The Obsession With Cricket

I'm a big fan of Chain Kulli ki Main Kulli so I say this with a heavy heart, but we hail from a nation whose hockey players smashed records in the wake of World War 2, when our dear own Dhyan Chand was offered a senior post in the army of the Fuhrer, yet he refused and till date, his achievements fall short when compared to Tendulkar's shining glory. What is this curious obsession that we have as a people? When it comes to anything that shapes us, we tend to choose only one and force others to go with it as well. As a kid i remember cricket and soccer, at times to be the only two games we were encouraged to pursue. There was a movie which was recently released, featuring the tale of a struggling boxer and how he overcomes all odds, even when caste becomes a major obstacle. We as a nation have so many problems at our roots that we refuse to acknowledge even till this day. A few months back, there was an article featuring a fighter who had represented our country on an international level and was forced to sell kulfi on the roads in order to provide for his family. Why is it that Kohli and co. simply rake in crores via IPL and various other tournaments and our countrymen refuse to support games such as kabbadi, or traditional martial arts such as Kalaripayattu is nearing extinction? Is it too hard to see the inequality? Of course not. But it's a common habit amongst us that we turn a blind eye to many problems in an effort to ignore their existence. However, the facts remain that Olympic level athletes have turned down medals because of their inability to obtain jobs or the government failing consistently at finding solutions for this problem. Passion exists in every field. A parent shouldn't just pray for their kid to emerge as an engineer or a doctor, dreams should be our own and that's why they let us soar higher than wisps of clouds on a rainy day. We all should learn to understand the term individuality, for good reason, in order to develop as human beings and forge our own path. Whether it seems daunting or not, one just has to have faith in their own self and believe in focus and flow. Corruption lives and breathes at every nook and corner in our country, and it's time we uproot it before it poisons us more. Remember where you came from, and where you wish to go. And don't let the bullies within the society hold you back at any cost. We are a nation which occupies 20% of the earth's population, should our chief contributions be helicopter shots and pooping in public forever? Is it not mature to reach for more than what's possible. And the fact is, we as a race can succeed immensely at every level, but we simply don't wish to make the effort because our views are so narrow and localized. Only by branching out and learning more will we move forward in this already devastating 21st century. Players in Bangalore who were being hosted for a boxing tournament had to sleep on floor for the entire stay because that's all the corporation responsible for them could afford. They didn't even have ample meals. Are we still going to ignore these hard-hitting facts and keep walking like blind men on a brittle bridge? Holding on to our hopes and ambitions can make us the greatest creatures on this planet. You need only look at key figures heading global companies for confirmation. Support is what is needed at the moment, mostly from the audience and people from all states. I mean Sunil Chhetri had to beg folks to cheer for his team in order to ensure a turnout for the World Cup game. And we have so many hardcore maniacs going nuts about Manchester and Chelsea but we forget our very own brethren and abandon them countless number of times whilst encouraging conflicts between jawans and villagers in Kashmir who have already suffered for six decades and are yet to undergo a lot more. We should strive to be better versions of our present, pathetic selves.