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View Full Version : The Olympics and National Pride - India’s Standing



bnashier
August 20th, 2004, 06:37 PM
The Olympics signify one and the only theme: to recognize and honor the best in whatever they can do.
The Olympics center around physical activities which naturally entice the attention and interest of ALL people. Perhaps the next best understood recognition (by public) is the Nobel prize.

A small and interesting digression: You know that Physics, Chemistry, Economics, Medicine, Literatures etc. are awarded Nobel Prizes. Mathematics was left out by Mr. Alfred Nobel. Mr. Mittag Leffler was a very prominent Swedish mathematician at the same time Alfred Nobel had power. Sweden has Mittag Leffler’s Institute of Mathematics. The rumor says Mittag Leffler had an affair with Nobel’s girl friend and stole her away from Nobel. Nobel wrote in his will that no prize for these mathematicians! Mathematics has its own prize: The Fields Medal. John Charles Fields (a Canadian born North American Mathematician) was a friend of Mittag Leffler and he established Fields Medal. Fields Medal ceremony is once every FOUR years (like Olympics) during the meetings of International Congress of Mathematicians. Nobel Prize is more known to public, but a recipient of Fields Medal in mathematics has more stature in academia than, say, a Nobel laureate in physics or chemistry simply because

(i) a Fields Medal recipient has to be less than 40 years of age.
(ii) a Fields Medal is awarded once every four years.
(iii) The medal is not for solving a problem in mathematics. The medal is based on the impact of a person’s work on current and future development of mathematics.
(iv) There is no money involved, just recognition - and a great one when a recipient is in his late twenties or thirties. What a career!
(v) Since the first awards in 1936, generally two (but no more than 4) medals have been awarded at a time. Only 44 mathematicians have received this award since 1936.

Now back to the Olympics where I started and the reason behind my thoughts. The Olympics also entail a National pride. People get excited to watch the very best in their efforts to show what they can accomplish. Participation and success in the Olympics measure the level of self-respect, unity and pride of a nation. The heroes do and should become role models for others.

The question is: Why is India having such a poor showing? Since the inception of the Olympics, India has won just 15 medals, 11 of them in filed hockey. Hardly any individual medals to speak of. What does this speak of us as a nation? Like everybody else, each one of us does believe in being better than the rest. In fact, many of us even buy our way to show that we are better than the next person. I am referring to bribery to knock off competent people to get what we want and not what we deserve. Be it a job as clerk or a professor in a college or even as a soldier in national armed forces, your fate rests on whom you know and how much you pay for getting there, and not on how good you are! When this is the case, the philosophy of national pride and unity is off the wall. Who cares to promote excellence when we depend on buying it. We are Jats, Gujaratis, Punjabis, Bangalis or Tamil and NOT Indians!

India, with a population of more than 1.1 Billion and a democratic country, is really in a pathetic state. I am not stating this with a malice simply to criticize our beloved nation. I am narrating this with much concern and empathy with people who are living in India with squandered potential and helplessness due to our corrupt and shameful bureaucracy. No nation or people can thrive where nepotism and callousness take precedence over human values!

rkumar
August 20th, 2004, 07:44 PM
100% correct Budh ji. High time in India we launch second freedom strugle and establish clean democracy... Unfortunately we don't seem to have enough will power to get out of present slavery. Look at China how they have reached at top in every filed almost...including mathematics...In India we have a population which has almost surrendered to its fate and is not ready to fight.. People have learned to work out their ways through the layers of corruption..I am not sure how and when things will take right shape..

Rajendra

bnashier
August 21st, 2004, 12:28 AM
It is refreshing to see athletes even from war-torn Afghanistan and Iraq competing in track and field. India is conspicuously absent.

It does not require a huge amount of facilities to practice and become good in track and field.

manu20
August 21st, 2004, 12:41 AM
Also, the Iraq futbol team qualifying after beating Portugal.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2004/olympics/2004/soccer/08/20/bc.eu.spt.oly.soc.roundup.ap/index.html

I'm rooting for them.


Budh Nashier (Aug 20, 2004 02:58 p.m.):
It is refreshing to see athletes even from war-torn Afghanistan and Iraq competing in track and field. India is conspicuously absent.

It does not require a huge amount of facilities to practice and become good in track and field.

dharmpaltakhar
August 21st, 2004, 03:41 AM
hello Budhji,
i guess we all share your views. everybody knows these facts but still nobody does nothing (including me). anyway i just wanted to tell that Maninder Agarwal (from IIT kanpur) can get the next fields medal for his pathbreaking algo.

bnashier
August 21st, 2004, 06:35 AM
I am happy to hear about the bright fellow Maninder Agarwal. I wish him all the best in life.



Dharmpal Takhar (Aug 20, 2004 06:11 p.m.):
hello Budhji,
i guess we all share your views. everybody knows these facts but still nobody does nothing (including me). anyway i just wanted to tell that Maninder Agarwal (from IIT kanpur) can get the next fields medal for his pathbreaking algo.

bnashier
August 21st, 2004, 10:27 PM
Iraq's soccer team reaches semi-final. What an achievement!!!!!!!!!!!




Manu (Aug 20, 2004 03:11 p.m.):
Also, the Iraq futbol team qualifying after beating Portugal.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2004/olympics/2004/soccer/08/20/bc.eu.spt.oly.soc.roundup.ap/index.html

I'm rooting for them.


Budh Nashier (Aug 20, 2004 02:58 p.m.):
It is refreshing to see athletes even from war-torn Afghanistan and Iraq competing in track and field. India is conspicuously absent.

It does not require a huge amount of facilities to practice and become good in track and field.