The Game of Blame

While the bodies of the 67 deceased in the mishap at Sainthia were still under the wreckage waiting to be rummaged through, ministers and spokesperson from different political parties had already gone live on media accusing Mamata Banerjee. They were so engrossed in launching diatribes on the Railways Minister that they became completely oblivious to the moot issue. I am no proponent of the TMC, but I am sure that there would have been hardly any difference had the Railways Minister been from a different political party. The core problem is 3-fold: a) lack of maintenance in the existing infrastructure including the signalling systems, b) lack of inclination to modernise the same, and c) lack of properly trained personnel. The points a) and c) or a combination of both is being seen as the main reason for this mishap. However, b) is equally significant to the whole issue. Every budget carries along with it a long list of new trains, when the Minister is from Bihar- the Garib Raths, when from West Bengal- the Durontos. But the tracks they run on remain the same. Given the apparent increase in frequencies of the passing trains, an upgrade of the age-old railway lines becomes indispensable. However, instead of logically finding solutions to the problems faced by the country, our politicians allude the common man to the more “relevant” game of blame and happily take home incomes from the “Party Fund” (and we all know where it comes from). In the garb of whiteness of their traditional kurtas, they are vultures as dark as the inside of a coal mine at midnight, who feed off practically anything. Some won’t even leave couples spending time together on Valentine’s Days alone. Hoping that India counters the formidable deep-rooted negativities and shine bright in the coming days seems to be a little too hopeful, to say the least.

Oh India!

Millions in the Indian subcontinent are glued to the scintillating game of football amidst the ongoing Fifa World Cup, 2010. One can see the fever everywhere regardless of the kind of living. Be it the more privileged ones who watch this spectacular game on LCDs sitting on comfy sofas, or the ones in destitution who still manage to flauntingly wave Brazil’s or Argentina’s flags and form crowds to get a glimpse of the jabulani; the fanaticism is obtrusive. A nation where cricket is indubitably considered a second religion, gave no importance whatsoever to the Asia Cup which happened to clash with the Fifa World Cup. Apparently, India won the cup and none seem to even be cognizant of the affair, let alone be jubilant. All this would have made sense had the Indian football team been able to qualify for the World Cup. However, they haven’t and the ugly truth is they haven’t been able to in 80 years since their affiliation with Fifa, apart from the one time in 1950 when they purportedly withdrew on being rejected to play barefoot. What, then, is the justification of this obscure status quo? Is it an indication to a change of favouritism in sports in India? Or is it simply because of the fact that the Maestro wasn’t a part of the trophy winning Indian team? Even if latter is the case, cricket in India is ostensibly ephemeral. And a change in the Indian sporting culture is imminent. Perhaps, this change is due and is for the good as cricket, and previously hockey, have hogged up almost the entire attention of media and government support. Support in terms of funds can be tossed about by cricketers today thanks to the IPL. It is the broadening of the span of sports that is of dire need. It is poignant that a country like the Netherlands, having a population less than that of a South Delhi colony, have reached the Quarter-Finals and have shocked the mighty Brazilians to move on to the Semis with heads held high; while India, a nation comprising more than 17% of the world population, gets knocked out in its first round in the Qualifiers. It is high time that India do something about its abysmal performance in sports other than cricket. Hope it does and that too soon.