All for the Gold

The sound of drum beats came as a surprise. 

The compartment was pretty empty, about a dozen people or more; a few standing. And even they were a little surprised to hear the drums. When you travel in local trains for a considerable portion of your life (this includes both, First and Second class), sounds of drums usually equates to one very certain possibility: beggars.  

Well, quite certainly, it was a...child? They come in various sizes, you see. But this particular girl, all of 6 or 7 years, was a performer. And, yes, they come in various specializations, too; singers, dancers, performers and other kinds. 

In a swift motion, she somersaulted in the narrow passage-way; forward, then backward again. Then, twisting her arms, almost like she dislocated it (which I think, she probably did), she spun it around the entire length of her little, frail body; like a skipping rope (remember King Louis, from The Jungle Book?). If there weren't people sitting, she'd probably have done a horse bar, or parallel rings type of stunt-thingy, all in the moving train, mind you. Then of course, came the inevitable: alms. 

I honestly felt sorry for her. A girl of her age could probably put our national gymnastics team to shame, with only street-level training. 

And there she was, displaying her skills on a local train, begging for alms; where she could very well be India's next gold medalist. 

In the 1980s, when Mrs Indira Gandhi was the Prime Minister, the Sports Ministry came up with the idea of tapping into these talent pools of street performers, circus gymnasts and the likes. There would be benefits for them, training and, well, better chances for India in international events. It is a known fact that several East European nations, like Romania, enroll their children, particularly girls, into gymnastic schools as soon as they learn walking. The intensive training and hard work pays off; two golds in the Olympics and the family's future is more or less secure. 

Why did this initiative fail in India?

Come now, the answer is pretty darn obvious. The Associated Problems of Bureaucracy. I think it is extremely stupid that the bureaucracy has so much of a say in the field of sports. For one, how on earth can these guys possibly think that they can run the show, in sports? 

Forget transparency and accountability, is it too much to ask for a little decency? 

Knowing these guys, it probably amounts to more than the entire universe. That is why bribes suffice. And that is why only those who can pay them, rise to the visible level in national sporting, only to disappear because of lack of training (and in many cases, talent).

One solution is to privatize the sports sector. This is a possible option, especially after the CWG debacle, and the fact that our present athletes (not sports-persons, like cricketers and hockey players) receive pathetic training, poor allowances and no respect. 

I mean, the government would be only too happy to wash its hands off a responsibility; not that I mean this in negative sense. Skilled athletes would do the nation proud, wouldn't they? 

We, as spectators, would be happy; the young children, like the girl in the train, and their families would be happy, and well off, too. 

As for the bureaucrats, I'm pretty sure they'll find some other victim to fleece. Hm, they should make that into a sport, right? 

Then I'm sure, the gold will indeed be ours...!