Quo Vadis

With the possible breakup of NATO, it is now clear that a relationship between the unequal's is not a tenable relationship. It helps if a common enemy can be found. Minus that the unity of purpose falters. This is what we have seen with the SAARC that never took off in spite of lofty goals. Now it is happening in Cricket.

Cricket used to be a game of gentlemen where players in immaculate white dresses took to the field with grace. The pace was easy and behaviour gentlemanly. And then entered the squeezed version of the game with players entering the field in multicoloured attires and behavioural antics. The easy pace of the game was gone and transformed into the equivalent of a boxing game where players were eager to throw up punches in all manners. Altercation between players and fans on the field were not unknown. Now it is happening with the management with discriminate application of the rules. The culture of Big Brother dominates. 'Geographic Realities' are now important factors when there is dispute between the teams, in a fashion reminiscent of '1984'.

Two international games that dominate our sports arena are Cricket and Football. But the fanfare that surrounds the game of Cricket is mute in Football. No wonder we are at the bottom of the global league of table for Football. Yet it is Football that should have been our priority. Cricket is expensive and town centric. The popularity of the game in the country is due to the influence of town-based elites who dominate the sports arena of the country. Reasons given against performance in Football are many including physical limitations. But the leaders in global Football are not very different from us such as Brazil and Mexico. A Bengali can be easily mistaken for a Mexican in the suburbs of LA. And then, many global stars in Football have risen from the Favellas in Brazil. If they can do it there is no reason why this cannot be done here. It is unfortunate that we have not been able to create a 'fiz' factor in the game of Football though there have been occasional sparks in the past. It is lack of focus rather than lack of ability that seems to matter. To think of ability, consider the days of pre-independence cricket when we hardly had a player in the national team except in consolation positions of extras. Yet we have risen. It is attention and allocation that makes the difference. It is time to take a fresh look at the disparity in attention a la resources allocated between the two games. Our natural game is Football, not Cricket.

Once upon a time the subcontinent was a prosperous place and drew global attention. The Europeans came behind the Moghuls. Even Columbus is known to have set his sail for the place though he ended up elsewhere due to vagaries of the sea. Before the Moghuls there were other aggressors, some stayed and some left with the loot. The ability to defend was almost non-existent due to division into many smaller enclaves. The amusing story of King Laxman Sen of Bengal fleeing the country as eleven horse riders showed up at his palace attests to this observation. Shaken by repeated aggression the concept of coalition grew when the enclaves got together into a union. One for all and all for one was the motto. Yet there was much to do internally that remained unattended. Aggressors were as successful as earlier.

In our childhood we were told to aim high. Most favourite topic in our primary school was 'If I was the Prime Minister'. Not everybody would be suitable for the job. Einstein declined this offer when offered the position in Israel. It is the innate ability that matters most. One has to hone the internal abilities to rise high. Else there can be a disconnect and possible failure. This is what we see in our sports arena through a misalignment as funds are allocated. This anomaly needs correction. Cricket is not our natural game. We played Football in primary school and then persuaded to play cricket in high school. We could have done better if this reality was understood. This happens in other areas of national activity as well. Many failures in our life today are due to this misalignment between inner abilities and external dictates. It is time to wake up. It does not mean we should take a reverse step. But when resources are limited, allocation needs rationalization. It can be a slow process, one step at a time. It is not reversal. It is putting the right side up. Besides, Football is a universal game while colonial past has tied us to this game of gentleman. It is time to loosen the imperial shackle in greater interest of national sports.

chowdhury.igc@gmail.com