Tuesday, September 25, 2007

Hail Team India, the Rest May Drown!

Two million for the team, promotions for all, houses for all fifteen, one crore for the six sixes..chuk de! Hello, my dear India lovers caste a glance to the east and look at the flooding waters my friends! Let not the crores dry up when we need it most. This one victory has fixed the stars for life and life is a great party with champagne flowing. Cut to the contrast in Orissa, this is the second time in the year that floods have set in. The death tool has passed double figures and once the waters receed there is going to be a spate of water borne diseases that will kill a few hudreds more, there is going to be no food and no urgent medical fecilities will be available. Less miserable but thought provoking all the same is the condition of neighbouring Bengal. Every year during the monsoons water enters the mud houses of lakhs of people. This time there has been a flood situation in several districts. The domestic help employed by my mother in Kolkata come from areas around the city and flood or no flood, their houses get washed away EVERY YEAR during the monsoons and they have to rebuild it. This year too they are sitting on the bed with waters entering their houses.
What is our notion of nationalism a victory in cricket or the victory over natural disasters like these? Will the givers of awards and cash to the Indian team spare a few lakhs for flood relief, will the politicians who are falling over each other to bestow honours to the team caste a glance at those organisations that are trying to aid relief operations? national pride will truely be worthy of bestowal when the object of our adulation is someone who can device a method by which monsoon excesses may be managed and flooding comes to an end. Perhaps it is fitting that the heavens are weeping as crowds gather to receive our heroes reminding us of the lakhs of our countrymen and women who are going to loose their lives in the floods this year.

2 comments:

Koko said...

Not sure if i would cut down on the prizes for the winning Indian team to compensate for the loss of lives and properties in floods.The guys have thoroughly entertained us for the last couple of weeks, BCCI has earned millions through Television and commercial rights...so its just fair that the men in blue earn their fair share of the riches.Flood management is important and lives lost are priceless...but there is no even comparison between the two. In the same note one can argue why do we need malls and multiplexes when the poor dont even get two proper meals a day. The communists argued the case for years together...and there was a time in erstwhile USSR where their scientist earned a little more than the guy who takes care of the laundry. We all know that the model failed everywhere...so keep the floods and cricket apart

diya said...

True my dear but one cannot understand why everyone has to overdo it falling over each other to give the greater reward. News channels showing the parade live where as the panel below reads '15 dead in Midnapore floods'. Paying higher salaries to scientists is ok but how much higher and how much more attention.The politicians are not doing it for the love of the sport or pride for the country they just want the limelight and the votes. Media wants enhanced TRPs the only genuine guys were the lakhs of fans who braved the rains to welcome the boys and they don't give money they can give love and adoration.