A Hype Beyond Proportion

A span of 28 years-history was destined to repeat itself, this year at the Wankhede stadium against a frenzied, vociferous crowd raring to witness the "ultimate" moment in their lives. The men in blue did save their best for the last and amidst surmounting expectations of a billion people, showed their mettle when it mattered the most. No doubt, it was a moment of pride, joy, glory and of course, nationalistic ardour for every Indian. The nation basked in glory thanks to the magnificent eleven who brought the CUP home.

The World Cup is history but the aftermath of the World Cup win still features the eleven as the deities of a country for which cricket has been an official religion. Any aberration is certainly not on the cards. Or it does not seem so at least for the moment. Leave aside the hefty sum paid to the cricketers as match fees, it has been raining crores for the World Champions. The corporate India is dishing out a strong competition to the government in a "Heap-as-much-money-as-you-can" contest. Residential plots as well as first AC complimentary lifetime passes by the Railways are not too far behind the almighty dollars.

Where does all this money come from in a nation plagued by acute poverty? From where do such huge pieces of land come from when half of the population is battling with itself for a shelter?The hard-earned money of the taxpayers is being doled out to that chunk of a "poor" nation which is already earning crores from its regular remuneration and usual business. It's a shame that the bureaucrats do not feel the heat of "budget-deficit" and "lack -of- funds- for- development" concept while lavishing these already affluent masses with greater wealth. The public, on its part, is equally responsible for blowing the victory out of proportion. The huge resources need to be distributed equally among other sports so that we don't get starved of glory in respective fields. Any constructive usage of the wealth is welcome. It's time we the people become sensible enough to realise that though the victory seems sweet at the moment, we don't get carried away by the hype generated. Let us feel the pride in being an Indian not just for cricket or World Cup for the matter, for everything that the nation's hands can reach for. For all the genius hidden inside the nation that is still unexplored. For all the potential that still needs to be unlocked which can fetch us a status of a superpower not just in cricket, in every other field in which we do have the ability to reach the zenith.