No Country for Young Men

While India basks in the glory of Satya Nadella, who is actually a US citizen now, becoming the top shot at Microsoft, there are grim realities staring us in the face when it comes to the less cared for sphere of India's sporting tradition among which are three foot-soldiers who do not even have an identity to call their own. Because to put it plainly, the Indian Olympic Association is so full of itself and so obstinately corrupt that it doesn't give a damn about anything but their own power hungry, self predatory, nepotistic ideologies of sport administration.

It started with a small conversation over lunch when a German friend of mine asked, "Does India take part in the Winter Olympics?" For most people, this is a straight forward Yes/No question with a probable add on as to how brilliantly or how poorly they performed. But like most issues India and Indians grapple with on a daily basis, well this too has its own fifty shades of grey.

"Yeah, kinda..! Three Indians are there but not India per se. I mean, they can't represent India"
" Wirklich !! That's weird..!"

Just like him, to me, it is beyond belief that people who have nothing to do with sports or at the very least, even national pride have a say over people much worthier than themselves. It is beyond belief that young men and women from our country, who have in fact mustered the courage to head out on the less trodden path in a cricket obsessed nation would have the misfortune, of not even having their national flag to clad their cold spirits. Standing in front of the world, holding your country's flag is probably one of the greatest patriotic feelings one could wish for. It is nothing but tragic that Indian athletes and Indian sports in general have come to this. Brings to mind Al Pacino, in the movie Scent of a Woman putting forward so eloquently, "There was a time I could see. And I have seen. Boys like these, younger than these. Their arms torn out, their legs ripped off. But there is nothing, nothing like the sight of an amputated spirit. There's no prosthetic for that."

And here we are, witness to perhaps the most shameful times in that spirit of Indian sports. IOA, what a stupendous sham it is ..! Like our athletes, I'm sure its members too, must be unbelievably daring. But of course, of a very different nature. It sure must take a mountain of courage to be so ridiculously incompetent and still hold office and gloat about nothing but sheer void ego and ignorance. Probably courage mixed with a tinge of absolute shamelessness perhaps. I don't know. Its a trait of character I find difficult to comprehend. Nonetheless, I am not surprised. Why should I be..? IOA has been expelled by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) for its lack of adherence to the ethics code of the Olympic charter. Where is the surprise in that? Isn't that the way most of our institutions work. Proud of our "rich and varied heritage" and ignorant about the plight of the present.

People such as Abhay Singh Chautala and Lalit Bhanot would do well to look back into history and trace the roots of the positions they hold which was once graced by people of exceptional repute and selfless passion such as Om Prakash Mehra and Sir Dorabji Tata. Or probably, through a more twisted channel at which they are more adept, try and get cricket to be an Olympic sport- exclusion then would surely be an insult India wouldn't tolerate. Until that time safe to say, No Country for Young Men.