THREE in eight

We won another Bronze today.... I looked up previous performances of India in Olympics... This has been the first ever 3 medal haul for India, the previous best was in 1952 when we had won two medals.....
Looking back..... 12 years or so.... I was doing my bachelor's degree in Electronics.... that was a three year course... First year I managed to clear 3 of five subjects with just above the pass percentage.... I cleared both in supplementary exams... and in Second year I managed to clear all 5.... in one go.... A BIGG achievement.... huh.... no it was not.. I scored a dismal 42% marks.... Then came the Final year... I knew for sure if I do not cross 50% it would be impossible for me to get in to Masters in computer applications... and both my parents had already started making efforts to get me in to Master's.... I worked hard and managed to score 54% in third and final year... and was happy as hell..... reason.... I was the only one in my batch of friends (8 of them) who had scored more than 50%...... So proud I was at that moment... I went my Aanu (father in Konkani)... and told him that.... Slappppp came the answer.... 'You don't have to be proud. I know you are worth more marks than you have got!!!' (bottom line: he knew I had made efforts only at the end to score that)..... It was like a bucket of cold water thrown at my grinning face....

Should India, with second largest population in the world...... be proud with just 3 medals.... I would say 'NO'..... We have tremendous potential in us....to perform better than what we have done so far and better than most of the other countries..... Where's the problem.... that is stopping us from doing that.....?

I feel the basic reason is Me, I as any middle class boy wanted to get into a job and start earning and try and clear the loans my parents had taken so that I could complete my education..... Sports took the back seat.... it was only academics academics and more academics.... that would have got me a job..... Sports..... yeah even that could have.... yeah... even that could have.... only when you are pretty good and have represented your state atleast once..... I felt I did not have potential and also did not have the inclination to making it big in sports arena.......

When I am decided to talk about this... I am thinking what could we change to make 2012 a better Olympic year for India.....
1. Get corporates to directly involve in some sport... get them all the incentives like tax rebate for the amount they are spending towards that.... and stuff.... and assure them more goodies if their sport gets India one or more Gold medals in Olympics...
2. As parents, identify your child's potential and fully support them in the way they want to grow in atleast one sport.....
3. Get the multi millionaire and billionaire cricketers to motivate and get recognition to atleast one sport other than Cricket....
4...... Hmm now I am thinking... (I hope...) so would you..... Help me complete this list...

Cheers!
Pramod