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Rabble Rousing Random Ramblings by S Jagadish is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 Unported License.
Boycott the Delhi Commonwealth Games
Every news item I read about the Commonwealth Games, scheduled to be held in New Delhi between 3 and 14 October this year, increases my conviction that the event is just a forum for one man, Suresh Kalmadi, to project his power, charisma and organizational ability.
Other than that, there does not seem to be any reason for the existence of the event. On the face of it, that should alone be sufficient reason for everyone to boycott the Commonwealth Games.
But that's not all. The man has made quite a few demands in the last week or so.
- He wanted the BCCI to re-schedule the India v Australia test series since it would clash with his pet event.
- When that request was rejected, he was brought down to earth, and asked if the BCCI could help him out with a sponsorship worth Rs. 100 crores.
- He wants more money from the government (and hence tax-payers, by implication), over Rs. 700 crores to be precise because of various creative budgeting screwups by the organizing committee
- He wants New Delhi to undergo a total revamp before the games, and the tax-payer foots the bill.
That's why he resorts to these gimmicks. If he was really convinced that the stadia would be ready, the crowds would come to watch at the venues, the quality of the events at the games as well as the telecasts would be of a very high standard, he wouldn't be asking for all this.
This reminds me of the (still existing in some forms) restricted release of non-Kannada movies in Karnataka that started in 2004.
Labels: boycott, commonwealth games, delhi, kalmadi, public money
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National outrage over Queen Elizabeth skipping New Delhi Commonwealth Games
Why is the media working itself up into a lather over Queen Elizabeth not turning up for the Commonwealth Games?
We shouldn't even be having such an event in the first place. All evidence points to white elephants left for future generations to pay for. We're probably still paying for 1982.
Heck, we don't even need a grouping called the Commonwealth! If you take a look at the list of member countries, by and large, it is a seriously inconsequential list!
Labels: commonwealth games, delhi, elizabeth, queen, sports
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How the collective wisdom of our leaders gets exhibited
In the past 2-3 weeks alone, there've been 3 instances where the wisdom of our political leaders has been exhibited in all its glory.
- DMK demands that Sri Lankan Tamil refugees be made permanent residents of India.
- Spend nearly Rs. 10 crores to sterilize 70% of all stray dogs in Delhi ahead of the Delhi Commonwealth Games.
- Karnataka government decides that the best way to send out an environment-conscious message is to force auto-rickshaw owners to paint their autos green!
Labels: commonwealth games, karnataka, politics, refugees, sri lanka, tamil
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A few days ago, I read a news report in 'The Hindu' about serious differences between India's defence forces and various other agencies, including the Urban Development Ministry, over construction of a dedicated war memorial for Indian soldiers.
Keep in mind that India Gate was built to commemorate martyrs of the British Indian Army. So really there's no memorial to honour soldiers who died fighting for independent India. The difference of opinion essentially centres around where the monument should be located.
The first thing that struck me after reading the report was why everyone was assuming that the monument needed to be in Delhi in the first place! It's not as though a majority of the martyrs were born in Delhi. Why couldn't the memorial be constructed in any other place in India? What's the need to be so Delhi-centric.
It's certainly not something new. With a few exceptions (the only two that come to mind are the Calcutta Metro and the frequency with which Delhi hosts international cricket), most events are Delhi-centric. Television in India started off in Delhi. The only 2 Asian Games in India (the inaugural one in 1951 & the 1982 one) have been held in Delhi. Ceremonies & parades during Independence day & Republic day are always held only in Delhi. In the last decade, India has played 11 Davis Cup ties at home, and 6 of these have been in Delhi when there are [probably] much better venues at other places, including Chennai & Bangalore.
The 2010 Commonwealth Games is in Delhi, and I shudder to think of infrastructure lying waste like it was after 1982. The first Formula One Grand Prix race in India will be in Delhi in 2011. India's venue proposed for the 2020 Olympics is Delhi.
Why can't we spread the love? Why should the Supreme Court only be in Delhi? Why should the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha sessions only be held in Delhi?
That said, sometimes it is useful. Imagine if, as an extension of this extreme Delhi-focus, the netas and the babus insisted on INS Arihant being rolled out from Delhi on the grounds that the submarine could go take a dip in the Yamuna!
Labels: commonwealth games, delhi, federalism, ins arihant, kargil, memorial, sports
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