India’s legendary athletic luminary, Milkha Singh, experienced one of his proudest
moments as an Indian at Abhinav Bindra’s victory
As soon as I heard of Abhinav Bindra clinching the gold medal in Beijing, I heaved a sigh of relief at being able to witness India’s glory. I had been unsure of ever getting to see such a moment in my lifetime. Shortly after that, tears of joy rolled down my face as I witnessed the Indian tricolour rise up and heard the national anthem play.
It had been my dream to bring this grandeur to India, which I missed by a hair’s breadth at the 1960 Rome Olympics in the 400m run. Today, I have experienced the proudest moment of my sporting life seeing Bindra achieve what no other Indian before him could. This is definitely the greatest moment in our country’s sporting history.
Winning a medal at the Olympics is a feat that stands insurmountable. In a tournament with over 200 countries participating, bagging a gold medal is a conceited achievement. I am not against any sport, but I consider winning a cricket World Cup easier, with only eleven countries fighting it out for the top slot. At the Olympics, it’s a much tougher draw.
This successful grab of the yellow metal will change the face of Indian sports. The younger generation will start taking notice of Olympian Games and thus end the reign of other dominant sports. Abhinav Bindra has brought worldwide fame. People across the globe watching the Olympics would now know of India’s growing prowess in shooting. This is definitely encouraging for the sport.
India is currently experiencing a dip in sporting performances. One can easily detect the inconsistency in the line-up when a good athlete or sportsperson is born once a decade or two. India should be able to produce a constant stream of Milkha Singhs, PT Ushas, Anju Bobby Georges and Abhinav Bindras in the future. Take a look at China. They weren’t featured in the Olympic Games for many years and their position today in international sports is enviable. We need to take a lesson from them. Parents and children, alike, should identify sports that can be excelled at, though they might lack the much-touted glamour quotient.
After a stunning performance in the Olympics, our next aim should be the 2010 Commonwealth Games, to which India will play host. With the advantage of the host nation, we should work wonders in the sporting arena. Being a country where there’s always a crunch for funds, we should spend on training athletes to perfection, even if that means doing away with a resplendent opening ceremony.
(As told to Gayatri Parameswaran)
