Let us dream big!

Every heart longs for a little recognition and the struggles that some of our Indian sports people undergo for this recognition are truly grueling. Let’s face it. India has dominated in almost no other sport, except Cricket. In the latest Olympics, we won six medals including four bronze and two silver medals. In a country with a population of 1.22 billion, this number is very surprising and what is more surprising is that we consider this as the greatest accolade. Well, not to blame anyone because six is better than a zero. When underdeveloped countries can win a medal, what is the big deal for a country, which is believed to be an emerging super power, winning a medal or two?

The reason could be most of us Indians do not consider sports as a serious profession and also that sports people are not given the respect and encouragement they deserve. For most of us, life is all about doing engineering, getting a job, getting married and contributing towards the growing population.

When did we come to know about Mangte Chungneijang Mary Kom? Well, after she has won the Olympic medal in 2012. Why was not she recognized when she won her first silver medal in the World Boxing Championship in the United States in the year 2001? Oh, Wait! We were busy bragging about the Indian cricket team’s test series win against Australia.

We all know what’s the name of Sachin Tendulkar’s wife but how many of us know about Bharat Chettri, who is the captain of the Indian national hockey team. No team plays with the aim of losing and that goes for our hockey team as well. Whether there is a win or loss, the effort which has been put into the match is the one and the same. It’s such a disgraceful thing to praise the team when there is a win and to disown it when there is a loss.

Kavita Raut, a girl who was running barefoot in a village in Maharashtra; was recognized by a trainer and has gone to win many laurels for our country in the national and Asian games. But the chances of her being recognized are slim because she did not qualify for the London Olympics. It’s about time we people started appreciating the efforts and not the mere medals.

Now, the Government is announcing jobs, lands and price money for the Olympic winners. But what about the people who put in the same efforts as that of the winners but could not get a medal? The path these people have to come through to even participate in these kinds of events is laborious. Think about it: most of the people start training at their respective fields at the age of eight. To do the same kind of routine everyday and to play the same game every minute of their life sounds way too tiresome and boring. But these people have the grit and determination to proceed their life just to hear their nation’s anthem on a big stage and to see their nation’s name in the medals.

We never know how many talents are still out there waiting for recognition. It’s not a bad thing to appreciate cricket which has now achieved a cult status. But while doing so, we should make sure that it does not shoot down other sports and the sports people who are also trying beyond their best to contribute something good for the nation.

As the saying goes “Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you will land among the stars”, it’s time we stop dreaming trivial and start dreaming BIG. The dream should not be mediocre, like getting 15 medals in the 2016 Olympics and getting 20 medals in the 2020 Olympics, as targeted by our government. The dream should be massive. The dream should be to see India at the top most position, not only in the Olympics but in every other sport venture it undergoes. Let us just keep praying, keep working and keep hoping that all our dreams will come to reality soon. JAI HO!