I remember reading an article many years ago, I think it was in India Today or maybe in The Week. It talked about cricket in the 90s and about Sachin in particular. How the streets went empty when he played and how traffic resumed when he got out. How he was the only player who had the capacity to produce a victory in a largely incompetent and demoralized team. It further extrapolated as to how his batting gave people hope and optimism or simply a reason to cheer in an otherwise depressing socioeconomic state.
Cricket didn’t change anything per say, it only provided a balm, a temporary relief from a throbbing pain, roots of which were deeply buried under corruption and greed. Realistically, cricket in the 90s was a carrier at best, it provided the platform for global brands to showcase themselves in the post liberalization era. The brands used cricket and Sachin in particular to advertise themselves, he being the poster boy of our aspiring middle class.
When Sachin scored a hundred we were happy, when India won a match we were very happy and a win against Pakistan bought festivities to our streets. The 1996 quarter final against Pakistan is etched in my memory, the Jadeja vs Waqar duel followed by the Sohail vs Prasad encounter. After the match, me and my dad went for a ride on our Bajaj Super and the streets were literally lit with firecrackers to the level which I am yet to witness till date.
Since then we have come a long way. In the last 25 years, we have witnessed significant change. Not everything is hunky-dory but we can say this with certainty that we do not look towards cricket as a source of inspiration anymore. It is just a source of entertainment, fighting for its place among the plethora of sources available to us. We still have many problems to overcome and surely we must look to improve and benchmark the societies who are better than us.
Having said that, I can’t resist the temptation to offer a passing glance at our neighbors. A nation still engulfed with the same problem that we were tackling 25 years ago, maybe even worse than that. A society on the brink of socioeconomic collapse and looking at cricket as the balm, knowing fully well that the pain is too deep-rooted to be cured by superficial things like cricket. Today we can laugh at the rather embarrassing loss and move on with ease and I have a feeling that we do not realize how blessed we are to be in this position. For we could have just as easily been in the position that our neighbors find themselves today.
While we continue to complain about the social chaos that surround us, and rightly so, there are doers among us who have enabled us to be in the position that we are today and we should be thankful for that. Going forward, if we wish to retain this position of advantage and continue on a path of betterment we should act wisely and choose wisely. In cricketing parlance, it is possible for someone to be in the national side, but it takes a Sachin to remain in the side for over 20 years and play at the level he did all through. Likewise, for our society to retain the status and flourish further, we will have to collectively make an above average effort, consistently, year after year.
Mark Manson, author of the bestselling book, Subtle Art of Not Giving A F*ck, mentions in his book; Our values determine the nature of our problems, and the nature of our problems determines the quality of our lives. We have to choose the problems wisely, those that determine the quality of our life and that of our next generations. If we dwell for too long on trivial issues, gas lighted by influencers with vested interests then it won’t be long before we spiral back into the state that we have a left behind. Our neighbor is a living example of a society obsessed with wrong set of values and resulting problems.
On Sunday, there is a possibility that Pakistan will celebrate and if they do, we must appreciate their effort with a large heart. But, there is no denying that a scary Monday awaits them for their society is torn between conflicting ideologies and self-interests of a select few. In contrast, we wake up on Monday and get on with our pursuit of betterment. We have a choice, do we fight over race, religion and other man made isms or do we put our minds to solve problems of sustainability. I think focusing on the later would be better.
So, well played England, you outplayed us at The Adelaide Oval today, our boys will learn from this experience and aim better next time. And while you proceed to Melbourne for the final, we head back home and regroup in the huddle to figure out the next steps. Hopefully we will chose wisely in favor of our collective national interest. We continue to look onward and upwards… India… India…
Aisle Seat Stories 