Indianness, Success and Sports: a Rhetoric

There’s no easy way to say it, but the truth is that we Indians are obsessed with success. The bigger the success, the better it is for us brag about it, to bandy about our triumph over others. It’s like a never-ending cycle, to go on talking about it and reliving the memory, as if stopping to mention it would make us forget the whole experience as it never occurred in the first place. 

And just as we are obsessed about victories as a general theme, the feeling intensifies when it comes to our sportspersons bringing in laurels. Most of us then aren’t even concerned with their struggles and their setbacks, they form a minor appendage to the whole success story – unless, of course they happen to be made into movies, which we take immense pride dissecting and taking apart – but what matters is that they keep repeating their wins, without faltering whatsoever. 

The last is a caveat we set upon them, as if they have something to prove, time after time. It’s a caveat that’s continued for as long as the nation’s had fandom and one that will continue into the future, without any interruptions to break its sordidness, if remained unchecked. 

For, failure isn’t a stepping stone to success, but is a badge of shame that’s supposed to be worn for as long as there’s enough of a compensating success to cover it. Only to be used as a reference point, to keep dangling lest anyone falls prey to the thrill of their triumphs. 

Right before the start of India’s World Cup campaign Down Under, many believed the team wouldn’t even make it through to the knock-out stages, let alone reach the semi-finals. It was only when the team started winning that people believed that the team had it in itself to go the distance. In the semi-finals, it all unravelled, with blame game apportioned to most team members. 

Right now, the state of Indian cricket has been sidelined to the back-burner, with Saina Nehwal’s success gripping the nation. But on the other end, there’s still ignorance about the Indian women’s hockey team winning the Hockey World League, defeating Poland in the final, a couple of weeks ago. It’s as though the only time the nation thinks of hockey only during certain select tournaments and even then, only in terms of them as being wash-outs instead of competitive outfits. As it won’t be long before Saina Nehwal will be criticised too, for her decisions and choices. 

Wanting a change in attitude isn’t the question. It’s about wanting to want a change in attitude. It won’t happen overnight and it won’t happen like a climactic scene taking place in the themed movies. It’s a slow process needing continuity, much like we expect our sportspersons to keep replicating their highs instead of being patient with their lows.