So finally it has happened. It took more than a century for one of the oldest civilizations and most populous nations in the world to achieve its first individual gold medal at the Olympic Games. Abhinav Bindra has done India proud like no one else before. And in victory he looked cool, composed and confident, representing more of ancient Bharat than modern India. Achievements of wrestler and boxer Kumars are nothing less, but an Olympic Gold Medal for an individual item is what has eluded India for so long. India has done far better in group games than in individual sports so far. India had taken Olympic Gold Medals in Hockey many times and we could do satisfactorily well in a couple of other games too. From its virtual monopoly in Hockey, Indians have now come down to a stage of failing to even qualify for participation. And India has always been an utter failure in athletics. One Milkha Singh and one P.T. Usha are no great achievements for a colossal human resource of 1.2 billion human beings.
Our brilliant Bindra has broken that jinx and has ushered in a new era for his fellow countrymen by his own efforts. If we can learn from Bindra’s story and recognize the several lapses we have in our system, India can target at least a dozen medals in the next Olympics. In individual items India has produced only a handful of world-class sportsmen. Personally I can think of only a few individuals like Prakash Padukone, Geeth Sethi and Viswananthan Anand who can claim to have gone up to the very top of the world. Then we had so many others who were promising and very hopeful at times. Milkha Singh, Usha, Yohannan, Rathore, Kumars etc., can only be counted in that category. Their greatness definitely lies in their tremendous fight against all odds in India to reach where they were with a setup like that of ours. But in the case of Abhinav Bindra we can set aside all reservations because he shall remain forever as the first individual Olympic Gold Medalist for India.
Non-Playing Captains
The simple fact that the 60 member Indian contingent to Beijing Olympics had only a half of them actually participating in sports and games speaks chapters about Indian Sports. And the striking truth that Indian nation was represented by a petty politician (and not the President or Prime Minister) speaks volumes about the present pathetic condition of our great nation. In all countries, especially democratic ones, there is politics in sports and games. In a way it is unavoidable because sports & games involve human beings and all are political creatures. But non-playing hardcore politicians taking control of the leadership of almost all sports bodies is something that is seen only in India. Their leadership is good but inevitably they bring in dirty political maneuvers and manipulations into the games. During their tenures, it is very common these days to see very promising players turning into very nasty politicians. Politics seeps into everything and destroys the players and ultimately the game. Indian Hockey is the best example for this degeneration syndrome.
The main attraction for hardcore politicians is the money lying at the disposal of sports bodies. It is often the reluctance and inefficiency of good sports managers to handle such huge amounts of money that paves the way for non-playing entities to come in. And once these non-playing entities have come into the body of any sports organization, it is almost impossible to get them out. There are good things they bring about in the conduct of games but very few in the game itself. It is high time we started insulating core bodies in each games & sports from the negative influences of these non-playing captains. Politicians must be welcome in sports organizing bodies but not in the basic sports bodies meant for promotion of the sport. Indian Hockey Federation, BCCI, Indian Olympic Committee etc,, are all suffering from the bad influence of Indian politicians. All the unprofessionalism and greediness of Indian politicians have started showing in the dirty demeanor of many coaches and players. This was very much evident in Beijing also.
Greedy Claims
Some of Indian coaches have jumped the gun and started claiming all glory for themselves. All the self-generated media publicity by the coach of Abhinav Bindra was preposterous and premature. He should have claimed glory for himself and arranged all celebrations only after Mr. Bindra had publically acknowledged the efforts of his coach. Otherwise he is only a paid coach who has done his job. Coaches are paid professionals who are retained for training all those who are assigned to them. Much before Mr. Bindra even mentioned about his coach, the sunny trainer has attended several celebrations and got a cash reward declared by Kerala Government (for reasons best known to them). Here the stark comparison with Mr. Nambiar who took yeoman efforts in coaching and perfecting a village girl like Ms. P.T. Usha to the topmost level is highly revealing. All those who are following the media these days knows fully well that it is Abhinav’s father who needs to be complimented and not his coach who is retained by Government of India for training. At this rate even domestic servants at Bindra’s residence can lay their claims for the Olympic Gold Medal just because they have cooked for Abhinav and washed him!!
Another breed of Indians who were making a lot of claims during their journey to Beijing are now sulking. There was our lady long jumper (who has never ever crossed the 7-metre mark in her life) making all tall claims. She even crossed all limits of professional decency when she ridiculed the brilliant efforts of her predecessor Ms. P.T. Usha in the past. By such arrogant deeds she has spoiled her name and all the goodwill we had for her. After all the hullaballoo and media propaganda by her cronies, she painted a very pitiable picture by failing to even qualify. If she has fouled deliberately (which is very much possible because she knew she cannot make it anyway), the entire money spent on training her must be recovered from her. She and her coach (who is her husband himself) have been spending quite a lot of public money under the guise of training abroad. She should have remembered that these days the Olympic God Medals for long jump goes to those who can cross the 7-metre mark and there are atleast half a dozen contestants who can do it. Also, she should remember that ‘manoramic’ media propaganda by her ‘own’ supporters and burning candlesticks by a few Kerala Congress politicians will not get her anywhere in athletics. One can leap high and long only if one is on firm grounds and not floating on air.
Abhinav’s victory could not have come at a better time. Indian sports’ biggest bane is the game of Cricket and Indian Cricket is in utter shambles now. This is the right time to discontinue undue encouragements for cancerous Cricket and start promotion of real sports and games that are useful for human body, mind and spirit. Managers of Indian Sports must pick up from the glory of Abhinav’s medal and start preparing for the next major international event. The best in each field who have already proved their mettle must take charge of managing the game. If we again leave it to the dirty politicians and cheeky coaches to prepare our candidates we will only end up with many more lotus-eating long jumpers. If we want more of highly focused modern day Arjuns like Abhinav Bindra, now is the time to act.
Monday, August 25, 2008
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Mafia Malayalam
Most dictionaries define Mafia as a close-knit or influential group of people who work together and protect one another's interests or the interests of a particular group. Though such a definition gives a less sinister image, the real Mafias are much more complex and dangerous than that. Those who make up a Mafia are generally devoid of any scruples, morality and sense of justice. If Italy was the land that gave a glorified identity to the Mafia gangs, the newly emerging rich among middle class is making India a fertile ground for development of ‘Mafiadoms’. The diversity of India in anything and everything is providing the right conditions for the formation of numerous Mafia groups in every field of human activity. As always Kerala is once again leading the country.
The God’s Own Country, as the tourism sector would like Kerala to become, is a curious mix of religions, ideologies and communities. Hinduism was once the dominant faith in the state, but it has been systematically relegated to the background now. It was always an uneven playground for the majority faith. Most of the land in Kerala once belonged to temples and all temples came under the control of government when the new rulers dawned in 1947. Then it became an unequal competition between the highly handicapped majority community and the rejuvenated and pampered other communities. Religious conversions flourished and the levers of power shifted to the firm hands of others in no time. The huge influx of foreign money has altered everything in Kerala now. It is nothing but a complex conglomerate of numerous Mafias, NGOs, GOs, political parties and community organizations. A little more about the dominant Mafias may be useful to some.
.
Land Mafia
The most formidable of Mafias in Kerala is the Land Mafia. Their reach is unbelievable and depth is unfathomable. There is no exaggeration at all when some recent researchers concluded that tons of money (literally) are being pumped into the real estate business in Kerala every month. So many factors have contributed to the sudden spurt in land deals and the advent of Mafia gangs. With the bank interests dropping daily, the nouveau rich were looking for a sink when so many new projects got announced in Kerala. Some of the projects may never come and most of the projects that may take off will never get finished within our lifetimes. All landed people are rich on paper, but nobody can sell their land so easily now. Large scale transactions are inevitably handled by the Mafias. Irrespective of ownership, a few people decide on who is going to sell, who is going to buy and at what price. Huge influx of ISI fake currency has also boosted the buying power of a select few. The Land Mafia in Kerala scaled new heights recently when they succeeded in selling government land to the government itself at very high prices!!
Education Mafia
Education sector in Kerala is another fertile ground for Mafia operations. The unique concept of aided schools in Kerala, where government money is spent for salary and School Owner appoints the teachers, provide a remarkably attractive scenario for the Mafias. The situation got all the more attractive when the new horde of self-financing professional colleges also arrived on the scene. It is very interesting to note that 90% of these new ‘milch cows’ belong to the so-called minority communities. Though illegal, crores and crores of rupees are collected every year by way of capitation fees and most of them in this business have recovered their investment many times over by now. But one thing is very clear – that pure merit forms only about 10% of the overall factor that decides one’s admission into any of these self-financing (sic) professional colleges. The truth that ‘divine’ clergy forms an integral part of this Education Mafia shows the depths of degeneration that Kerala has fallen into.
Tourism Mafia
Tourism sector has always been a favourite grazing ground for the moneyed Mafia with foreign connections. Logically and logistically the tourist resorts provide the correct coverage and investment opportunity for the Mafia. This also provides a safe passage for the organized harvesters to indulge in religious conversion activities masquerading as tourists. Vast areas of forest land are being encroached everyday by a Mafia operating in this field under the guise of promotion of eco-tourism for earning foreign exchange for the nation. They operate in close collaboration with the agriculturists of commercial crops – a special category created (by the Mafia) for escaping the provisions of all types of Land Reforms Acts. Acres and acres of forest land are first leased out from the government for cultivation of commercial crops like cardamom and then diverted into tourism sector by illegal construction of buildings. The futile attempts by the incumbent government to reclaim such lands have been sabotaged within no time. And no government could stand up to this Mafia when it comes to facing the courts in the case of Cardamom Hill Reserves.
Population Mafia
The clever in any democracy knows that it is ultimately numbers that matters most. Once you have the numbers, power is just the next election away. Organised communities know how to make most out of their numbers (and consequent power) because the very basis of their organized religion is path to power. Working together as a Mafia towards increasing their population and projecting an image of co-operation with the government in their family planning efforts are the favourite tools of such people. The famed ‘accidental’ third-child among well educated Catholics in Kerala is the best example for this. Grabbing land from the hapless Adivasis by arranging organized migration is another technique of the population Mafia to establish themselves. Of late, their friends in the Health department have even started arranging sterilization camps for the Adivasis, so as to make it much easier for these encroaching migrants to take over the entire lands.
Media Mafia
Most Keralites suffer from an overdose of petty politics and almost everyone is afflicted with prejudices based on pre-conceived notions. In this land of colored channels and newspapers, the worst affected is the mass media. It is almost impossible to find any media professional who is really independent. Almost all senior journalists are fellow travelers of some known political or religious groups. Each news channel and newspaper has an agenda (other than pursuing truth) to attain and they tend to work together or against as a Mafia. It is very easy to identify and predict the news report by each reporter just by looking at his name, employer, location and attire. The only option in front of those who are looking for independent news & views is to draw up their own conclusions after listening to a couple of news channels with their known prejudices and leanings.
Minority Mafia
This is a unique breed of Mafia developing in recent times in this unique land of Mafias. The aim and objective of this new Mafia is continuous spotlight on the special rights for minorities in Indian constitution, permeating these privileges into all relevant & irrelevant fields as much as possible, taking anticipatory action to perpetuate these privileges forever and most importantly, putting the majority community in constant apology and defensive mode by reminding them about the ‘atrocities’ and ‘pogroms’ they are alleged to have committed in the past. India’s peculiar brand of secularism comes very handy for this Mafia in their activities. All religions are equal in India but followers of some religions enjoy special privileges as minorities. What a brilliant way to promote organized religious conversion and destroy everything that is Indian!!
The net effect of these multitude of Mafias on our civil society are the drastic fall in values and highlighting of wrong role models for the growing generations. Heroes are those who could become rich in no time following none of the established routes of struggle & hard work in education, employment or business. Heroes are those who can harm the majority and national interests by canvassing for condemnation by foreign friends for baseless allegations by malicious propaganda. Heroes are those who can compromise on national interests and creep in back door into the corridors of power. Mafias are posing a big challenge to Indian nation and it is worth spending a few minutes on this during the ensuing anniversary of our liberation from the Whites.
The God’s Own Country, as the tourism sector would like Kerala to become, is a curious mix of religions, ideologies and communities. Hinduism was once the dominant faith in the state, but it has been systematically relegated to the background now. It was always an uneven playground for the majority faith. Most of the land in Kerala once belonged to temples and all temples came under the control of government when the new rulers dawned in 1947. Then it became an unequal competition between the highly handicapped majority community and the rejuvenated and pampered other communities. Religious conversions flourished and the levers of power shifted to the firm hands of others in no time. The huge influx of foreign money has altered everything in Kerala now. It is nothing but a complex conglomerate of numerous Mafias, NGOs, GOs, political parties and community organizations. A little more about the dominant Mafias may be useful to some.
.
Land Mafia
The most formidable of Mafias in Kerala is the Land Mafia. Their reach is unbelievable and depth is unfathomable. There is no exaggeration at all when some recent researchers concluded that tons of money (literally) are being pumped into the real estate business in Kerala every month. So many factors have contributed to the sudden spurt in land deals and the advent of Mafia gangs. With the bank interests dropping daily, the nouveau rich were looking for a sink when so many new projects got announced in Kerala. Some of the projects may never come and most of the projects that may take off will never get finished within our lifetimes. All landed people are rich on paper, but nobody can sell their land so easily now. Large scale transactions are inevitably handled by the Mafias. Irrespective of ownership, a few people decide on who is going to sell, who is going to buy and at what price. Huge influx of ISI fake currency has also boosted the buying power of a select few. The Land Mafia in Kerala scaled new heights recently when they succeeded in selling government land to the government itself at very high prices!!
Education Mafia
Education sector in Kerala is another fertile ground for Mafia operations. The unique concept of aided schools in Kerala, where government money is spent for salary and School Owner appoints the teachers, provide a remarkably attractive scenario for the Mafias. The situation got all the more attractive when the new horde of self-financing professional colleges also arrived on the scene. It is very interesting to note that 90% of these new ‘milch cows’ belong to the so-called minority communities. Though illegal, crores and crores of rupees are collected every year by way of capitation fees and most of them in this business have recovered their investment many times over by now. But one thing is very clear – that pure merit forms only about 10% of the overall factor that decides one’s admission into any of these self-financing (sic) professional colleges. The truth that ‘divine’ clergy forms an integral part of this Education Mafia shows the depths of degeneration that Kerala has fallen into.
Tourism Mafia
Tourism sector has always been a favourite grazing ground for the moneyed Mafia with foreign connections. Logically and logistically the tourist resorts provide the correct coverage and investment opportunity for the Mafia. This also provides a safe passage for the organized harvesters to indulge in religious conversion activities masquerading as tourists. Vast areas of forest land are being encroached everyday by a Mafia operating in this field under the guise of promotion of eco-tourism for earning foreign exchange for the nation. They operate in close collaboration with the agriculturists of commercial crops – a special category created (by the Mafia) for escaping the provisions of all types of Land Reforms Acts. Acres and acres of forest land are first leased out from the government for cultivation of commercial crops like cardamom and then diverted into tourism sector by illegal construction of buildings. The futile attempts by the incumbent government to reclaim such lands have been sabotaged within no time. And no government could stand up to this Mafia when it comes to facing the courts in the case of Cardamom Hill Reserves.
Population Mafia
The clever in any democracy knows that it is ultimately numbers that matters most. Once you have the numbers, power is just the next election away. Organised communities know how to make most out of their numbers (and consequent power) because the very basis of their organized religion is path to power. Working together as a Mafia towards increasing their population and projecting an image of co-operation with the government in their family planning efforts are the favourite tools of such people. The famed ‘accidental’ third-child among well educated Catholics in Kerala is the best example for this. Grabbing land from the hapless Adivasis by arranging organized migration is another technique of the population Mafia to establish themselves. Of late, their friends in the Health department have even started arranging sterilization camps for the Adivasis, so as to make it much easier for these encroaching migrants to take over the entire lands.
Media Mafia
Most Keralites suffer from an overdose of petty politics and almost everyone is afflicted with prejudices based on pre-conceived notions. In this land of colored channels and newspapers, the worst affected is the mass media. It is almost impossible to find any media professional who is really independent. Almost all senior journalists are fellow travelers of some known political or religious groups. Each news channel and newspaper has an agenda (other than pursuing truth) to attain and they tend to work together or against as a Mafia. It is very easy to identify and predict the news report by each reporter just by looking at his name, employer, location and attire. The only option in front of those who are looking for independent news & views is to draw up their own conclusions after listening to a couple of news channels with their known prejudices and leanings.
Minority Mafia
This is a unique breed of Mafia developing in recent times in this unique land of Mafias. The aim and objective of this new Mafia is continuous spotlight on the special rights for minorities in Indian constitution, permeating these privileges into all relevant & irrelevant fields as much as possible, taking anticipatory action to perpetuate these privileges forever and most importantly, putting the majority community in constant apology and defensive mode by reminding them about the ‘atrocities’ and ‘pogroms’ they are alleged to have committed in the past. India’s peculiar brand of secularism comes very handy for this Mafia in their activities. All religions are equal in India but followers of some religions enjoy special privileges as minorities. What a brilliant way to promote organized religious conversion and destroy everything that is Indian!!
The net effect of these multitude of Mafias on our civil society are the drastic fall in values and highlighting of wrong role models for the growing generations. Heroes are those who could become rich in no time following none of the established routes of struggle & hard work in education, employment or business. Heroes are those who can harm the majority and national interests by canvassing for condemnation by foreign friends for baseless allegations by malicious propaganda. Heroes are those who can compromise on national interests and creep in back door into the corridors of power. Mafias are posing a big challenge to Indian nation and it is worth spending a few minutes on this during the ensuing anniversary of our liberation from the Whites.
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