Ok, this one's gonna be an angry, frustration-venting post.
As I write this, we have already read all sorts of sad, shameful and embarrassing reports about the CommonWealth Games - about a ceiling collapse, about a boxer's broken bed, about its 'filthy' rooms with unfit and unliveable conditions, and even about a snake being found in one of the rooms. To state that all these (and other such) incidents are saddening and humiliating, is about as insightful as the analysis that when the sun is out in full force, it can mean daytime!
That the nation's honor, self-esteem and credibility has taken a beating is not only a fact, but also an understatement. The larger issue, though, is about actually getting to the root of exactly what all went wrong, so that we learn our lessons well. We must honestly ask ourselves as to why, we as a nation, have failed so miserably?
I am reasonably convinced that atleast a majority of the readers, on reading the last line, would be thinking that I am referring to the failure of Kalmadi and his Organizing Committee (OC), only. Well, while they are surely (and deservedly) the prime candidates to be put in the dock, they are not alone. I am also referring to the government, to the media, as well as to you and me. It's a failure to which all of us have contributed, in one way or the other. Lemme talk about each, one by one.
Kalmadi and his entourage:
Having been at the helm of affairs of such a historic Games and after having touted their extensive experience in handling and organizing world-class events, surely, it's not asking too much from the Organizing Committee, led by Mr. Kalmadi, to be proactive, well-prepared, and thorough in their preparations. It's the very least anyone can do.
How on earth could these guys be so immune to the consequences/pitfalls of last-minute preparations? Why, in the first place, do we always have to leave things till the eleventh hour (and 59th minute)? Especially when we know rains would play havoc with preparations in July-August (if not the unexpected, unrelenting downpours in September too).
What was the CWG administration and the management doing all this while?
When the most embarrassing pictures of filthy living conditions were presented, why did the OC Secretary-General not even bother to be man enough to look facts and failure in the eye, and accept a fault? Wasn't it even worse and insensitive of him to deflect the cause of the query and accompanying remedial measures by attributing them to 'different standards of hygiene'?!
When allegations of corruption - of those infamously rented treadmills and other equipments - were running around thick and fast, why did not the OC come up with the correct picture and present its stance, if there were no ulterior motives behind the exorbitant costs?
The Govt:
When reports about CWG irregularities, ill-preparedness and significant project delays had become public knowledge, why did the Government not crack the whip, atleast by then?!
What can we expect from our government when it is itself incompetent in doing its job? CWG is just another feather in its cap. Already, it has been immune to so much else. Grains can rot and can be eaten by rodents but are not meant to be given to the poor for free, huge unrest in the integral parts of our country has anyway become routine stuff, people getting killed brazenly and without contempt in the name of family honor, infrastructure coming apart every other day somewhere or the other due to something as expected and innocuous as rains, Maoist disturbances to deal with every now and then, people using their parochial interests even at the cost of (further) national shame, Mamta turning into more of a Wail-minister than Rail Minister as Railways hurtles from one accident to another, while she stays busy playing politics over Bengal, and Kashmir and Ayodhya being such flashpoints in our country, that we have to clamp curfews due to the insensitive nature among us. Terrible, disgusting, abhorable.
Hey, I had told you, this is gonna be one angry, vent-filled post.
More than the lack of preparation, it's the attitude of the organizers and the men-in-charge, which is worrying and distressing. Lalit Bhanot wants us to think that the stinking and disgusting state of rooms is due to a relatively different standard of hygience among foreigners, Sheila Dikshit tells us that the bridge that collapsed was not meant for athletes. So anyone's life is cheap as long as it does not become a headline-hogging news, huh? Where have our hard-earned taxes been splurged, which have officially (and only on paper) been spent on CWG preparations?
What's the solution? Either let there not be any games so that we know our priority is in the right place first. And let us ensure we spend this amount on our infrastructure, proper training, equipment, stadia, attractive packages for capable players, coaches and administrators, etc. Having said so, again it's a utopian stand, because it's too late now. An out of India hosting would only officially discredit the nation as a classic case study of poor planning and zero execution skills, along with no troubleshooting ability when faced with a crisis.
The Media:
While the media has rightly discussed threadbare the pathetic state of management and last-minute preparations at the CWG, as a responsible and fair medium, it is also obliged to present the complete picture, and not just one side of the coin.
But has the media ever also brought the good bits to light?
How many in the media have reported the other, pleasant and pride-worthy side of the Games? While no sane-minded person would ever deny that there has been great bungling and much left to be desired, I think we too, by being ONLY armchair critics, and by reporting on ONLY the wrongs and completely overlooking anything wonderful, are only being negative participants.
Though we cannot have the authority to take to task those responsible (rather, those who have been irresponsible), we can atleast do our humble bit in making the Games a success. And it starts with respecting ourselves, in not letting go our nation's self-esteem and being proud of ourselves, wherever it is due and deserved.
Just as we bring to light the gross mismanagements, we must also be equally keen to appreciate and take pride in some exceptionally awesome work too, that runs the risk of not being given its due. Koi bhi desh (and/or Games) perfect nahin hota, usey perfect banaya jaata hai! :)
You and Me:
But what do we, as a people, do? You and me. Yes, all of us are pained by the state of affairs. But I was thinking, isn't it easy to keep cribbing about what all is wrong, who should do what or who should have done what?
Isn't it always easy to be an armchair critic? If Kalmadi & Co. are incompetent, that's a pity on them. But do we become better than them by just pointing out what they have and could have/should have done, while still nto doing anything except cribbing? Often, we tend to solely concentrate on getting to know which person to point our finger at, put the blame, and display our angst over social networking fora or by forwarding the latest jokes on CWG.
All very well and great use of freedom of expression, but I hope all of us (including yours truly) also learn to spot, and atleast try to look at, possible solutions from there (any critical, embarrassing, unpleasant situation) onwards instead of just lamenting/fretting about it or just sending bulk jokes.
It's great to be able to find faults in others and what 'can be/could have been' and 'should be/should have been' done by others.
What have we actually DONE ourselves in contributing to the betterment of our society, and our country?
Even if we aren't in the Games Committee, isn't there so much you and me can do, to make our country better? Do our good deeds and responsible citizen's duties have to take birth only as a direct after-effect of being bestowed with some authority or position? Isn't being a good, responsible, loving and caring citizen the responsibility and duty that should be ingrained in us? Even if others are not right, let us do our little things right. Atleast keep the slate of our conscience and our duties clean. From picking up a piece of garbage even if all others too walk right past it, to not honking unnecessarily on the roads and not jumping lights, to not ignoring an accident victim desperate for help for fear of police case/lack of time, to being a concerned citizen ready to help others, with a bomb blast/earthquake/flood relief work even when no one from our family and friends is involved - there's so much you and me can do.
If you are on FaceBook, do check out this album.
Phew - have ranted enough, but before shutting shop, I'd just like to sincerely urge all of us, including you and me, to take pride in the qualities and the great stuff we have, while also being cognizant of our shortcoming and failures and take the erring individuals to task. But while declaring the decision and punitive actions are not in our hands, what is entirely in our control as well as our duty, is to ensure we do our bit in making the Games a success, just like these volunteers. For starters, we can implement the points, Dr. Kalam has made - captured in Photos 28 - 30 of the album.
I'm sure, step by step, the world will be a better place. If nothing else, let us atleast change ourselves for the better without looking at whether our neighbors or neighbors' neighbors, or colleagues or colleagues' colleagues have changed themselves first. Let's just change ourselves, for the better, without being dependent on anyone else for approval or necessary appreciation.
Amen, and Jai Ho!
