A GLORIOUS DAY INDEED FOR A COUNTRY OBSESSED WITH ITS CRICKET.
AFTER 28 LONG YEARS, THE INDIAN CRICKET TEAM LIFTED THE ICC CRICKET WORLD CUP ONCE AGAIN, BEATING SRI-LANKA IN THE FINALS BY 6 WICKETS.
BUT SEPARATION OF SPORTS AND POLITICS HAS ALWAYS BEEN AN UNATTAINABLE GOAL FOR THIS COUNTRY AND AS THE WC CAME TO AN END, A NEW DRAMA WAS JUST BEGINNING.
IT STARTED WITH THE BCCI ANNOUNCING RS. 1 CRORE TO EACH PLAYER OF THE INDIAN SQUAD AND 50 LACS EACH FOR THE COACH AND THE SUPPORT STAFF.
THE NEXT DAY – THE PRESIDENT OF INDIA MS. PRATIBHA PATIL INVITED THE INDIAN CRICKET TEAM TO THE RAJ BHAVAN TO CONGRATULATE THEM ON THEIR SUCCESS.
ALSO PRESENT AT THE OCCASION – PRITHVIRAJ CHAVAN, CHIEF MINISTER OF MAHARASHTRA CONGRATULATED THE PLAYERS AND ANNOUNCED A SPECIAL REWARD OF 1 CRORE EACH FOR MAHARASHTRA PLAYERS SACHIN TENDULKAR AND ZAHEER KHAN.
CHIEF MINISTER OF DELHI, SHEILA DIXIT ANNOUNCED 2 CRORE FOR THE INDIAN CAPTAIN AND 1 CRORE EACH FOR THE 4 MEMBERS OF THE TEAM BELONGING TO DELHI.
SIMILAR ANNOUNCEMENTS FOLLOWED BY CHIEF MINISTERS AND OTHER OFFICIALS FROM PUNJAB, KARNATAKA, UTTARAKHAND, GUJARAT, HARYANA AND U.P. FOR THEIR RESPECTIVE REPRESENTATIVES IN THE INDIAN SQUAD.
THIS FRENZY OF CASH HURLING AT THE WORLD CUP CHAMPIONS DOES BRING UP A VERY INTRESTING AND DEBATABLE QUESTION.
WAS IT REALLY REQUIRED? COULD THE GOVERNMENTS HAVE PUT THE MONEY TO BETTER USE? IS CASH COMPENSATION THE ONLY WAY TO HONOUR SOMEBODY’S ACHIEVEMENTS?
THE PLAYERS HAD ALREADY BEEN COMPENSATED GENEROUSLY BY THEIR CRICKET BOARD AS A GESTURE OF THEIR APPRECIATION. WAS IT REALLY NECESSARY FOR THE STATE GOVERNEMTS TO COME IN AND HURL MONEY AT PLAYERS BELONGING TO THEIR STATE?
THE PLAYERS HAD ALREADY BEEN COMPENSATED GENEROUSLY BY THEIR CRICKET BOARD AS A GESTURE OF THEIR APPRECIATION. WAS IT REALLY NECESSARY FOR THE STATE GOVERNEMTS TO COME IN AND HURL MONEY AT PLAYERS BELONGING TO THEIR STATE?
WHY NOT HONOUR THEIR CONTRIBUTIONS WITH SPORTS AWARDS ALONE? IS THAT NOT HONOUR ENOUGH? WHY NOT USE THE 6 CRORES SPENT BY DELHI TO BEAUTIFY A STREET OR A PARK OR A MUSEUM OR MODERNIZE A LOCAL GOVERNMENT HOSPITAL IN THE CITY AND DEDICATE THE UPGRADE TO THE STATE PLAYERS.
JHARKHAND, REGARDED AS ONE OF THE MOST BACKWARD STATES IN THE COUNTRY WAS THE ONLY STATE TO THINK ON THESE LINES AND ANNOUNCE TO BESTOW M.S.DHONI WITH A PLOT OF LAND TO SET UP A CRICKET ACADEMY IN THE STATE.
IF IT WERE ME IN HIS SHOES - I WOULD CONSIDER IT A BIGGER HONOR THAN RECEIVING A FEW CRORES OF COMPENSATION AS GRATITUDE.
DON’T GET ME WRONG, I LOVE MY CRICKET AND HAVE THE UTMOST RESPECT FOR THE SQUAD AND DO BELIEVE THEY NEED TO BE HONOURED FOR THEIR CONTRIBUTION. I DO NOT QUESTION THE HONOURS BESTOWED UPON THEM. I QUESTION WHETHER MONEY IS THE ONLY WAY TO DO THAT? OR CAN WE HONOUR THEIR CONTRIBUTIONS AND MAKE OUR RESPECTIVE ASSOCIATIONS OR STATES JUST A LITTLE BIT BETTER AT THE SAME TIME?
No comments:
Post a Comment