Social media went berserk over Maria Sharapova’s ignorance of a legend of cricket, deified in India! Bloggers burnt midnight oil, serving unreturnable volleys against her. The incidence raises a few interesting questions:
1) Do most Indians believe that every hero, star players, performers, political leaders from their country are well known in the world?
Ans: During my very many visits around the world, that unless a person from the west has no direct link with India, or has not visited our country, read- Taj Mahal, Varanasi, Jaipur or Goa, they may not be even able to point our country on a world map.
2) Was Maria Sharapova wrong in not knowing Sachin?
Ans: She was honest in admitting that she did not know him, which is characteristic of any normal person, as against a diplomatic answer ‘ Oh, he is a great person.’
3) Do Indians think the cricket is a world game?
Ans: Soccer qualifies as world’s most watched game, with 3.2 Bn people watching a world cup final in 2010, likely to rise to 4 Bn this final! Cricket is only the second restricted to the colonial countries ruled over by England. 2-3 Bn fans spread over India, Pakistan, UK, S. Africa, Australia, New Zealand and Bangladesh. Basket-ball too has about 2-3 bn fans. It is followed by Hockey, Tennis, Volley Ball, Table Tennis, Base Ball, American Foot-ball, Rugby and Golf.
4) How is the popularity of cricket in US, Russia, Europe and East Europe, China?
Ans: None. Efforts to popularize cricket in non-cricket playing nations have not met with great success. Most do not know the game and consequently any of the players!
5) The sudden outburst of Indians on the ignorance of Maria?
Ans: India boasts today of the highest number of youth in the world. Intelligent, under-utilized, nearly 50 million frustrated youth unemployed. Career prospects dived to new lows in the last years of the previous Government, and this expectant age group threw their lot largely with Modi in the hope of better days ahead.
6) What is the scenario now?
Ans: Frustration over Maria’s ignorance is only symbolic. The youth is impatient and is angry that their potential is not being recognized. As days and years roll by, they become ineligible for many jobs with an age barrier, where the others endowed with a OBC, or a SC/ST tag gets a privilege of jumping the queue and with an age waiver too.
The hype and rhetoric that was raised by Modi was high during the elections. He presented a ‘good days ahead,’ if elected to power. He is and it is about 40 days now. The frustration is again rearing its head.
Rapes have not ended. Vadra is not in jail. His special status in the airports for not having to go through frisking still stands valid.
He did not mention that there would be hardship and that the coffers could be empty. Prices of essentials are once again hitting the roof, with a helpless government trying to hold the levels, in vain. Modi was deified too. People who voted, believed the conmen and the criminals who abounded the earlier government, or had access and influence would all be in jail as soon as the puritans take charge. That seems a long way, given the usual indolent judicial process in our country is.
The cabinet committee meetings seldom follow public announcements and there could be a question already in many minds, ‘is this choice too an also ran for five years one?’
The frustration of Maria episode could be the accumulated frustration of the youth and visible solutions to miseries faced by common man and ills plaguing the nation should be laid on the table, fast!