"Eat cricket, sleep cricket" — a slogan once popularised by a cola MNC still reverberates from the Valley to the Ocean. Like many an acquired stuff from our colonisers, we have "inherited" the game, we have reinvented the game with its shortest form, an annual money-spinning exercise. I've nothing against it. It's a game millions love to watch, we bask in the glory of our champs on the field. We cheer for them. We cry for them. We seldom cry for Sukhen Dey, or Rituparna Das, or Shreyasi Singh, or Amarjit Nagi, or Nilesh Shinde. The list is endless.
No, they are not from Mars. We, the cricket-fed crowd, have hardly thought existence of any other sporting activity other than the 22-yard summer masaala matches. Yes, i'm talking about IPL. We claim that cricket is in our DNA. Yet, we hardly bother to watch men in white. Blue is the colour. Ranji? What's that? Test? That boring one? Who has the time to watch a Test match? But we like football — one of the highest viewership of Fifa World Cup 2014 was from India. Population, not passion, is the reason.
Who wants to play football? Body-contact game. Don't even go for that. Play Fifa 14 on iPad instead. Yes, the parents — the concerned ones. But what do they do after school? Tuition. Else, learn something fruitful that may make you a billionaire like Sachin. But why not Schumacher? No, who wants to die so fast? But he hasn't died yet. The risk is there. So many speeding cars on the road. But you have bought him a motorcycle? Oh! That's for his tuition and cricket coaching. Then, why doesn't he get training for Moto GP? Training for what? Moto GP, where Mahindra has been the first Indian team to take part in 2011.
Sporting activities, especially the outdoor ones, are on extinction among the youngsters. It's certainly not a good sign. Do we have interest in hockey? Who is the Team India hockey captain? Would be "some Singh". Who is Nilesh Shinde? I don't know. He's the captain of Bengal Warriors. What's that buddy? It's a team in Pro Kabaddi. Yes, i saw SRK, Big B and Aamir's picture the other day at some kabaddi match. Yes, we need the glam factor. We've seen this in cricket, sorry in IPL.
One of my friends told me a couple of months ago when we thought of organising an anti-cancer cycle rally that to make it a success we need a celebrity. Finding a celebrity to talk against smoking, or cancer, is like searching a footballer from Shivaji Park. Moreover, who is interested in cycling? Two wheels only. Out in the open. No AC (!). And, you consider it as a sports? Why not, have you watched Tour de France ever, maybe on TV? No, we went to France on a 19-day European tour, but that Tour de France was not included in the itinerary; should i call up the travel agent for skipping that?
Simply, we don't know anything other than what the politicians, celebs and media feed us. We never wanted to know beyond that. We just love to be what we are: checking inbox, typing texts, waiting for the video to buffer, changing handsets, downloading movies, and what not! Physical activities are confined only to moving the brain tissues. And, sporting activities can stay on the small screen in the drawing room.
No, they are not from Mars. We, the cricket-fed crowd, have hardly thought existence of any other sporting activity other than the 22-yard summer masaala matches. Yes, i'm talking about IPL. We claim that cricket is in our DNA. Yet, we hardly bother to watch men in white. Blue is the colour. Ranji? What's that? Test? That boring one? Who has the time to watch a Test match? But we like football — one of the highest viewership of Fifa World Cup 2014 was from India. Population, not passion, is the reason.
Who wants to play football? Body-contact game. Don't even go for that. Play Fifa 14 on iPad instead. Yes, the parents — the concerned ones. But what do they do after school? Tuition. Else, learn something fruitful that may make you a billionaire like Sachin. But why not Schumacher? No, who wants to die so fast? But he hasn't died yet. The risk is there. So many speeding cars on the road. But you have bought him a motorcycle? Oh! That's for his tuition and cricket coaching. Then, why doesn't he get training for Moto GP? Training for what? Moto GP, where Mahindra has been the first Indian team to take part in 2011.
Sporting activities, especially the outdoor ones, are on extinction among the youngsters. It's certainly not a good sign. Do we have interest in hockey? Who is the Team India hockey captain? Would be "some Singh". Who is Nilesh Shinde? I don't know. He's the captain of Bengal Warriors. What's that buddy? It's a team in Pro Kabaddi. Yes, i saw SRK, Big B and Aamir's picture the other day at some kabaddi match. Yes, we need the glam factor. We've seen this in cricket, sorry in IPL.
One of my friends told me a couple of months ago when we thought of organising an anti-cancer cycle rally that to make it a success we need a celebrity. Finding a celebrity to talk against smoking, or cancer, is like searching a footballer from Shivaji Park. Moreover, who is interested in cycling? Two wheels only. Out in the open. No AC (!). And, you consider it as a sports? Why not, have you watched Tour de France ever, maybe on TV? No, we went to France on a 19-day European tour, but that Tour de France was not included in the itinerary; should i call up the travel agent for skipping that?
Simply, we don't know anything other than what the politicians, celebs and media feed us. We never wanted to know beyond that. We just love to be what we are: checking inbox, typing texts, waiting for the video to buffer, changing handsets, downloading movies, and what not! Physical activities are confined only to moving the brain tissues. And, sporting activities can stay on the small screen in the drawing room.
