Yaar Punjabi
Prime VIP
The London Olympics have been a sad chapter in the otherwise glorious history of sport in Punjab. The state, which once boasted of its hockey players populating India’s Olympic teams and took pride in athletes like Balkar Singh and Parduman Singh, has drawn a blank. Compared with Punjab, smaller neighbouring states like Haryana and Himachal Pradesh have done well at the 2012 Games, contributing to the country’s unprecedented six-medal tally.
Punjab’s Olympic tragedy is a reflection of the overall state of affairs. A large section of its youth is disillusioned. The Olympic performance aside, the number of Punjabis being recruited to the armed forces has fallen — and it is because the average young man cannot measure up to the high physical standards required of him. At one time, Punjab’s contribution to the armed forces, in terms of percentage of state population, was the highest in the country. Now, the robustness and physical vigour that were considered characteristic of Punjabis are missing.
The basic cause is the widespread use of drugs in the state. Many youngsters are addicted to it. Earlier, Malwa, the largest region in Punjab, covering almost two-thirds of it, was considered badly affected. Today all the regions — Malwa, Doaba and Majha — are in the grip of the problem. The drug menace is eating into Punjab’s vitals. De-addiction centres are slowly replacing sports clubs. This alienation and frustration among the youth is tragic, and yet there is nothing on the horizon that gives any sign of hope. Many who had their eye on making a living overseas have come back disillusioned. At home, industrial growth is non-existent and agriculture not very remunerative. Agricultural holdings are often not enough to support the average family. Punjab’s population today is around 2.77 crore, of which 45 lakh, mainly youth, are unemployed. And when a person’s financial situation is dire, sports takes a backseat. Frustration replaces dynamism and enthusiasm. This tragedy is scripted across Punjab’s villages and towns.
Interestingly, the Punjab government has now announced a Rs 418 crore plan to revive sports in the state. This amounts to locking the stable door after the horse has bolted. Even if this plan is implemented — and I doubt it will be in a cash-starved state where pensions and salaries are at times pending for months on end — the underlying cause of frustration cannot be wiped out unless jobs are created and our younger generation finds a purpose in life.
Over the past five years of the Akali Dal-BJP rule, it is difficult to remember an occasion where the government has done anything for sports except organise a kabaddi tournament. Camouflaged as a world cup, it was more about getting a crowd on the eve of the elections than the sport itself. We still have not got details of the expenses incurred in the kabaddi tournament. However, the television channel owned by the first family of the state raked it in by way of sponsorships.
Hockey has always been the state’s greatest showpiece. The sport demands strong will and commitment from the powers-that-be to produce great players. In a country like ours, we need to provide all kinds of support to our sportspersons. Giani Zail Singh did that in 1975 when he was the chief minister of Punjab. He took a personal interest in and paid special attention to the training of our hockey players, with the result that our team performed brilliantly. The Punjab Armed Police headquarters at Jalandhar was used as a cradle to foster sportsmen. The ball was set rolling by the then director-general Ashwini Kumar, followed by B.S. Danewalia and Mahal Singh Bhullar. Why is it not done now? Can’t the present state government follow the tried-and-tested system?
The system of selecting players across the country — where regional balance is preferred over having the best man for the job — must bear part of the blame. However, state governments and sports federations cannot escape responsibility. Players need to be chosen on the basis of merit, and politics must be kept aside. It is a tragedy that a country of 1.2 billion people cannot win a single gold medal and has to be content with a couple of silver and bronze medals.
The nation also needs to think collectively. If we want medals, we need to be rational and rise above regional mindsets. The sports administration needs to be depoliticised and made more professional. I don’t find any reason for politicians without any sporting knowledge or experience to preside over different sporting bodies.
Punjab needs to identify potential sportspersons and, from a very early age, train them in a particular field. There is no dearth of talent in the state, we only need to spot it. And while the individual is being trained in a discipline, an avenue of employment must be created to deal with the inherent worry of “finding a job”. Then she can concentrate on training. Sports quotas in various government departments, particularly the police, should be encouraged, as was done earlier. The government must ensure that the stipulated vacancies are occupied by sportspersons alone, and not misused by politicians or others. If we start today, perhaps in another 10 years, India can hope for a few Olympic golds.
Punjab’s Olympic tragedy is a reflection of the overall state of affairs. A large section of its youth is disillusioned. The Olympic performance aside, the number of Punjabis being recruited to the armed forces has fallen — and it is because the average young man cannot measure up to the high physical standards required of him. At one time, Punjab’s contribution to the armed forces, in terms of percentage of state population, was the highest in the country. Now, the robustness and physical vigour that were considered characteristic of Punjabis are missing.
The basic cause is the widespread use of drugs in the state. Many youngsters are addicted to it. Earlier, Malwa, the largest region in Punjab, covering almost two-thirds of it, was considered badly affected. Today all the regions — Malwa, Doaba and Majha — are in the grip of the problem. The drug menace is eating into Punjab’s vitals. De-addiction centres are slowly replacing sports clubs. This alienation and frustration among the youth is tragic, and yet there is nothing on the horizon that gives any sign of hope. Many who had their eye on making a living overseas have come back disillusioned. At home, industrial growth is non-existent and agriculture not very remunerative. Agricultural holdings are often not enough to support the average family. Punjab’s population today is around 2.77 crore, of which 45 lakh, mainly youth, are unemployed. And when a person’s financial situation is dire, sports takes a backseat. Frustration replaces dynamism and enthusiasm. This tragedy is scripted across Punjab’s villages and towns.
Interestingly, the Punjab government has now announced a Rs 418 crore plan to revive sports in the state. This amounts to locking the stable door after the horse has bolted. Even if this plan is implemented — and I doubt it will be in a cash-starved state where pensions and salaries are at times pending for months on end — the underlying cause of frustration cannot be wiped out unless jobs are created and our younger generation finds a purpose in life.
Over the past five years of the Akali Dal-BJP rule, it is difficult to remember an occasion where the government has done anything for sports except organise a kabaddi tournament. Camouflaged as a world cup, it was more about getting a crowd on the eve of the elections than the sport itself. We still have not got details of the expenses incurred in the kabaddi tournament. However, the television channel owned by the first family of the state raked it in by way of sponsorships.
Hockey has always been the state’s greatest showpiece. The sport demands strong will and commitment from the powers-that-be to produce great players. In a country like ours, we need to provide all kinds of support to our sportspersons. Giani Zail Singh did that in 1975 when he was the chief minister of Punjab. He took a personal interest in and paid special attention to the training of our hockey players, with the result that our team performed brilliantly. The Punjab Armed Police headquarters at Jalandhar was used as a cradle to foster sportsmen. The ball was set rolling by the then director-general Ashwini Kumar, followed by B.S. Danewalia and Mahal Singh Bhullar. Why is it not done now? Can’t the present state government follow the tried-and-tested system?
The system of selecting players across the country — where regional balance is preferred over having the best man for the job — must bear part of the blame. However, state governments and sports federations cannot escape responsibility. Players need to be chosen on the basis of merit, and politics must be kept aside. It is a tragedy that a country of 1.2 billion people cannot win a single gold medal and has to be content with a couple of silver and bronze medals.
The nation also needs to think collectively. If we want medals, we need to be rational and rise above regional mindsets. The sports administration needs to be depoliticised and made more professional. I don’t find any reason for politicians without any sporting knowledge or experience to preside over different sporting bodies.
Punjab needs to identify potential sportspersons and, from a very early age, train them in a particular field. There is no dearth of talent in the state, we only need to spot it. And while the individual is being trained in a discipline, an avenue of employment must be created to deal with the inherent worry of “finding a job”. Then she can concentrate on training. Sports quotas in various government departments, particularly the police, should be encouraged, as was done earlier. The government must ensure that the stipulated vacancies are occupied by sportspersons alone, and not misused by politicians or others. If we start today, perhaps in another 10 years, India can hope for a few Olympic golds.
