam (even now there would be some Indian marketer who would be arguing that Ramlinga Raju was foolish to have confessed he could have blamed someone else. I guess it is TINA factor otherwise these people would have easily slipped away. That is something unique in this part of the world). Market controlling the media has complicated the issue further. Media seems to be nothing more than PR of Corporates. In poor societies irresponsible media can be devastating, it makes the mockery of democracy.

Market is also about projecting or exaggerating, it is about creating perceptions. They call it brand building. This blogger finds it amusing that although economists consider themselves quite logical but defining terms of market are mostly far from logic. It seems market has mutated into an animal nobody understands, few have some perceptions. The edifice seems to be build on these perceptions (for some it is quantified through Sensex). In most case these perceptions have nothing remotely connected to the reality. Entire ad industry is based on this unreality. Satyam only tried to maximize-put up, so did the Bush-Blair (here the term used was “sexed up”). It is about selling to the people. Never mind what the reality is. These lies balloon up and as expected bursts. Precisely what they refer as financial crisis (East Asia had it a decade back they referred to it as financial melt down. never mind that it was another example of crony capitalism. Anyone recall the Korean term Chaebol? The same could be true for india too). It is in this competitive corruption that media gains significance, since it is a linchpin. It holds the cards for creating the perception among common people. Study the role of media in two significant events that affected the world. One was attack on Iraq and how the American media played with the US government. Second, is the nil focus on corruption among Corporates. It seems that financial crisis was unpredictable (really). Since media is another face of Corporate it becomes important for the Government to create sufficient checks and stringent punishments. Democracy is the answer against crony capitalism. How many political parties have internal party democracy?. How many Corporate function with transparency?. Is there transparency in the Judiciary?. Why resistance to obundsman or Lok pal including Judiciary?. How does media choose what is important?. Isn't it decided by market compulsion?

Thankfully a significant number of elected representatives are not decided/influenced by Market. The reason why this blogger is hopeful. But then Indian society seems to be living on borrowed time. Very soon market will encroach every aspect of our life. I shudder to think about that eventuality. Education was a hope but even that is influenced by profit mongers. Am I getting pessimistic?

Disclaimer: Not denying that are really admirable people in Corporate and Media. But then media thrives on confrontation (the also call it competition), and whatever helps TRP. Can we deny that?. There are reasons to be pessimistic. The more you think the more hopeless these systems looks. The best of people end up doing the worst of things in the name of profit and TRP.

India’s War on Trees

for more visit photo blog. It is very saddening hundreds of trees are being cut with impunity. Hopefully economic slowdown will also slow down these environment catastrophes, also hoping for more people not dead serious about dead lines and dead trees.

a poem...

There are times when I avoid the Television,
not even a cursory glance
at the latest in the Net.
Close the windows
and door, put on the blinders.
It reeks of blood in here, I say
the war
the killings
the wails.

Inject morphine
cocaine, hashish
a large dose
suck it in
rub it up the nose.
Ecstasy.
Ha,
if only they knew
the agony of destruction.
The gnawing reality of
waiting for the child
in the morgue.