Over-Pampered?

  • Barnali Dutta / FG
  • India
  • Aug 22, 2014

 

 

 

It is not easy to comment on contentious issues involving celebrity sportspeople – like the recent reported grant of 10 acres of prime land in Gurgaon to Saina Nehwal, the leading badminton player who has brought laurels to India. Saina, whose family roots are in Haryana, honed her skills in ‘shuttlecock’ in New Delhi, where her father was working as a scientist at the Indian Council of Agriculture Research (ICAR) before he was transferred to Andhra Pradesh. It was in the ‘Twin Cities’ (Hyderabad-Secunderabad) that she achieved newer heights in the game, although an elated Haryana claimed the credit by contending that she was the ‘daughter of the soil’. In due course, Saina requested the State government to allot her suitable land in Gurgaon to set up an academy. Star players instituting an academy are not something new in the sports arena. Prakash Padukone, the first Indian to win the All England Championship in 1980 - besides several medals in events like the Commonwealth Games - set up an academy in Bangalore after his retirement. Initially it was his own community (Saraswat Brahmins) that let him use the ample space at Canara Union to start this academy. A decade later Pullela Gopichand, who also emulated Prakash’s feats, set up an academy in Hyderabad - and, incidentally, Saina is a beneficiary of this academy. Likewise, numerous cricketers and footballers have come up with such ‘ventures’. This must probably have prompted Saina to set up something similar place in her ‘home’ State, Haryana. As a token of appreciation of her achievements, the Government of Haryana decided to donate her land, and she has reportedly sought 10 acres to build this ‘fully equipped’ academy at Gurgaon. However, this move has led to some adverse reaction – not so much against her, but against the ‘idea’ and the ‘location’. In fact all agree that Saina comes across as a down-to-earth person, sans any sort of tantrums on and off the court that one sees among other sportspersons. It is learnt that primarily the residents of the village adjoining the proposed land are a disgruntled lot. Commenting on these developments, Vimal Yadav, Mayor of Gurgaon, says, “Saina Nehwal had asked for 10 acres of land, where she can set up an academy for badminton players. The request has been approved, but the identification of the land is yet to be ascertained. She ought to be satisfied with four acres of land, enough for a sports academy - 10 acres seems to be excessive. In future it would be prudent if MCG land is used for the benefit of the citizens of Gurgaon, say to construct a medical college or hospital, rather than being allotted to a single (that too non-resident) person to run a sports academy.” Earlier, on a similar basis, when the Haryana Government had donated land at Jhajjar to the noted Indian cricketer Virender Sehwag, to build an academy, the nearby villagers had complained that his institution was taking hefty donations for admission. Citing this case, a resident of Gurgaon opines that if the government is allotting land for academies or schools to national ‘stars’ like Sehwag or Saina, these institutions should encourage the financially handicapped talent and not merely the elite society. On this aspect, Mayor Yadav adds, “Our House has the power to provide land and we won’t be biased. Of course our civic body can’t dole out money but I personally would ensure that any talent from Haryana that is not financially well-off would be provided all possible help.” Sharing his views on this ‘controversy’, former Commissioner of Municipal Corporation of Gurgaon, Dr. Praveen Kumar, says, “Saina has been allotted the land for an academy, and the Haryana Government has done this to promote sports. There is no bias shown here, as she has made all of us and our country proud.” He further recalls that even Kapil Dev, the former skipper of the Indian Cricket team and among the greatest all-rounders in the game, had been similarly ‘benefitted’. It’s a different matter that all these sportspeople cited were already multi-millionaires, with benefits from sponsorships and commercial endorsements. And why should the land be given in prime areas – what is wrong with sports academies being set up on the outskirts of towns? Why not set these up as public academies, with management handed over to the sports ‘stars’?

 

 Amit Nanda, a resident of DLF Phase I, notes, “Every talent needs to get a fair chance to explore his/her individual potential, but yes, sometimes governments seem to consider such requests unequally.” Jayshree Ghosh, who works for real estate major DLF, adds, “Sachin Tendulkar has been nominated to the Rajya Sabha, and has also been awarded for his excellence in cricket. He should be grateful for being such a privileged person. But sometimes his prolonged absence in Parliament and also his excessive indulgence in ad commercials have changed our views. He is not promoting any national cause. In a similar way, if Saina has been ‘gifted’ with some land in Gurgaon, then she should come forward to promote deserving talents.” While the government has promoted potential players in almost all the disciplines in the sports arena, this should not mean that the talented players start asking for undue ‘favours’ – that too almost as a ‘birthright’. They rarely seem to devote their expertise to the cause of the game. Himmat Bharadwaj, who has earned the coveted title of ‘Memory King’, chips in to say, “I personally believe there are many budding talents in Gurgaon who don’t get the proper exposure to showcase their skills. We just can’t blame the government. The society and the media must also be held responsible for this malady, by just accepting this status. As a result, often some ‘real heroes’ are ignored.”


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