We Indians have suffered from low self-esteem for centuries now. If it was not the disdain of being told that we were ruled by a handful of superior people, it was that our economy grows at "Hindu" rate of growth. And then when economy grows at the second fastest rate in the world, it is that "look China's Olympics, and we make a mess of far more modest Commonwealth Games also". We swallow all such canards and convince ourselves that we Indians are indeed a no-good race (yes, a racist feeling is a part of the low self image).In reality, we are doing far better than we imagine. It is not a small matter to make such a diverse and poor country with a history of religious and racial abuse, work at all. It has taken millions of unsung heroes - police officers who do their duty honestly in an environment of corruption, lawyers and judges who won't budge from their dharma in the face of all kinds of pressures, honest businessmen who genuinely worry about the welfare of laborers working under them, and so on.
The Commonwealth Games too were most probably not in such a serious mess as was made out to be. It is more likely that the organizers left bits and pieces loose while the main work was done and media focused only on those little corners where some mess had been created. If the main job of organizing games was as much of a problem as was made out to be, it is likely that we would have been seen serious mishaps during the games. The other problem (as it appears from all that happened), is in Public Relations - our organizers did not know how to carry out a good PR and put Suresh Kalmadi and Lalit Bhanot in front of cameras whereas smarter men would have given better and perhaps more accurate impression of how things were.
This is not to absolve Suresh Kalmadi. He comes across as a self-absorbed individual whose body language makes you feel uneasy. Also, knowing India, it is hard to believe there wasn't major corruption in creating the infrastructure of the games. However, a fair course of action will be to carry out a fair, timebound and hardheaded enquiry. If anyone is found guilty, including Kalmadi, prompt action should be taken.
As Indians, however, we can feel justly proud. It is important that we need to think more positively of ourselves than we do. This national tendency to self-flagellate at the slightest suggestion that something might be wrong with us must be abandoned. We should be able to perceive the actual situation accurately and respond appropriately, rather than go into fits of self-recriminations as we did.
One source of our angst was this - that China could organize spectacular Olympics and we can't do even far more modest Commonwealth Games. We must understand that India - China comparison is totally unjustified. The Chinese not only spend far more money on such endeavors, they also can suppress every voice of dissent. We cannot. We have situations where a minister of the government actually said in public that he wanted the games to fail! Nothing happened to him. Nothing can be done to him.
This is an inherent feature of all democracies. The good part is that we don't feel insecurity or instability from any dissenter of India. Arundhati Roy can say what she pleases at the top of her voice. Thousands can applaud her and make as much noise as they want. India does not feel it more than some pinpricks.
Contrast that with Chinese reaction to Liu Xiaobo. It can be argued that Nobel awards are political - the west gave Nobel to Xiaobo to belittle a rising China. Yet, what kind of great power it is that feels the need to suppress one individual with all its might. What fear the Chinese society and government have from individuals like Xiaobo? And of what use is all the military and economic might if it shakes at the voice of a handful dissenters?
We all have what is called in colloquial language in India our "pluses and minuses". Let us give up this habit of making ourselves believe that we are no better than dirt compared to others - the British in pre - independent India, the west / South East Asia in pre-liberalization India and now, China in today's world. As if we are always breathlessly looking for some entity that will make us feel small and worthless.
Let us look at our achievement too in the eye. We did a great job. We deserve to feel good about ourselves. Though modest compared to others, it is achieved in an environment of complete freedom, something no country outside the western civilization and Japan can do.
And let us dream and achieve bigger in times to come.
Delhi bellyachers the losers as Games overcome hurdles in strong finish
"The people of Delhi have worked day and night to turn a shambles into a success, writes Peter Hanlon.
Here's something you probably haven't read outside India this past fortnight: the people of Delhi have done a terrific job, and are entitled to be proud of their Games. Faced with greater hurdles than Sally Pearson will ever clear, they've pulled it off admirably and deserve better than the carping, nit-picking and borderline racism that has masqueraded as informed coverage of the Games."
The article can be read at:
http://www.theage.com.au/commonwealth-games-2010/comm-games-news/delhi-bellyachers-the-losers-as-games-overcome-hurdles-in-strong-finish-20101014-16lxb.html
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