Chak De !!

Finally I did it ! After a gap of God knows how long, I have managed to see a movie in one sitting. Last Saturday my cable guy was showing Chak de India on his local channel. I thoroughly enjoyed it. I guess partly because I am a big sports fan and partly because, like most of us, I like rooting for the underdog.

The movie got me thinking about how few sporting heroes we have in this country.

I am curious why some one like Anju Bobby George is never spoken of the in same breath as Sachin Tendulkar. She has been a medalist at the world championship. Most people now forget that in the Long Jump final in the 2004 Olympics, she jumped her personal best jump of 6.83m.

I believe that is the hallmark of a true champion. To produce your absolute best when it really matters. Sure, she did not win a medal, but she jumped the maximum she ever did on the day of Olympic final.

We reached the final of 2003 Cricket world cup, how much did you say Tendulkar scored in that match ? How much was that again ? 4 runs ? Compare to his highest score of 186*.

Maybe this is why as a nation we have so few heroes, we do not even know who they are.

Additional food for thought : Had it been a male long jumper who reached the final of the world cup and won world championship medals, I am sure there would have been a lot more recognition for him