'Gold'en India???

This was going in my mind since Abhinav Bindra won the Gold for India. Bharat actually wrote exactly what I had in mind. Just adding on to him..
It is a major major feat that the young lad has achieved.. The headline in China Daily read “One day in the life of 1.1 Billion people”. No doubt The G-Talk statuses were changed.. you tube videos were shared.. news clipping links were mailed across.
There was some difference of opinions among my roomies here. Some, including me, felt there was that hint of sarcasm especially when the article said, “The ace shooter became the first Indian - from 1.1 billion people - to win an individual gold at the Olympics”. The others felt it was a matter of pride for Indians. The arguments in a ‘MBA Household’ are bound to happen. But the important thing is to sit back and think if we should be really proud of India or Indians? What contribution did India or being an Indian really had in this feat? Infrastructure? Financial motivation? Physiological support? Incentive to play for the nation?
Considering it from the player’s perspective. Do they really feel like they are fighting it out for the nation? Do they have that strong feeling of patriotism? Doesn’t seem like this being the case when you see the face of Indian Tennis – Sania Mirza walking in a bloody tracking suit in one of the grandest event of the world!! OK. It’s alright being non-patriotic; it’s alright playing for your self – for the sake of a medal. But still doesn’t one connect to the country when you see the national flag up there. Such a faux pas is a sin, especially when you have done so many ads and TV/public appearances.
Strange the ways are, we have a habit of showering every praise, penny and (railway) pass at the winners! I guess the people responsible need to learn some lessons in finance where we have a concept called Investment. Like many times in stock market, it’s the sentiments that rule here. Once a stock becomes popular, it’s the sentiments that take its price to unrealistic levels. Not surprisingly, the same stock soon crashes because it was never valued correctly. A smart person always does his valuations properly when he invests – hence the need for good investments.

All said and done, I sincerely (but pessimistically) hope that Bindra’s Gold winning shot was the one that Sports in India need it in their arm and the kids who are on a gun buying spree in Punjab for the past couple of days don’t regret their decision few years down the line.