In 2012, at the time of the Summer Olympics in London, my father came home from work to the sight of me riveted to the television. He narrowed his eyes, paused a moment, and asked, “Since when do you watch shooting?” I didn’t hesitate to give an answer: “Since India actually had a shot at winning an Olympic medal.”
As it turned out, the contender I was watching, Vijay Kumar, did not win in the 10-metre air pistol event. My hopes were dashed. But a few days later he came back to reclaim the silver medal in the 25 metres rapid-fire pistol event. My life was impacted.
Hardly any effect However, the victory of my country seemed to have had little or no effect on my family or compatriots, and I could not help but feel disheartened. It was not that they had no interest in sports: I had heard enough vehement and blood-curdling shouts as they watched cricket matches on TV to know this was not a valid reason.
It is amusing that a country of 1.3 billion people cannot fathom the idea of sporting achievements. Even now, as artistic gymnast Dipa Karmakar surges into the spotlight after successfully attempting the formidable Produnova vault and qualifying for this year’s Olympics in Rio, the young athlete has her fair share of wary admirers. Despite her proving herself at the Commonwealth Games, the Asian Championships and elsewhere, the very people who should be rallying behind her, instead choose to be sceptical of her sustaining power.
In India, athletes face extreme fluctuations in terms of public support. Dipa, as a case in point, can be heralded as the next ‘golden girl’ of gymnastics or ‘India’s Nadia Comaneci’. But if and when the immense pressure tells on her and she finds herself out of form, the level of scrutiny will be immeasurable. This is one ugly truth even the glorified cricketers cannot escape: the very fans who adore them ardently can just as easily slander their names.
When the rest of the country is ever-ready to propel its cricketers into ultimate stardom, Dipa Karmakar has to attempt, and successfully pull off, a life-threatening vault to gain even a midge of support. But at least she has the support of her own government, which has so generously decided to amp her funding from Rs. 20 lakh to Rs. 30 lakh.
Astonishment
This comes in light of the international gymnastic community’s astonishment over the fact that Dipa trains without the resources that other top gymnasts have in their inventory.
It is no discredit to Dipa Karmakar to say that the Indian sporting arena must be in a dismal state for a first-time Olympic qualification to set the benchmark. After all, the 22-year-old has sealed an Olympic berth entirely on her own hard work. But the fact that it comes as such a surprise to witness an Indian, especially a woman, athlete securing a position on the world platform, shows us just how skewed our mindset is.
It really is a question of ignorance. We see little tangible gains from the sporting sector, so we attune ourselves to focus less on such matters. It is not an attitude of preference, but instead an attitude of defeat. India has never been a great sporting power in the past; that corner has always been dominated by the countries of the west. But that should not become an indisputable reality.
Big barrier
The biggest barrier that our national athletes face today is the sentiment of their compatriots. Should we feel ashamed that the gymnastic community was surprised to find a Produnova successor in the unlikeliest of all competitors — an Indian? Yes. Should that determine our own misguided outlook on sports? Why don’t we wait to see if Dipa wins a medal this summer to decide?
nrt2117@columbia.edu
