How do you think we could assess the general talent and ability of the citizens of a country or a state?
By the number of professionally qualified people the country churns out? Or by counting the Nobel Prize winners? Or perhaps the literacy rate? Or rather the no of Gold medals the country procured in the previous Olympics???
I'd be genuinely be irked if someone has a compelling argument in favour of the last one, the Olympics one. One of my friends joked about the reason behind the pathetic display of our country on World stage (except Cricket) that the gross talent is equally distributed among all 1 billion people, so the per capita talent comes out a disaster. Good for a laugh if we are all in a balloon suspended above Wonderland.
To be honest, how successful a sportsperson you turn out boils down to how much support you receive from your immediate physical environment. In simple words, how well you're groomed. You may have awesome talent, tons of motivation and thrust but in the modern world you're still a handicap if you're not supported by professional coaching facilities & infrastructure, early & consistent opportunities at higher levels & vigorous training, to mature from a good player to a world-beater. And this is where the sportspersons in our country lose out. Its more a matter of money, as in any other field. Unfair, but the truth...
The treatment meted out to Sports people in our country and state is best described as cruel. Once upon a time Kerala enjoyed the kingpin status for producing raw talents in sports arena of the country. Kerala delivered the likes of PT Usha, Shiny Wilson, Anju George who brought much name and fame for the nation. The erstwhile football team of Kerala Police set the turf on fire with agile and charismatic charmers like Satyan, Pappachan and IM Vijayan. We had back-up talents from teams like Titanium, SBT & co and those were the golden days of Kerala football. Not to mention the consistent performances in Santhosh Trophy when Kerala was a force to reckon with. Well, not anymore...not anymore.
The last tragedy story was that of FC Cochin, the first professional football club in the country, which failed to live up to the hype it created. We also have a Viva Kerala now, but no one knows where it's headed as well.
This is the case with many exciting kids seen during the annual School Games. Even though this is a well conducted event, the raw talents unearthed during the meet slowly fades away into oblivion for want of professional & international standard coaching and training facilities. Not to mention the bleak financial future awaiting them if they chose to be an athlete.
The Govt has send out the message loud and clear: Become a professional sportsman at your own risk!
What we've been giving our sportsmen were all bricks and boots. The GV Raja Sports School in Trivandrum is an open book for the neglect meted out to the aspiring kids who chose to take up Sports as a livelihood just for the love of it. It hurts to see the torture meted out to them. The shani-dasa of the school started when it had to be relocated to aid in the expansion of the Indian Air Force in Shankhumugham. The School has no proper jumping pit or track, no standard training facilities, hasn't even a decent toilet.
The major problem faced by the Govt is that there have been null returns from the Sports arena of the state. There is practically no corporate presence or sponsorship on Kerala sports scene. This means the Govt receives almost nothing from the field to give back. As a result our already beggar state exchequer has nothing to offer other than void promises. Even mowing the grass in the stadia turn out a big burden for the local authorities. Eventually the cradle for future sports-champions becomes arena for everything else other than sports.
This is not the situation exclusive to Kerala but pan-India. Except for cricket and a few professional clubs in West Bengal, the business-houses and media couldn't be seen anywhere. Compare this with the UK, where the Govt received over 4 billion pounds from the Sprots field through taxes alone and spent back 885 million pounds (over 7000 crore INR)to develop sports infrastructure. Perhaps the reason why our old Colonizers are a prominent force on every major sports events under the Sun.
The existing sports infrastructure in the state will hurt many sports lovers. The only International Stadium in the state, the Kaloor one, hosts a Cricket match once every 2-3 years, and is regularly used for Expos. The Corporation Stadium in Calicut has just been opened after years and years of renovation. The Chandasekharan Nair stadium in the capital has turned into an open air theater for reality shows, award nights, dog shows, cotton & towel expos and as a jogging track for pot-bellied police officers. Last time I saw the University stadium it looked a bit better than the sewage farm in Muttathara, with all that tall brown grass blades. The Aquatic Complex in Pirappincode is a pain to look at, unfinished ghost-structure for the past decade. All the existing sports infra in Kerala are synonymous with neglect, misuse and indifference.
Chandrasekharan Nair stadium getting ready for some award night. pic courtesy Satyalal
The functioning of LNCPE in Trivandrum or SAI in Kollam hasn't done much good to the state or the country either other than providing employment to a few hundreds of sarkari naukar. That seems to be the whole idea of sports administration in our state and country: plagiarism, favouritism, skulduggery, backstabbing, mediocrity and what not!
The products from these sports schools find solace in acquiring Govt jobs in Railways, Services, Air India et al, and slowly the 'sports' career takes the backseat.
Recently there was a news that some renowned film stars are mulling over the idea of an IPL Team from Kerala. There are thoughts about building a greenfield stadium exclusively for the team either in Kovalam or Cochin. And now I hear the bollywood bad-boy Salman Khan is also interested in the Kerala team! Gracious.. As much as 250 crores are to be spent on the new stadium alone! Along with this the Kerala Cricket Association is constructing their own International Stadium in Cochin at the cost of some hundred crore quids. All for cricket, because that's where the money flows to.
But this could in turn lead to spill-over benefits for the community as a whole as we see in the English Premiership. Clubs like Manchestor United or Liverpool, apart from being superbrands of their own cities, invest significantly in unearthing and grooming budding talents in their locality. They build and operate sports infra not just for football but for a variety of other sports too. Just like BCCI has grown from a local Cricket board to sponsoring and financially supporting sports other than cricket.
Also its about time that we reassess way we play the spoil-sport w.r.t management. Bring in interested and associated people at the administrative helm (meaning, throw out the parasitic politicos from the chief positions), draft a sports policy with the help of people who know the field, invest more in the sports facilities, show the exit sign for the footlickers and freeloaders and provide subsidy or some kind of attractions to mull in sponsors. Developing the interest of local community in sports is crucial for uplifting the spirits of any sportsperson. We need the resuscitation of local clubs like Titanium or FACT to kick off the CPR process.
It is also crucial that we take the National Sports and Games events a lot more seriously. The way our states deal with the National Games, perhaps the most important and the most erratic sports event in India is for everyone to see. The National Games 2008 in Ranchi is yet to happen!! And what hopes have we, when sports loving states like Kerala waste a golden chance to improve their sports facilities, after given the responsibility to conduct the event?
More about the ongoing National Games 2010 drama here in PART II... publishing in 4 days time, flat.
Anish, I could perhaps shed some light here as I am a sort of informal adviser to the National Games Secretariat.
ReplyDeleteI met the people behind the proposed IPL Team in Trivandrum a few days ago. They are very much keen on launching a bid at the earliest. As you can expect from a bunch of people including Priyadarshan, Mohanlal and Shashi Tharoor who are all firmly based in Trivandrum, the team will also be based in Trivandrum.
As of now, the thoughts are to see if the Main Stadium proposed for the National Games can be converted into the home stadium as and when the team becomes operational. In case the team is ready to play before the stadium becomes operational, there is an option of taking the GCDA stadium on lease for the first few matches.
Sadly, the KCA stadium seems to be sunk in the second land scam of its short history. The land acquired for it is part of the protected mangrove forest area and it has also emerged in a few media reports that there could be some kick-backs involved in the land deal. A criminal case has been registered in the case, as far as I know and an investigation is ongoing.
And this all after the Government of Kerala offered free land in Trivandrum to the KCA four years ago to set up an international cricket stadium. I wonder if all logic and practicality have deserted the KCA?
@ Ajay, its good to hear that the force behind the IPL Kerala team has Trivandrum in focus. Salman Khan is interested in Cochin Team and I guess then Kerala will have 2 teams?? Gosh, thats a big surprise to me!I was under the belief that Priyan-Lal team was looking at setting base at Cochin, after some initial interest in Tvm.
ReplyDeleteAnyway its important that we need to support the KCA Stadium wherever it is coming because if not we wont be getting to see another match anytime soon. So let KCA realize their dream in Edakochi and let the IPL stadium come up in Kovalam.
Re the National Games, I'm not sure what is going on behind the curtains. I've my article ready and will publish it on the 9th, but so far the efforts from the Govt has been grossly disappointing. Anyway thanks to people like you who have proper insider info we get to know there are still hopes left. :)
Thanks for the info anyway. :)
whenever i see English premiere league , i wish we also got top class football club,players and grounds like that(Same with WC FB also).When it comes sports, our government is so cruel to our players(except cricket).They are not giving proper support(either financial or coaching) for budding talents
ReplyDeleteWe have got good recourse in athletics,Football etc.But the thing is , there are not getting proper guidance and support
@ football,when most of the channels air EPL,Champions league,who will go and watch nehru cup,national league and all.Its high time for sports authority of india to take steps to improve the standard
Might be weird to say...I was thinking exactly about what you have written in the post...I was browsing wiki and reading about the current set of players in indian football team...not a single malayalee in the list...from what great heights!!!
ReplyDeleteI think part of the blame lies with our system which doesnt consider sports as a credible career...and the only career they desire is like you have mentioned in some central government firm...
A part of it can be blamed on the general economic scene..we are a current where majority of people are trying to have 3 meals a day...a career in sports is like .."maybe sometime later"
I hope as the country progresses economically we realise that sports are equally important for a person and the nation...At the same time I wouldnt encourage a chinese style factory made atheletes who were forcibly being trained from a very young age..
nd were was the applause when Nehru cup was won?
ReplyDeleteUsha's school is worth mentioning...she was always of the opinion that we have talent but none to nurture it. I hope Usha gets enough support and she will continue to be there...
and it is true ... sports is not favored.. as a parent I would be aprehensive if my child was to concentrate more on sports...
The value sports is given, at homes and at schools determine a lot how the future stars are nurtured in our soil. In our schools any talents other than studies are usually prohibited. Hence a talented student may naturally end up with no support or nourishment for expanding his/her horizons. This also determines the overall views of the society, and in turn the funds and efforts put into it in a larger level, like olympics or national games.
ReplyDelete