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Don't blame Shobhaa De. Because it is India's ‘Free Dumb’ week

sudhir open letter to shobhaa de

Dear Ms Shobhaa De, 

 

I saw that at around 8 pm on Monday, you - such a well-known columnist, author and socialite, with 7.7 lakh followers on Twitter - let the Indian contingent at the Rio Olympics know just what you thought of them. Plainspeak, at its obnoxious worst. Insulting the best sporting talent in India, its dreams, its sweat. 

 

“Goal of Team India at the Olympics: Rio jao. Selfies lo. Khaali haat wapas aao. What a waste of money and opportunity.”

I guess it was the Indian hockey team that spoiled your mood. Indeed, that last minute German goal, with three - just three agonising seconds - to go for the final hooter ruined an otherwise Chak de performance in most part of the match against 2012 Olympic champion Germany. 

sudhir open letter to shobhaa de

Long after the match was over, Indian hockey captain and goalie Sreejesh sat inside the goalpost, alone, brooding, surely cursing himself for having let the ball past him.

 

In your book, Sreejesh and the likes of him are a “waste of money and opportunity”. Through your tweet, you imply that India was a fool to invest in this farmer's son from Kerala, who took to sports at the age of six to realise his Olympics dream in Rio.

 

All of us thought Sreejesh wanted to win back for India, its glory in the world of hockey. But only you were sharp enough to notice the narcissistic side of Sreejesh, that he was there only to get himself clicked.

 

Blame it on Sreejesh, is what you left unsaid. Little do you understand the burden of carrying the hopes of a billion plus Indians on one's shoulders. You and I, mere wordsmiths, won't comprehend it. Let us not even try. 

 

Incidentally, the women's hockey team (whose coach is not Kabir Khan, just clarifying) lost to London bronze medal-winning team Great Britain, 0-3 yesterday. The hockey team has qualified for the ultimate show on earth, for the first time. Miracles happen in films, not in real life.

 

Watch: TS Sudhir reveals what prompted him to write an open letter to Shobhaa De at 3 am in the morning

 

I go back to your tweet where you mention “waste of opportunity”. Do read up on a sprinter from Odisha called Dutee Chand, who had to run from pillar to post, not for a ticket to Rio but to get running shoes. Till June, her concern was the lack of spike shoes as the ones she used had worn out. “I feel like a beggar asking for such things,” she said.

sudhir open letter to shobhaa de

She received a new pair thanks to an e-commerce firm last week. Just in time before she boarded the flight to Brazil. An expensive smartphone to click a selfie is not what she asked for, Shobhaa De. 

 

Twenty-year-old Dutee comes from a poor family of weavers and is the first Indian woman to compete in the 100 metre event, in 36 years. Frankly in my book, even if she returns home empty-handed, she would have won.

 

Because if she had not fought for her honour after being banned for an indefinite period for hyperandrogenism (excessive but naturally occurring testosterone), she would have never made it to Rio. 

 

I am not finished yet. Dutee's coach has not gone with her from Hyderabad. She said she travelled on the 36-hour-long flight on economy class. Not an issue except that the accompanying Indian officials travelled business class. There I agree with you. “What a waste of money”. 

 

Often, we look only at the glamorous side to an Abhinav Bindra, Saina Nehwal or a Sania Mirza. But ever thought of living life out of a travelling kit or feeling miserably homesick, with life spent on court or at a shooting range or a boxing ring, cut off from the outside world? Eating food that is largely not tasty to the palate but then one eye has to be on the weighing machine.

 

The problem with most of us, including the Indian media, is that we are interested in the results, not in the process.

 

Watch: 5 times Shobhaa De should have kept her mouth shut

 

We yearn for a gold, without having invested enough in the system. People who seem to believe India has done these 118-odd athletes a favour by sending them to Rio. You are wrong. These sportpersons have done the people of India a favour by giving 20-odd years of their prime to play for the pride of the Indian flag. 

 

Pity, you, a celebrated author, don't get it.

sudhir open letter to shobhaa de

Heard of Dipa Karmakar? She is the first Indian gymnast to qualify for the Games after a gap of 52 years. She comes from the back of beyond of Tripura in the North-East. But today, look at how the world is applauding her spunk to attempt the extremely risky Produnova, which is considered the ‘vault of death’.

 

So dangerous that one false landing can lead to paralysis or even prove fatal. No one even attempts Produnova in the West. Shouldn't we be applauding the spirit of this girl from Agartala, who incidentally turns 23 today? 

 

I think Dipa should click a few selfies on her birthday today, to show where she reached, just to prove you right, Ms De. She deserves it, doesn't she?

 

Let us wish Dipa a happy birthday and best of luck, Ms De.

 

Since we are on gymnastics and you seem to be following Rio closely, did you watch the agonising fall of French gymnast Samir Ait Said when he broke his left leg?

 

So many years of strenuous training ending in a flash of a second, dreams gone up in smoke. A stoic Said has promised to get back to Japan 2020. Should Paris say after his fall: “Khaali haat wapas aao. What a waste of money and opportunity” in French? 

 

Like it was for National badminton coach Pullela Gopichand in 1994 when an on-court collision with his doubles partner meant he was bed-ridden for months.

 

He couldn't walk and when he finally did, he limped. He was taunted, “Yeh langda kya khelega?”

 

From there to slay the demons in his mind, to return to the court to conquer his fear and the world to win the All-England championship is called character.

 

But in 140 characters, you reduced the tribe whose adrenalin gets pumped up on hearing Jana Gana Mana prior to a match to ordinary gratification-seekers. 

 

I read that you have said that you stand by your tweet and that players are entitled to their opinion. You don't give a damn for what they think, do you? Even if the content of your tweet plays on in the mind of a player, upsetting his or her rhythm at a critical juncture of the game? 

 

One request though. Please ensure that the next time you decide to give gyaan on your timeline, press the pause button and research. The ‘opinion-shaper’ that you claim to be on your Twitter bio, could do with some.

 

Or simply call it a De. 

 

To fellow Indians, all I would say is don't blame Shobhaa De. August 15 is approaching and someone obviously heard ‘Freedom’ as ‘FreeDumb’. 

 

From an Indian in love with the idea of competing with the best at the world's biggest sporting stage

 

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