Just 4 months into the fiscal year after the grand Commonwealth,and now we are heading towards another mega event-The Cricket World Cup,an extravaganza by name and fame.This is destined to be bigger not just because cricket,in all commonsense,handsomely dominates every other sport in the country as far as public interest,media interference and market value is concerned, but also because "there are no cats among the pigeons" this time.From what could be termed as fan's perspective,the air seems to be free from a bulky-layer of allegations unlike the Commonwealth,which by and large was fogged by the fumes of flaming controversies,judicial introspections leading to unwitting doubts over event's success,days before the curtains were drawn.
Nevertheless,the Commonwealth was a huge success despite controversies,and the whole of Delhi-from a common man to a 24*7 working official deserved one of those huge round of applauses that left the Jawaharlal Nehru stadium reverberating once Aishwarya Rai,Rani Mukherjee and Saif Ali Khan hit the stages of the closing ceremony.These 'actors behind the scene'did not only toiled their heart out to put everything in order,timely and efficiently, but they also salvaged the country's pride by masking the 'back-stage drama' intelligently and successfully enough.
The success of the events ostensibly points at two important implications.The first is a self-pleasing one and holds a certain amount of dignity.That is ,the spirit of the Indians towards sports(Dilli wallon ka dil),that kept that torch burning amidst a tempest.The second one perhaps is the extension of the first one but can lift a few eyebrows.That is,the affinity of the Indians towards "sports-cum-entertainment".The quest of the Indians for entertainment in a sporting arena has increased in recent years,thanks to IPL. The exciting 20-20 format,for some,serves as a 'quick-dose of healthy entertainment' but for most who are entertainment-driven there are plenty more on offer.You have a bollywood diva Katrina Kaif performing live on the tune of US star Akon on the stages of a closing ceremony, you have Akshay Kumar mesmerizing multitudes through his acrobatic stuffs in an inaugural function and then you have the cheerleaders absorbing a few,all in the same sphere and for the same price paid.People do turn up in huge numbers just to see a Shahrukh Khan sharing a V.I.P seat showering flying kisses and to catch a glimpse of Deepika Padukone,waving her hand dressed in a event-suited RCB jersey,an all important KKR-RCB encounter becomes secondary then.
It is beyond doubt that glamour under the wings of the big B's-BCCI,Bollywood and Business has taken Indian Sports to new dimensions,if not new heights.Apparently,the amalgamation of sports and entertainment seems to be working well, and has to be given a nod because any such debate arising out sounds inane when it faces the bottom line-"public khush to sab khush".But what about Sport? Of course,the combination won't be questioned until in a homogeneous solution of sport and entertainment, sport plays the role of a solvent and holds the upper hand.But for how long?And what, when things reach a certain boiling point?
Nevertheless,the Commonwealth was a huge success despite controversies,and the whole of Delhi-from a common man to a 24*7 working official deserved one of those huge round of applauses that left the Jawaharlal Nehru stadium reverberating once Aishwarya Rai,Rani Mukherjee and Saif Ali Khan hit the stages of the closing ceremony.These 'actors behind the scene'did not only toiled their heart out to put everything in order,timely and efficiently, but they also salvaged the country's pride by masking the 'back-stage drama' intelligently and successfully enough.
The success of the events ostensibly points at two important implications.The first is a self-pleasing one and holds a certain amount of dignity.That is ,the spirit of the Indians towards sports(Dilli wallon ka dil),that kept that torch burning amidst a tempest.The second one perhaps is the extension of the first one but can lift a few eyebrows.That is,the affinity of the Indians towards "sports-cum-entertainment".The quest of the Indians for entertainment in a sporting arena has increased in recent years,thanks to IPL. The exciting 20-20 format,for some,serves as a 'quick-dose of healthy entertainment' but for most who are entertainment-driven there are plenty more on offer.You have a bollywood diva Katrina Kaif performing live on the tune of US star Akon on the stages of a closing ceremony, you have Akshay Kumar mesmerizing multitudes through his acrobatic stuffs in an inaugural function and then you have the cheerleaders absorbing a few,all in the same sphere and for the same price paid.People do turn up in huge numbers just to see a Shahrukh Khan sharing a V.I.P seat showering flying kisses and to catch a glimpse of Deepika Padukone,waving her hand dressed in a event-suited RCB jersey,an all important KKR-RCB encounter becomes secondary then.
It is beyond doubt that glamour under the wings of the big B's-BCCI,Bollywood and Business has taken Indian Sports to new dimensions,if not new heights.Apparently,the amalgamation of sports and entertainment seems to be working well, and has to be given a nod because any such debate arising out sounds inane when it faces the bottom line-"public khush to sab khush".But what about Sport? Of course,the combination won't be questioned until in a homogeneous solution of sport and entertainment, sport plays the role of a solvent and holds the upper hand.But for how long?And what, when things reach a certain boiling point?
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