When Character Is Lost…

What is wrong with our nation? This, perhaps, is the million dollar question that needs to be answered given the exposes that one after another prove that all our institutions are in a state of total decay. As if the political, bureaucratic and business classes were not enough, the people at the helm of affairs in sport bodies also had skeletons in their cupboards. Is it that the character of the nation as a whole is rotten? Difficult to say but the stench in the state of affairs in the present times reminds of the old adage –‘when wealth is lost, nothing is lost; when health is lost, something is lost; but when character is lost, everything is lost.’ In the fall out of Indian Premier League match fixing scandals the credibility of cricket and the cricketers has taken a severe beating. The BCCI, our apex cricketing body, arguably, the richest cricket association in the world, has certainly not covered itself with glory by the type of shameless cover that was done to douse the fire that had surrounded the top cricket executives of the country.

The brazen move to bring in Dalmiya as a stop gap arrangement for Srinivasan said to have stepped aside does not make much sense. Further, the debate that ensued has brought to the fore some self styled apologists of the scandalous conduct of the unscrupulous functionaries, their henchmen and some blue eyed protégés from the game. The arguments they have been putting forward is too specious, rather a shameless retort. A very common refrain was that the game will not be affected and people will still rush to the next IPL. Well, that has to be seen. But even if that happens the game will never be the same again. It will become like the WWF wrestling matches that will entertain the school going kids rather than a serious lover of the game. What is being missed is the point that the cricket was elevated to the level of religion in this subcontinent and the cricketers were held in a kind of awe reserved for gods. What about that? What about the trust of people, their belief in their heroes. It is not a simple matter of betting that many a so called intellectuals are likening it to. It is not betting on a horse. It is reposing one’s faith on his favorite player. It is not a horse race where people bet on expected winner. It is a game in which the cricket fans identify with their heroes. Has not their faith been shattered? How is legalizing betting in cricket going to sort this out. The rot cannot be stemmed by such quick fix solutions. Those who are advocating this must empathize with the millions of fans of the cricketing heroes, who will doubt every time their idol is run out or caught in the slips. They will doubt every time their idol over steps on the popping crease and is declared delivering a no ball. It is not going to be that simple. Even the genuine lapses of the players will appear to be motivated and stage managed. That is the kind of damage that has been inflicted to the game. Not only the credibility of the game has suffered the blow, the credibility of the cricketers has also sunk to lowly levels. It will be difficult for the cricket lover to make out whether his hero is playing for a ‘bhai’ or a ‘bai’. If we want to save everything from being lost the task is cut out for the cricketers. They must prove themselves.

Sad, the players who got rich by taking the eggs their golden goose cricket laid are trying to kill the goose itself. This get rich quick disease is the root cause of all problems.