The great Indian dream on American canvas

” People don’t believe in hypothesis,they want results “,

but a small question suddenly sprouts,”what sort of results do we want?”. Be it an ephemeral, evanescent one or a platter that presents a palatable set of delicacies but good for no taste.There has to be a hypothesis or what we call a blueprint behind every effort and of course a constant push is a must.

The face of future basketball-DIVYA SINGH, and her sisters; do present a long lasting portrait of the game, but what I believe is that we have not even begun.The thought of club culture does seem to be very promising, but, again a but!. I wonder why these buts always do spring out when it comes to the future of our country.

We talk of cricket ( THE MONSTER),which has dwarfed every other game and sport in the country behind its shadow. Lets find out an answer for this enigma. “Why do we worship cricket?”, “Why is all the media attention ,all the money and of-course a billion eyes focused on a game which is not even a son of our soil? India seems to be a good adopter but why does she behaves like a step mom to her own children, be it her eldest and the most legitimate son (MR HOCKEY) or be it the younger ones like kabaddi , kho-kho and many more to name them.To be more precise basketball is also the one which suffers from this apathy but there are some very well defined reasons that draws this” laxman rekha” between cricket and the rest of the games.

Cricket best known as a religion in India,was brought to India by the BRITISHERS during the East India Company rule, more precisely played by some East India Company officials in the late 1721. After that, it never looked back, but it occupied a place in Indian veins in the early nineties, when the first RANJI CUP was played. Ever since then the game flourished in India.

Even basketball began to be played in India in the early 30′s but has not been able to set a firm hold over the nerves of Indians.Though basketball is a popular game in the bigger cities like Delhi, Mumbai and the metros, but still, it is confined within the campus walls of posh schools and universities. Frankly speaking, the game was never meant for the common people. Boys and girls from the smaller cities don’t even know what basketball is or what it feels like holding a basketball or to shoot a bulls eye into the the basket. Its far from dream to aspire to become a basketball player or to even see their sons and daughters hopping in those loose jerseys. Unlike cricket, basketball cannot be played anywhere. For a sport like cricket even a stick and a ball made of loose polybags tied together, suffice to begin with,but basketball requires a lot more organized and well thrown conditions.

Winning a cricket world cup was a dream but we managed to lay our hands on the chalice and it has been 27 years since when we have been on a riding chariot. But our neck still longs for a basketball Olympic gold. As fas as I can see an olympic gold won’t be hanging on our neck only by the concentrated efforts of popularizing the game in the urban turfs, but some thing has to be done to scantify the game on rural arenas. Be it through awareness programs or setting up camps and seminars and throwing light on a game which is resting in a corner and suffering, a sense of oblivion.

It would require a great deal of patience and an honest promise to oneself, that it is about our country and our motherland, and for those people who can dream big if they are reminded that we are the people who will fulfill their dreams of dreaming big. Be it associations like BFI or the coaches or the players or the BIG DADDY,the Indian government. It has to be a wholehearted commitment and a solemn pledge that ;” yes, we will join hands and will ultimately present our mother with the medallion that she longs for.”

Unless we pledge to do so, sketching an INDIAN dream on the AMERICAN canvas won’t shine like a MONA LISA.