Tuesday, August 9, 2016

Rio 2016


'Ajoba, Dipa Karmakar kab hai,' Shreya called. Dipa is buzz.  Days and nights on TV; Star Sports 1,2, 3, 4, HD and ordinary, could be more kind to Indian viewers. Maybe its a huge ask. On August 14, Sunday night, quite a bit of India or at least Tripura, surely me, will watch Dipa vault, the Produnova. A night ago, saw the Lady vault; foreign media vaulting on Dipa; an Indian praised; searched google to know a bit of the exercise; pulled out the Shivani Naik essay on Dipa Karmakar: 'Degree in Difficulty; Many grumble Dipa Karmakar's choice of vault - the difficult Produnova. The fretful fear its too risky, the purists believe it is used by lesser gymnasts for short-term gains.' When did it happen last .... the wait for a performing Lady, cant remember; perhaps, in 2012 London, sat up for Saina Nehwal.  And on August 15, Dipa will take Gold; share with us her Gold. Wont mind, proved wrong, that's the price of hope. Dipa, our hockey men and women, archers, rowers, wrestlers, shooters, boxers ... are unknowns of an unknown India in Rio 2016....  an India of Mahasweta Devi, a village called India sabashing in Rio ... an India of Indian languages ... dangalling...creating their fate, medal plating their fate, fate not a given. Sports is being free of a million years of poor and poorness; village India is doing it ... sports will give them jobs and lives .. apparently, they can climb out of caste, religion and every other put aside as Brahmins are not into sports; we sure dare not ask Dipa her caste; a Muslim, a Dalit, an Adivasi, a Christian ... needs to run and jump well without fear of bullets and lynching....It  could take time before bone and muscle build at village homes with dals and rotis, before turning up regulars at gold. Sirring and Purring to powers will ever be; a mindless IAS-IPS-IFS brigade will be there for sure as the ruling class will insist on a say for village India ... after all the ruling class needs to fly free to Rio and Tokyo to make home buys ... that may also go... Bindra has done it ... Today, how many of us know Chinglesana ... a hockey Olympian who scored a goal for India against Argentina the other day; an Abhinav Bindra is a bit known... his discipline is not made in India Interior ... but there is a stir ... economic growth is seeping at a slow pace, trickle effect say economists, pace decided by New Delhi elite. Village India has only one Way to go ...make it in Rio 2016, Tokyo 2020 ... maybe India will become a sporting nation and the poor will do you, India and me proud. For themselves. Hindi sound bites, hugs and an 'Apna Rani'  for Dipa Karmakar. Maybe, Amul will improve upon its ad: C'mon India! Olympick yourselves up!... Amul There for you!

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