Ahmedabad, February 24 (Agencies): President Ram Nath Kovind, on Wednesday, inaugurated the world’s largest cricket stadium and named it after Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The cricket stadium is part of a massive sports complex -- traditionally known as Motera Sports Stadium -- already named after Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. World-class facilities for several sporting disciplines are being created in the complex as part of an ambitious programme that may prove to be a new symbol of India’s abiding commitment to excellence in sports.

THE new symbol of India’s commitment to excellence is sports will, no doubt, serve a great purpose for India. In due course of time, the complex will come up with sporting facilities that would eventually attract sporting talent from all over the world. By any definition, this is a welcome development. India requires such facilities everywhere so that it evolves into a sporting superpower over time.

 

However, the actual crux of excellence in sports does not stem from such huge complexes built at a huge cost. For, in such complexes, the facilities are generally out of the reach of most people for regular use. The reasons are obvious -- they are far too expensive for common people to use, and the managers of such facilities generally keep those reserved for big-ticket events that call for following of absolute standards of physical upkeep. Naturally, common people cannot use those facilities for regular use pursuing their interests in various sports.

 

For such people whose children are genuinely interested in sports, what is, then, needed, is a base-level infrastructure of physical sporting facilities such as good, clean and safe playing fields and swimming pools and gymnasia that are within their economic reach in the neighbourhood.

 

On this count, over the past few decades, India has made itself the poorer by any standard. In most cities and towns and villages, affordable basic sporting facilities are rarely available to the common people whose children would love spending hours on open grounds or climbing trees or jumping into whatever water-bodies for a good swim in the neighbourhood. Thanks to the overall apathy of most civic bodies across the country, playgrounds are becoming rarities since they are either being neglected or abused for purposes other than sports and play. In most places, water-bodies have often been found to be shrinking and full of contaminated water.

 

In such a situation that is growing worse by the day, how can the common people pursue their interest in sport?

A Mary Kom begins pursuing her interest in boxing in a local corner; or a Limba Ram begins his pursuit of excellence in archery in a local group and then rises to national and international eminence. Even a Sachin Tendulkar, too, begins satisfying his urge to play cricket on a ground in the neighbourhood or the open space in a housing scheme. From that point on, their talent develops and evolves into something fine and of global standards.

India needs, therefore, a base-level sporting infrastructure that common people can avail of at will by spending small monies as fees for use. India needs clean, safe playgrounds in every neighbourhood so that the kids -- boys and girls -- can hone their playing skills and also build strong muscles, and which even adults can use for their physical and mental well being. India also needs base-level sporting facilities in schools and colleges individually or in clusters so that their students can enjoy open air and free-wheeling play to build better personalities. And most such base-level facilities need decent facility of responsible coaching as well so that youngsters acquire proper skill-sets.

 

It is in this area that our country is found wanting. That is so because our Government and our people have not given a proper thought to importance of sports as a cultural and educational input to better living. Most unfortunately, our definition of excellence in sports is limited only to winning medals or trophies. There is nothing perverse in this definition as well. But sports is beyond all that. Genuine interest in play is the mother of all sports and availability of base-level facility the core issue. When a child begins taking baby-steps in play or sport, he or she even does not know that there is something called winning. She plays for play’s sake, and enjoys the activity to the hilt, in the process acquiring a healthy personality in which eventuality accepting defeat,too, with grace becomes an integral part. This is how a genuine sporting culture evolves and helps the interested persons acquire higher talent-levels eventually.

 

India -- that is her Government and her people -- needs to give a proper thought to these requirements and organise a national agenda that would ensure that each neighbourhood has its own little Motera-like facility within everybody’s reach and of local, base-level parameters.

 

The true story of excellence in sports has often evolved through such steps. A community in Santa Monica nurtures a Carl Lewis, or a Sachin Tendulkar emerges the world’s best batsman by taking his first steps in the Sahitya Sahanivas in Mumbai, or a Diego Maradona rises tall from the slums of a megapolis by showing his basic skills while playing football with the kids in shanties.

 

If India has to emerge as s sporting superpower in times to come, it will have to make sure that it imbibes and develops a culture of sports and adventure and free-wheeling play unconditioned by medals and trophies. If that is to be achieved, then we will have to move well beyond the Motera metaphor.