The hockey shame India facing.

The recent withdrawal of hosting rights from Delhi for the Champions trophy can only be seen as one of the tightest slaps Indian reputation has recently received. The tussle started by government and largely due to one man ( my personal opinion ) Mr. KPS Gill between HI and IHF has taken a turn towards the ugly. There have been incidences of the two federations poaching players from each other since one has been given the responsibility of posting an Indian Hockey team which by a play of luck recently won a decent victory over South Korea. Despite everything, the earlier initiative of Premier Hockey League which was a very proactive and much needed step in the direction of improving Indian hockey ended up being discontinued for silly political and egoistic issues. Now the rekindling of similar initiatives is IHF with WSH coming soon. Just participating in the promotion event costed the top 5 players a lot of face and time. A recent news article about the lodging of Indian Hockey players by sports federations is also an example of the inadequacies the Indian sports infrastructure possesses. In a recent press conference on the WSH league that is about to start, the words of KPSG sounded like irony. It seemed that a man who by his mere and perennial presence in the IHF has led it to the abyss is trying to uplift his public image. I have been a serious fan and optimist for the Indian hockey, but the recent events have taken the actual to such a low that the optimism is fast loosing out.

Is it a glimpse of the future or an aberration

The biggest positive that India needs to take from the Anna Hazare's movement against corruption is that India can still unite when it feels the need to do so. Despite all its shortcomings, despite all the high-headedness shown by both the sides and despite the fact that most people did not even understand the impact and clauses of the jan lokpal bill, the movement will and should go down in the history as one of the rare Indian Revolution. A revolution which unlike most others ended peacefully without a shred of bloodshed.
The patience shown by the Indian masses was commendable and in my opinion a sign of bigger things to come. Going by the past history of rioting and lynching throughout the nation, I had almost lost hope that such calm and patience can be extended collectively by India. Kudos to my nation for proving me wrong. This hidden quality of Indians will take the nation far into the realms of progress if it is used when needed.
The voice of the masses was heard without the need for any violence. I may not be a very knowledgeable person but it is my guess that it would be a first for independent India where such large scale protests have all gone so peacefully without violence.
I would like to congratulate my fellow countrymen on achieving this unity. However, my wishes come with a warning, before rising for any movement be aware of its consequences. Not the personal consequences which you face while protesting but the consequences the outcome of the protests is likely to have on the nation.
Jai Hind!!!!

Lifeline of India aka The Indian Railways

It should be beyond the scope of any debate that the Indian Railways is the lifeline of India. It has been railways that has brought to the true spirit, the constitution's philosophy of free movement. Without the near omnipresent railways it could have been a dream that remains a dream.
Despite the strong protest of the father of the nation who believed more in self sufficiency of the vollage system and limited cross movement, the railways had done what was thought impossible. It was the biggest unifying factor in the freedom movement.
Like any other blessing it also has its own vices. For starters the management is still a logistical nightmare. Trains frequently get delayed and safety has become another major concern. Not to forget its ineptness in coping up with the growing population and demanding needs. An average speed of 70-80 kmph is not sufficient in the current fast paced world
The railways is and will always remain the lifeline of india but it may not be an overstatement to expect and demand a rail revolution after a green and white one that the nation has so gracefully embraced.

The anti corruption movement

It is heart warming and heart wrenching at the same time to see the Indian masses coming together for a single cause. The corruption has got a stronghold in every nook and corner of the bureaucracy in India. I started with saying its heart warming and heart wrenching. The reason it is heart warming is that for one of the rare causes apart from Cricket, Indians are showing some solidarity. On the other hand it pains me to observe that Indians are not able to get rid of the herd mentality. Follow one person blindly without applying their own thoughts. Sometimes its like the mere thought of using their own mind is nauseating. While voting for elections people simply follow whatever they have been. There is almost never a consideration of the change in the political scenario. What I have observed, is that when the media creates a hype of incumbency factor,the government is overturned.
As I have repeated by stance time and again, its not a law that can change the scenario. All laws have loopholes. To patch up the situation is not the solution, but an overhaul is required for the existing system.
How long can a patch up hold a leak in the tank. At some time or the other to be safe and steady, you need to replace the tank. Mere patchwork has been the Indian mentality over a long time. Its time to bring freshness into our thinking. If you really want to end corruption, stand up against it but not necessarily with Anna. His ideology against corruption is commendable but the stand that his lokpal bill is the only solution is a thing I can not digest.

The Indian Obsession: Cricket

India is a country obsessed with cricket. A game played by a handful of countries and dominated financially by India owning to the fanatics for it.
Ever wondered why other sports in India are not doing so well. Well I did wonder about it and sort of came to a conclusion which many people will not like. My take on this issue is that the money and visibility associated with cricket has brought about a down trend for other games. While a cricket player is treated like a royal, the India team members for other sports are treated like worthless trash at most occasions.
Recently it had come to notice that Indian hockey players were forced to stay in dormitories with stinking toilets, beds with no bed sheet and bunched up 5-6 in a room. While a similar situation in Cricket will most certainly turn into a national calamity, this incident died soon after it came to notice.
What is it about cricket that has made us so fanatic. It is a game of the lazy where people stay out in the sun standing for the whole day and waiting for their turn. While most other games, a player is not provided more than a moment's respite before his next move is supposed to happen. So why is this obsession.
Its not like Indians have been a lazy race in there pedigree. Indians have always been looked up in the world as one of the most intellectual races and I loathe to think of intellect going along with laziness. So the question once again is why the obsession.
It may have started with the zeal to beat the Britishers at their own game for ruling us for so long. But it so happens that we are not able to do that. India might have won the World Cup of Cricket but what value does a world cup hold for a game that is played by 8 countries who are assured to make the cut to the cup. Isn't it ironic that we are calling ourselves World Champions for a game not even played in most of the civilized regions of the world.
India's national game "USED" to be hockey. People used to love Dhyan Chand and kind. India really dominated hockey in those days like Aussies did to cricket in the recent era. Hockey has lost all its significance in India and our team is in worst state than the current West Indies Cricket team which had its glory days back in 70s and 80s. India has seen a similar fall in Hockey but to a deeper ditch.
What has Cricket given to India. We may say we are united behind cricket but what good being united behind a game which not many would challenge you to.
For India to take all games seriously we need to remove the veil of cricket from the people's eye and open them to the endless possibilities present in the sporting world.
Lets fight for our esteem at other sports. The other sports deserve it and our nation deserves lot more medals than we luckily are able to scavenge at times.

The infrastructure conundrum

The Indian government has long been in the endeavor to provide better infrastructure to the citizens. Though some people will like to believe that the politicians had their personal interests before others. It may be the case in a lot of cases but overall comparing the Infrastructure development the country has seen, a lot has improved in the past few decades. It used to take more than 5-6 hours for me to reach my village from my domicile. Kanpur to Etawah used to take that long on a road that was a highway and no side road. Its just 150 odd kilometers. Now I can drive there in mere 2 hours.
The power in my home used to be cut for days at length at times, now its reduced to hours. It has to be noted that the consumption of electricity has risen at an alarming rate, while the production has increased at a meager pace. As such the shortfall is expected to last for a long time.
The government is not an omnipresent god or a powerful dictator. Its made of people like us. People who are prone to desires of the heart and corruption of the mind. However, despite everything, some things have progressed beyond imagining.
As a citizen, it is very easy to blame the government, as an administrator it is very easy to blame the citizens, but as a nation we cannot find anyone else to blame than ourselves. It is our collective duty to be diligent and vigilant. The nation does not need a vigilante who can fight this battle for us, but it does need vigilant citizens who are aware of the happenings and are genuinely critical of the steps taken by government. Politicians and Bureaucrats need to be praised for good things they do and similarly criticized severely for any misdeed. But the nation's population cannot be always blaming them for every thing wrong with them. A large part of blame actually lie with us.
There would be no bribe takers if there are no bribe givers.
There would be no garbage on roads if we don't throw it at every nook and corner.
There would be no need for so high policing if people themselves are vigilant and brave in providing information.

It is easier to blame than to act and acknowledge. Be brave and acknowledge. Fulfill your duty. India deserves it. Jai Hind.

Lokpal Bill.. The Fuss and the fizz

To a distant observer it may seem that the introduction of a lokpal into the Indian bureaucracy will result in a sudden culmination of corruption. One must keep into account that the context of Hong Kong where the concept has worked and the context of India are two different paradigms.
With the current procedures remaining as it is, the introduction of an ombudsman is likely put so much pressure on the public servants that they might be too frightened to take any decision. The Indian habit of blame game has been imbibed so deep in our roots that before taking any decision each person will try to cover his tracks.
It is my humble and honest opinion that corruption has helped India to a large extent. It has opened doors that would have taken battering rams to break down. But, we can't just judge the thing based on its outcome. Means are equally important. Hence the Million dollar question, How to get over this reeking evil?
The answer to me is very simple. It is very difficult to subside the corrupt tendencies by fear of legal action. However, it is easier to do the same by being transparent. Howsoever corrupt an official is, it takes a lot of guts on his part to be proclaimed corrupt personality. The need to save face is paramount in Indian culture.
Hence what needs to change is the political will to restructure all government procedures so that they are transparent and free from redundant steps. If this happens, the corruption will eventually ease out and development will ease in.