Cricket Vs Mary Kom

So when is the T 20 Cricket starting?? Will Bhajji be a part of it?? What about Yuvi?? Whom is he dating these days?? Loads of questions and loads of excitement and loads of expectations.   So did we have our expectations from the battalion of Olympic superstars? For the first time ever 83 athletes were send who participated in 13 games. So 6 medals in all. Have they let us down? No we have let them down, time and again. So where was Mary Kom say 2 months back? Do we know? No we don’t. But we know where did the cricketers party after the last win and we want to know all the gossips of their personal life.
So we as Indians care about only cricket as a sport. No matter how many time Mr Anand wins the World Championship, no one will care to pitch for him in the Rajya Sabha. No one will care for anything till cricket is knocked off from our heads. And who has made cricket popular? Hockey used to be our national games right? So what made cricket so big. Cricket clearly began with the Britishers. It was seen as a mark of colonial superiority if Indians were participating the game. Till even the 70s cricket was not too popular in the interiors of India. India enjoyed two international highlights. In 1971, they won a Test series in England for the first time ever, surprisingly defeating the Europeans in their own game. This was a great morale booster for country which has grown up believing the superiority of lighter race.  In 1983, again in England, India were surprise winners of the 1983 Cricket World Cup.

From here on the success story began. With the invent of television and with active participation of many great legends of Indian Cricket, the sport reached new heights. Then with years came IPL, the ultimate money maker.  

But why dont we win at Olympics. We have so much of talent in our country, then where is the problem.Apart from infrastructure, inadequate training, funds, sponsorship what clearly lacks in the intent and the will. And most importantly the Political Will. Besides the above, another most important reason is the discouragement and disinterest showed by parents and teachers to their children’s interest in sports and games. Interest of the youth naturally comes with encouragement and success. 

Now that boxing is getting popular because Akhil Kumar and Vijendra Singh are winning honours for the country. Sushil Kumar has made grappling popular whereas Saina Nehwal has coxed many girls to wield racquet. Everyone wants to be a part of winning team.   Indian Sports in a unique chicken-egg situation where there can't be talent and victory without money and there can't be money (Sponsorship) without victories. Hence the onus is on government to encourage other sports too and its also the role of Media to bring the stories of struggle and success of other sportsmen too, from the grass root level.   Lets only hope that Mary Kom will not have to run from pillar to post to get her kids in school, and will we remember the trouble she faces with regular power cuts. In an interview she says "fighting five years without any good diet. No supplement, no eggs. No breakfast. Just lunch and dinner, vegetable only and rice. Sometimes when the relative I am staying with in Imphal, when he gets salary, then we get meat. Once a month, yes, exactly." 

So here’s for my hero “MARY KOM”, her favourite  Pork Chilli recipe

• Heat oil in wok and saute dried chilli with garlic till aromatic.
• Before garlic turns brown, add sliced pork and stir well.
• Add sugar and dark soya sauce.
• Once pork is cooked on outer side, add water gradually (ensure that water continues to boil)
• Add salt, pepper and chinese cooking wine.
• Cook till gravy reduced before dishing up.
• Serve with fried onions and garnish with chopped spring onions