I'm over the moon with our cricketing boys winning the World Cup. Finally it is done and dusted - the elusive World Cup is now here, with us! We are on the top of the world, both in Tests and ODIs and looking every bit like it, after beating many worthy opponents on the way. I am thrilled to bits.
We have heard a lot about doing it for the nation, for Sachin, for various other reasons, from various players. We have heard a lot about "the team". And somehow, by yelling for "India!" (what else can we yell for?), a lot of us have somehow taken ownership of this Cup as if we all deserve it. This bit is hilarious.
As far as I can see, nobody did a damn thing for the team. That is not to say they were being selfish. Hardly so! They were being thoroughly professional and pooling in their resources in order to secure the win. This is one very special fifteen member team, not because they can put aside their peeves and egos, as many fools have waxed eloquent about, but because they understood what it takes to win - it is that simple. Why does the rest of India not understand how to get shit done? We should not need patriotism to come to our aid each time we should do something to make India work. Work - that is what this Indian cricket team knows how to do - to make their plans work. They know how to work on their game till it is good enough to take out the opposition.
Dhoni deserves praise not for doing all this for his nation, which he unwittingly has done, but for listening to his own intuition whenever it mattered most. It is his single minded trust on his own ability and on his own judgment that won us the cup. Salute a man that creates his own destiny. Let's not forget how he stands out as an individual that can galvanize a group into a trusting unit, and let's understand that first and foremost he is a fiercely competitive professional, not to be fooled by anything including patriotism.
Sachin Tendulkar is a lot more given to this patriotism nonsense, but from Dhoni, as from Abhinav Bhindra, it is professionalism first. No wonder both are world beaters, while Sachin needed Dhoni to get him there. Australia have done this, what, four times? And did we hear any of their captains ever say they did it for their kangaroos and the beer drinking morons waving flags? Heck, they did not even do it for their flag. They did it purely because they were fierce competitors who loved to win.
I am all for a bit of fun, but to put "nation" onto our young men playing a game is quite retarded. So, if they are such patriots to win this for us, would they be traitors if they lost? In our cricket team, I see one quality that is absent in most spheres in India - the want to be better. These kids are special, and most are from ordinary families who have grabbed their opportunity with both hands. It is their dharma and they understand it. For the kind of money they make, they do not even need to be this good! So, let's appreciate a bunch of fiercely competitive kids who are enjoying doing this for their own joy! Let's celebrate them for the brash rascals they should be but somehow hold themselves back from being that. Perhaps being brash is just a waste of energy and their coach has told them to harness that as well?
We should remember they play for the BCCI, not the nation of India. The BCCI is a club registered in Tamilnadu. Its affairs are private, and so are its moneys. It is VERY fortunate for them that this patriotic nonsense pushes up ticket sales and the cost of TV rights, so each time one of you idiots runs with a flag, you're helping them make a buck or two! They are a fantastic club, in that they take care of their fraternity very well. But that has nothing to do with the nation of India!
For sure, this team represents India, but unlike our skeet shooters and track athletes, this bunch is tightly controlled by the BCCI. Imagine having to take permission from the BCCI to put that little Indian flag on the helmet! There you go, just in case you didn't know where!
It is one thing to take inspiration from a great performance, but to allow one performance to overshadow all our other failings and achievements is to say the least, dangerous. The whole nation does not come to a standstill when Saina Nehwal is playing an important game, or when Mahesh Bhupati and Leander Paes have quietly climbed back to the #1 spot in the world, the latter actually happening today. The whole nation does not mourn when we find that we have been cheated to the tune of 176,000 crore rupees by a minister and his cohorts. The whole nation does not hold candle light vigils for showing up at #146 on the Human Development Index released by the UN. It is a much sadder matter than a lot of other events that evoke reactions from our media soaked people.
We have so many examples of individual brilliance, but each of them is despite the nation being what it is, not because of it. If anything, there are millions who will actually achieve great things if this nation stays the fuck out of the way. The more we buy into this patriotic bullshit, the more we are supporting a dysfunctional, mediocre, backward system that encourages being mediocre and begging for freebies in exchange for votes. Surely, our cricketers are not playing for this mass of lethargic lard.
What's all the yelling all about anyway? The rest of India has so much unused energy, because we are not worn down to exhaustion with anything we do. We don't need to do much to fill our stomachs, that's the truth. We don't need to be excellent at anything to make a very good living in India. We can even fake certificates and become pilots. We can bribe and move anything in our favour. We can take cover under the umbrella of slow justice even after committing murder. We can get away with A LOT in this very tolerant junkyard called India.
Let's not stop our cricket team from getting far away from this nonsense, though! They have already bolted far ahead! Let them go! Let's not weigh them down with "India!".
- BSK
We have heard a lot about doing it for the nation, for Sachin, for various other reasons, from various players. We have heard a lot about "the team". And somehow, by yelling for "India!" (what else can we yell for?), a lot of us have somehow taken ownership of this Cup as if we all deserve it. This bit is hilarious.
As far as I can see, nobody did a damn thing for the team. That is not to say they were being selfish. Hardly so! They were being thoroughly professional and pooling in their resources in order to secure the win. This is one very special fifteen member team, not because they can put aside their peeves and egos, as many fools have waxed eloquent about, but because they understood what it takes to win - it is that simple. Why does the rest of India not understand how to get shit done? We should not need patriotism to come to our aid each time we should do something to make India work. Work - that is what this Indian cricket team knows how to do - to make their plans work. They know how to work on their game till it is good enough to take out the opposition.
Dhoni deserves praise not for doing all this for his nation, which he unwittingly has done, but for listening to his own intuition whenever it mattered most. It is his single minded trust on his own ability and on his own judgment that won us the cup. Salute a man that creates his own destiny. Let's not forget how he stands out as an individual that can galvanize a group into a trusting unit, and let's understand that first and foremost he is a fiercely competitive professional, not to be fooled by anything including patriotism.
Sachin Tendulkar is a lot more given to this patriotism nonsense, but from Dhoni, as from Abhinav Bhindra, it is professionalism first. No wonder both are world beaters, while Sachin needed Dhoni to get him there. Australia have done this, what, four times? And did we hear any of their captains ever say they did it for their kangaroos and the beer drinking morons waving flags? Heck, they did not even do it for their flag. They did it purely because they were fierce competitors who loved to win.
I am all for a bit of fun, but to put "nation" onto our young men playing a game is quite retarded. So, if they are such patriots to win this for us, would they be traitors if they lost? In our cricket team, I see one quality that is absent in most spheres in India - the want to be better. These kids are special, and most are from ordinary families who have grabbed their opportunity with both hands. It is their dharma and they understand it. For the kind of money they make, they do not even need to be this good! So, let's appreciate a bunch of fiercely competitive kids who are enjoying doing this for their own joy! Let's celebrate them for the brash rascals they should be but somehow hold themselves back from being that. Perhaps being brash is just a waste of energy and their coach has told them to harness that as well?
We should remember they play for the BCCI, not the nation of India. The BCCI is a club registered in Tamilnadu. Its affairs are private, and so are its moneys. It is VERY fortunate for them that this patriotic nonsense pushes up ticket sales and the cost of TV rights, so each time one of you idiots runs with a flag, you're helping them make a buck or two! They are a fantastic club, in that they take care of their fraternity very well. But that has nothing to do with the nation of India!
For sure, this team represents India, but unlike our skeet shooters and track athletes, this bunch is tightly controlled by the BCCI. Imagine having to take permission from the BCCI to put that little Indian flag on the helmet! There you go, just in case you didn't know where!
It is one thing to take inspiration from a great performance, but to allow one performance to overshadow all our other failings and achievements is to say the least, dangerous. The whole nation does not come to a standstill when Saina Nehwal is playing an important game, or when Mahesh Bhupati and Leander Paes have quietly climbed back to the #1 spot in the world, the latter actually happening today. The whole nation does not mourn when we find that we have been cheated to the tune of 176,000 crore rupees by a minister and his cohorts. The whole nation does not hold candle light vigils for showing up at #146 on the Human Development Index released by the UN. It is a much sadder matter than a lot of other events that evoke reactions from our media soaked people.
We have so many examples of individual brilliance, but each of them is despite the nation being what it is, not because of it. If anything, there are millions who will actually achieve great things if this nation stays the fuck out of the way. The more we buy into this patriotic bullshit, the more we are supporting a dysfunctional, mediocre, backward system that encourages being mediocre and begging for freebies in exchange for votes. Surely, our cricketers are not playing for this mass of lethargic lard.
What's all the yelling all about anyway? The rest of India has so much unused energy, because we are not worn down to exhaustion with anything we do. We don't need to do much to fill our stomachs, that's the truth. We don't need to be excellent at anything to make a very good living in India. We can even fake certificates and become pilots. We can bribe and move anything in our favour. We can take cover under the umbrella of slow justice even after committing murder. We can get away with A LOT in this very tolerant junkyard called India.
Let's not stop our cricket team from getting far away from this nonsense, though! They have already bolted far ahead! Let them go! Let's not weigh them down with "India!".
- BSK
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