Society
Is This Cricket?
One reads with delight, although tinged with sadness that India has won the World T 20 Championship, for the blind, defeating Pakistan. As one reads the news report one is astonished at the complexity of such a game of cricket. The players are divided into categories: partially blind, completely blind, endowed with partial vision etc. They are divided into technical categories. As one looks at the photo of the team celebrating victory one can recognize the fact about their disability.
In a time and era when we are vociferously advocating the cause of the differently abled, one wonders how the Sports Ministry will honour these players, as they play under risky circumstances. Obviously not much of hype is created for such an event, as people not as fortunate as us, come from all over the world assemble, to desperately prove a modicum of normalcy. In fact only a snippet of a news item is given, and devoted to such an event. Who are these players, under what conditions do they live, do they have a regular employment, what are their backgrounds, economic condition- these are not covered by our otherwise buoyant media. Why not NDTV do a story on this, not fictitious but real? Or, for that matter Times Now, or CNN IBN? At least the print media has given some coverage, but we would like to know more.
I was touched when I read that one of the Indian players commented that he was very keen to see his team reach three hundred, more than reaching the personal milestone of scoring a century. We have a lesson or two to learn here, quite antithetical to the complaints of one of India's famed Team India as he recently raised a brouhaha, over the kind of food he was served. But that is India, the more you get, not only do you want more, but you keep others wanting, visibly embarrasing them, speaking brusquely- a hall mark of our politicians and the elite who rule by the yardstick of money.
One wonders what will happen to these cricketers, as they fight tooth and nail to win laurels for the country, the kind of laurels which will not get vocal attention , but will give them only the inner delight of winning for a cause, and for their country?
However there is a redeeming feature. Arjuna Ranatunga the former Sri Lankan captain, was present to distribute the prizes and encourage the players. What were the other cricketers, sloshed with wealth and creature comforts doing?
14-Dec-2012
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Ananya S Guha
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