Politics, Olympics and Politics in Olympics

Let me address a different, though not entirely an unrelated issue is the world of Sports  - Politics in Olympics.

Ideally sports and politics should be kept separate, but they're inseparable. The Olympics, the largest mutli sports event on earth is no different.

My memory goes back to the year 1936, probably the first instance in modern day Olympics, when the most vulgar use of the mega sporting event for political purposes was made, in a very conspicuous way. In that edition of Olympics held in Berlin, the German Fuehrer Adolf Hitler, fuelled by the propaganda machine of Goebbels, made the most flagrant political showcase of his perceived pro-Aryan theory of Nazi supremacy.

It was the first televised Olympics event. Goebbels understood the power of visual media and made full use of it. The controversial crooked cross Swastikas adored everywhere, so also the racist slogans in Olympics village - "Dogs and Jews aren't allowed".

Politics led to War and War led to the cancellation of the subsequent Olympics of 1940 and 44. The London Olympics of 1948, which was held after a hiatus of 12 years, wasn't free from politics either. Germany and Japan paid the price for being on the losing side of World War II. They weren't invited.

The nascent state of Israel wasn't invited for political reasons, though soon the Blue Star state would become the blue eyed boy of the Superpower, United States and very much at the center of attention in a later Olympics.

The domestic politics of this Superpower spilled over to 1968 Olympics, in the form of the famous Black Power salute by two of its African American Athletes. IOC banned them both, stripping them off their medals.

1972, Munich was politically the bloodiest Olympics. The Palestinian terror group Black September kidnapped a dozen Israeli athletes from the Olympics village. A botched up attempt by German security forces to rescue them resulted in the death of the Israelis. Golda Meir, the then Prime minister of the Jewish state ordered hunting down and killing of the perpetrators, which Mossad, their secret service carried in a spectacular fashion in subsequent years.

1976 Olympics in Montreal was a rare, politics free Olympics. Well almost, for Ethiopia boycotted that Olympics, preventing its star long distance runners, especially the legendary MirutsYifter from participating.

The lull didn't last long. Less than a year prior to the Moscow Olympics in 1980, Russian tanks rolled into Afghanistan. At the height of the cold war, US led boycott had a major impact on the Olympics. The boycott of many major sporting powers came as a blessing for India, in the form of a medal (gold) in Hockey, only time it won in that sports in last 50 years.

In the year 1984, it was Soviet Union's turn as Moscow led communist nations retaliated by boycotting the LA Olympics held in US. Yet for the first time in history, profit from selling of TV rights and Corporate management, made the organizing Olympics look like a lucrative venture. 1984 was the year China came back to the Olympics, from which it was debarred to participate for decades, again due to political reasons.

Seoul Olympics in 1988 was the first boycott free Olympics after a while, except those staunch, remaining Communist nations of North Korea (obviously) and Cuba(still uncomfortable with Gorbachev's policy of Glasnost and Perestroika).

Just a year later, in the year 1989, IOC convened to decide the venue for 1996 Olympics. Being the centenary year, it was taken for granted that Athens, Greece, the host of the first modern day Olympics in 1896, would be granted as the venue. But powered by Coca-Cola and American power of influence, Atlanta squeezed ahead of Athens, amidst disappointment from Greece.

Fast forward to 1993, when Beijing was narrowly defeated by Sydney as the venue of Y2K (2000) Olympics. Beijing whined a lot, openly blaming United States for scuttling its chance by raising human rights issue during the final rounds of voting.

There could be much more such instances in Olympics, where Sports is intertwined with politics, is beyond my memory and scope of this blog. Politics still remains very much part and parcel of sporting events. In an ideal world - Sports should be above politics. But unfortunately, we don't live in an ideal world.

Israel's attack on Baghdad Nuclear Reactor

This month brings back memories from June 1981, exactly 35 years ago, when one fine afternoon a fleet of F-16s, the new kid in the block and Israel's latest acquisition from US (America's toy gifted to its pampered baby) took off from an Airbase in Tel Aviv. 

 

En route to Iraq, they flew over the Saudi air space, successfully camouflaging by chatting in Arabic to evade their Radars. When they entered the Jordanian Air space, they identified themselves as dilettante Saudi aircrafts mistakenly deviated into the friendly Jordanian territory. The smart and meticulous Israelis managed to hoodwink the air defense of both Saudi Arabia and Jordan.

 

After entering the Iraqi air space they flew low to avoid any radar detection. Upon reaching their destination of Iraqi  Nuclear Reactor on the outskirts of Baghdad, the fighter aircrafts split into different formations and bombed their target in unison at utmost precision.

 

It took only 2 minutes of firepower raining from the sky to destroy the Osirek Reactor and Saddam Hussein's nuclear dream forever. They timed attack during the short lunch break taken by the Iraqi guards protecting the Nuclear plant. Before the guards, who were flummoxed as a desert Fox caught in front of searchlights could gather themselves to react and fire anti-Aircraft gun at the marauding F-16s, the ultra modern fighter planes had climbed enough altitude above and beyond them, proudly on their return journey.

 

As stated by the leader of this well executed OPERATION BABYLONE, the Israeli pilots radioed each other biblical verses, as a very cheerful Congratulations message was delivered to them. It was from the Israeli PM Menachem Begin, the man in charge of this Operation and ironically a Nobel Peace Prize winner for signing Camp David accord with his better noire Egypt not long ago.

 

As usual UN, the world's biggest, bloated Bureaucracy, utterly inefficient and helpless against its veto power wielding members, ended up severely condemning the Israeli attack. US also condemned the attack on face and blocked the delivery of 4 more of its F-16s fresh from its oven to Israel, only to resume their delivery couple of months later to its unofficial 51st state. It's akin to delaying a candy for two days to a child for being naughty.

 

Saddam Hussein's Iraq could never recover from this attack, nor resuscitate its nascent Nuclear power. Menachem Begin arguably justified his Nobel Peace prize by forever de-fanging the Iraqi dictator's nuclear teeth.

 

As the Odia proverb goes - MANKADA HATHARE SALAGRAMA or it's too risky to put the statue of a Deity in the hands of Monkey. Nuclear weapons in the hands of an unpredictable Saddam could have been  catastrophic. Israel did not do the wrong thing, nor at the wrong time, a very peacefully executed by the Nobel Peace prize winner Begin.

India's failed NSG bid

This is for those who see India's failed NSG bid as a failure of Diplomacy. One sparrow doesn't make a summer. Not making into NSG is not the end of the world - as far as Indian diplomacy and its future is concerned.

Reminds me of Bruce Lee's movie - Enter The Dragon. China has arrived on world scene. A lesson to learn from it, the modern day power of a nation stems from its economic muscle. China has built it succinctly over last 30 years, strong enough to flex it.

Except America, no one has Economic or Military prowess even close to China. Time to get real about it. In this context, India is doing well by playing long term.

I am now reminded of Aamir Khan in his iconic movie "3 IDIOTS" - SUCCESS KE PICHHE MAT BHAGO. KAVIL BANO. EK DIN SUCCESS TUMHARE PICHHE BHAGEGA. It means, Don't chase success. Be capable. One day Success will chase you.

So its time for India to build its economic spine. The world will chase it and one day the NSG would be handed to it on a platter. Till then...

The crests and falls of Facebook traffic

The following is my observation about the traffic on Social media, including Facebook and other Social Media, with respect to the United States Eastern Time Zone.

The traffic on Information Superhighway gets busy during the early morning hours, between 6 to 8 AM when East Coast folks are active on Facebook, checking latest updates and liking their "Likes". In India it's bit slow at this time, as people are still at work during late afternoon.

As the sun goes up, the traffic in East Coast of US goes down, until it peaks up around noon when most take a peek at social media. In India, this time would be between 9 and 10 PM as traffic picks up post dinner, until it is at peak around midnight

It's now a recession time, a boom followes by a slowdown during the  afternoon hours from 3 to 6 PM, when folks in East coast of USA are busy at work, while in India most are asleep. It's now the nap time for the social media.

After 7 PM the traffic usually builds up when the East coasters return home and folks back home are starting to get up. In winter time it would be an hour later, around 8 PM. It would be morning in India, when one usually gets up little late in winter.

This assessment is based on my experience as most of my Facebook friends are based in US and India. It could be different for others depending on their friend list and the places they live.

The forgotton Gandhi- Sanjay Gandhi

We are very close to the death Anniversary of a Gandhi. I am sure many, especially from the new generation will ask, who is this odd man out in the Gandhi clan ?

He is Sanjay Gandhi. There was hardly any media coverage of this day 36 years ago, when the then scion of India's first family and now the forgotton Gandhi crashed himself to death.

True to the sycophantic culture in their party, some Congressmen (and women) who owe their rise due to the younger son of Indira Gandhi, ignore the later, lest they earn the wrath of Signora Gandhi, who was no fan of her DEVAR, brother of her husband.

Khushwant Singh, who once upon a time was very close to the Gandhi family, ascribed Sanjay Gandhi as a "Lovable Goonda". He was an impatient young man, who had no patience for the sluggish government, with a penchant for ruthlessly implementing his agenda.

Sanjay Gandhi died at the peak of power. Indira Gandhi swept back to power in January, 1980 with a massive majority at center. Sanjay Gandhi had a free hand in ticket distribution in multiple Assembly elections held in several states across India in the following month of May. Congress won all hands down and all Sanjay's handpicked men were made the CMs of those states. Congress was in power in all major states except Kerala and Bengal.

Death can be unforgiving and choses a time of its own. The kiss of death doesn't care for a prince or pauper, a mundane commoner or a person at pinnacle of power. As the day dawned on a typically hot, summer Delhi morning in late June, Sanjay Gandhi somersaulted his twin Engine plane, maneuvering with his flying toy above Delhi sky. This time, he could never complete his acrobatics, as he lost his balance, his plane nose dived, killing him on spot in the bushes of Safdarjung.

The news of his death stunned all. Per India Today Anniversary edition - First thing Indira Gandhi did after reaching the wreckage, was to salvage his watch from the badly dismangled body - of someone who minutes ago was on top of Lutyen's Delhi, literally and figuratively.

The maverick, younger son of Indira and her chosen political heir, was the only politician who seriously ever tried to control the menace called population growth, which was already at epidemic proportion.  Another agenda of his was to keep our cities clean, free from dirty slums which were perennial eyesore and often resembled giant toilets.

Not many are aware of this fact - unlike her grandpa (a left liberal socialist) and mother (though socialist, never hesitated to hobnob with Industrialists and RSS if it suited her), Sanjay despised the Communists to core, comparing them to vermins, and wanted to get rid of them from India.

During the emergency, his plan was to dissolve the Parliament and declare her mother as The Head of the State with a subjugated Constituent Assembly. He wasn't very happy when her mom lifted Emergency, announcing fresh elections, only to lose.

Hypothetically speaking - what would've happened if Sanjay Gandhi survived that fateful day ? Under a dictatorial Sanjay, India would have gone either the Chinese way or Ferdinand Marcos's Phillipines way - we don't know. But what we know, his vision of population control and keeping India clean, as well as getting work accomplish by bypassing the red tape, was well ahead of time.

Last Day of Cruise - Fun day at the sea, May 2016

The other night we left Sidhant at Kids Camp and went to "Punchliner" - a popular stand up comedy show for those ages above 18. The auditorium was packed like sardines, reverberating with laughter.

The jokes were mostly spicy (called non-veg jokes in Indian lingo), filled with liberal dosage of sex and fart. It's in human nature - Bawdy jokes related to basic instincts can be extremely popular in restricted environment, the cloak of civility comes down as and when necessary.

 

The State of Odisha is well known for its freebies and I am a Pucca (staunch) Odia freeloader. As they say - PAISA UTHEIBARA EKKA (in Barhampuri accented Odia) or PAISA WASOOL (get full value of money) tendency, I was the first person to stand in line for free liquor offered as promotion inside the ship.

 

That also made me a frequent visitor to the Sauna, where the heat and humidity in a closeted room makes you sweat in 10 minutes, making me feel like a "Melting Man". The hot steam poured into skin, pouring out sweat like a dam gone burst. The feeling is very liberating and toxic free. It's a necessary luxury, as I hardly sweat these days. Even the walking trail inside my office is climate controlled.

 

It reminds me of my last visit to Odisha in June, a time locally called ANASARA GULUGULI (a very muggy period when Lord Jagannath hibernates with his siblings to escape from stifling humidity). All one has to do is stand outside in mid afternoon for a free Sauna.

 

Inside the Sauna as I met another melting man taking the steam bath. He was from Michigan. Our conversation veered towards politics. A lifelong Democrat, he is planning to vote for Trump. His logic - for years we have tried politicians. , as the wind of change behind Trump is gathering momentum, which could. Hillary Clinton should worry. Thoroughly drowsy from my relaxed nerves, I staggered back to room for a nap to supplement sleep leftover from last night.

 

I never lose an opportunity to talk to a stranger. Whether you like or not, agree or not, every human being got a story to tell. In course of the conversation you learn a lot. Irrespective of race or nationally, a patient hearing to their story gives them a sense of importance. Apart from being the source of fodder for my blogs, they bring infect me with plenty of knowledge and experience.

The mainstream media mostly covers the top 10% of populace. Thanks to the social media, especially to the creative genius of Marc Zuckerberg, for providing a platform for the voice of the silent majority to be heard.

 

All humans are basically the same, their basic nature is also more or less the same. It's the harnessing of human resources by visionary leaders which makes the difference between the people, who as a whole make a nation great or otherwise.

 

We got dressed up ourselves in formal wear for the Elegant Night. Prime Steak and Lobsters prominently adored the menu. The night glowed as couples swung to the sound of music. I dissuaded myself from dancing and wisely so, preventing folks from jumping into water upon seeing my dance. By not opting for dancing, I saved a few lives and a disaster of Titanic proportion. Carnival should thanks me for that bu offering me a free Cruise.

Field hockey and its progress over time

Last time India won any major tournament in Hockey was the World Cup in 1975, in Kuala Lumpur, under the captainship of Ajit Pal Singh. That was eons ago and many who would be reading this weren't even born.

India did win Moscow Olympics gold in 1980, however it was not a normal tournament, severly curtailed due to the  boycott by the then hockey powerhouses of West Germany, Australia, Pakistan and Netherlands.

Moscow Olympics was followed by India hosting the World Cup tournament in 1981-82. It was perhaps the last World Cup played on grass surface. Led by the fiery finisher Hassan Sardar, Pakistan defeated West Germany 5-3 in the finals.

The gritty Germans hit back through their hard hitting German skipper and Penalty Corner specialist Michael Peter, who scored a hat trick. But it wasn't enough to stop the marauding Pakistani forwards.

Pakistan continued its good form, whereas India's started declining. The difference between the traditional rivals was the finishing inside the D, from where you are allowed to score goals in Hockey. Pakistani forwards Hassan Sardar and later Shahbaz Ahmed would create havoc inside the oppoents D. Indian fowrards though fast, fumbled way too often inside the D and lost their way.

Another weak link of India was its weakness to convert Penalty Corners  into goals, a uniquely valuable goal scoring opportunity. The Dutch Paul Litjens, Jan Bovelander, the Germans Michael Peter, Carsten Fisher, all were accurate, hitting the ball at devaststing speed and scoring tons of goals.

The talented Pakistani PC expert Shoail Abbas, though not as fast as Europeans was an outstanding drag and flick Specialist, who was considered one of the best in the history of hickey. He would hold his nerve inside the D and wait for that split second to drag and flick into the goal.

As hockey slowly shifted to Synthetic Turf, so also the advantage to the Europeans and the Australians. Yet the Pakistanis, gifted by its talented strikers continued their good form. Led by the indomitable Hassan Sardar they won the hockey gold in 1984, where all major powers participated.

Pakistan, with players like Shahbaz Ahmed, Wasim Feroze and Shohail Abbas continued to give the Europeans and the Australians run for money. They went to the finals of World Cup in 1989-90. They also won a bronze in 1992, Barcelona Olympics.

But in spite of having world class players like Mohammed Shahid, Pargat Singh and Dhanraj Pillai and flashes of brilliance, hockey India continued on its path towards decline. The reasons are multiple. Hockey is never a mass sports in any nation but the limited resources  were managed well by their boards.

This is where Indian Hockey Federation, known to be both inept and corrupt, failed spectacularly. I don't want to dig much into it, but KPS Gill, the Punjab super cop's handling of terrorism automatically qualified him to be IHF chief. During his tenure it was rumored that Scotch flowed liberally IHF meetings held in the upper floors of 5 star hotels, where as the ground reality was he failed to resuscitate Indian hockey.

In this context, India reaching the finals of a major tournament after a long time is quite significant. Hockey is going through an interesting phase. The Dutch and Spain aren't in best form. Germany looks wobbly. Only Australia still retains its edge, a perennial thorn in Indian flesh, whether it is cricket or hockey, and not to mention Belgium - the new rising kid in the block.

The Indian team will be the underdogs against their more fancied rival from "Down Under" tonight. Irrespective of the results of the final - there is a lots of positives from team India which bodes well for the future. If sustained on the long run, rest assured we should be back among the rest of the top notch - the perfect boost ahead of the Rio Olympics.