Top 10 Moments of Rio 2016

                Two weeks is a long time these days. It already feels like the Olympics at Rio happened long long back. So, why a ‘top 10 moments’ blog so late? It is because, in this age when we receive too much information, process too little and forget too quick, I wanted to write about moments that remain in memory, those that created an actual impact on me and those that we talk about years down the line. Or is it my justification for just being a lazy bum?

               Before we get into my list of the top 10 moments (Not the ‘Best’ moments, but the Top 10 moments), here is my disclaimer. Olympics has 28 disciplines, many of which I am utterly ignorant of. Like, Sailing, Beach Volleyball, Judo, Equestrian, Synchronized Swimming etc. I am sure those events also were splendid and would have had wonderful moments, but they are not part of my blog. Apologies for my ignorance.

  So, here we go, in no particular order.

“Against you, for you, because you. I do not exist without you and neither do you without me.”

                This sums up the story of the greatest rivalry in Badminton: Lin Dan vs Lee Chong Wei. Super Dan has won everything possible, twice, while LCW has won everything except those that matter – World Championship and the Olympics. And that is primarily because, when the stakes are higher, Super Dan was always able to up it a notch. So, in Rio, when pitted against each other again, in the semis for a change, LCW started an equal favorite, except for the burden of history. In what was perhaps the best match of their career, LCW finally broke the barrier. He won at the biggest stage of all. But what was the finest moment of the match and the entire badminton event was the exchange of shirts by two of the greatest players badminton has produced. That, in essence, is what sport is made of.  

Sportsmanship

                One of those heartwarming moments of Rio was the picture of Nikki Hamblin and Abbey   d’ Augustino helping each other after a fall in Women’s 5000m Heats, Nikki waiting for wheelchair to arrive for Abbey and then finishing the race. She was given an honorary place in the finals and finished last, but that didn’t matter. What mattered was the sportsmanship, that really was the winner.

The Hard Truth

                Every Olympics has its share of poignant moments, moments which make us feel proud of humanity. But there are also moments which show us the opposite. Berlin 1936 and Munich 1972 readily spring into mind. Rio also had its share. It was to do with the Arab Israeli equation. Lebanese athletes refused to share Olympic bus with Israelis and an Egyptian Judoka refused to shake hands with an Israeli after losing the bout. Though the acts cannot be condoned, for the whole world to treat Israel with soft hands and the rest of Middle East with prejudice is not going to solve the issue. 

Excellence

                Michael Phelps, Usain Bolt, Mo Farah, Simone Biles all came with huge pressure on them to deliver. And all of them did that spectacularly with 14 golds among them. While Phelps and Bolt will leave a huge vacuum in their respective sports, it is stars like Simone Biles who give us hope that the next superstar is always round the corner.

Women Power

                India sent its biggest contingent to the Olympics with expectation of double digits medal count. But what followed was an excruciating first week which had so many near misses and no medals. Just when hopelessness had set in, few awesome girls came to the rescue. Dipa Karmakar made history in gymnastics, though it was another near miss, and was followed by Sakshi Malik’ Bronze and PV Sindhu’s Silver.

The Privilege

                Google searches for Venderlei de Lima shot up at the end of the Opening Ceremony of the Games. He got the huge privilege of lighting the Olympic Flame. Why was an athlete with the best achievement of being a Silver Medallist being given this honour in such a big sporting nation? The answer was simple. Brazil wanted to right a wrong incurred on its athlete when he was pushed and interrupted when leading the Marathon at Athens 2004. That he never complained about it elevated his status even higher.

The Defeat

                Grown up athletes, men and women, crying is not new to sport. Crying after a win makes us feel so attached to the sportstar. It shows they are human. But when you see them crying after a bad defeat, particularly those with Calendar Grand Slam to their name, in the only remaining peak to be achieved, then it hurts. Even for those who are not their fans. The picture of Novak Djokovic crying on his way out of the Tennis arena was a reminder that sport is cruel. Even to the greatest champions.

The Gesture

                Zehra Nemati was a Taekwondo champion before an accident disabled her. But she was not to be bogged down. She discovered Archery, won a Paralympic Gold Medal and qualified for the Olympics this time at Rio. And as a fitting gesture, Iran, a country with apparently less respect and rights for women, made her the flag bearer. Inspiration.

A Shameful Past

                United States, with all its pluralism and openness has a very shameful pat with respect to racism. As recent as the 70s and 80s, whites refused to allow blacks to swim in the public pools at the same time. So, when Simone Manuel won the Gold in the 100m freestyle, it was more than Gold. It was a reminder of the shameful past, a lesson for the future and dedication to all those who were discriminated against. 

The Story Itself

                But the biggest thing about the Olympics is the Story itself. The fact that Rio de Janeiro, a mega polis with millions living in slums, in a developing country, managed to bid, win and conduct the event blemish less itself is a great achievement. If Beijing 2008 was Grand and London 2012 was Perfect, I would say, Rio was Human.

Other Great Moments

                The Japanese Wrestler Slamming her coach after her Gold, the multiple proposals and romance, Yusra Mardini surviving the Mediterranean while fleeing Syria and being part of the Refugee team, Joseph Schooling beating Phelps were all moments to cherish.

Defining the true 'Greatest of All Time'

         Virat Kohli has just played a stupendous innings in a losing cause in the WC T20 Semi-final. Just a couple of days earlier, he played what is arguably the best T20 innings of all time. Commentators and newspaper articles are searching for adjectives to explain his performances any further.  All this while he is having a purple patch in all formats of the game. Inevitably, comparisons with Sachin Tendulkar have sprouted everywhere.

         In my opinion, there are certain human tendencies that are fundamental to our existence. A few characteristics that can’t be changed. Quest for power is the most pervasive of those. Another such characteristic is to compare. So, despite rational thought saying that comparing people across two different eras is a futile exercise, we always compare. Comparing in itself is Ok, but we always attach a judgement to it. And thence the conflicts.

       One of the obvious things that our brains use to define greatness is statistics. Find the best performer by numbers and certify him the GOAT (Greatest of All Time). But then our heart doesn’t agree with that most often. Why is that?

         If greatness was to be defined only by statistics, Michael Schumacher, Jacques Kallis, Lionel Messi would be the greatest in their respective sports. But it is not as simple as that, is it?

         Schumacher is certainly up there, but there is a majority of fans who respect Ayrton Senna more. If not for his death, he certainly would have achieved more. His tragic death created a bigger halo around him than his numbers. The Russians have won more in Chess, but Bobby Fischer is always considered by many as the greatest. Because of the impact he had on Non-Russian Chess, for breaking through the impassable barrier.

        Jacques Kallis won more matches for South Africa than Sachin did for India in Tests, had a better average, was the greatest all-rounder of his times. But still, Sachin is one notch higher. Why is that? It is the impact Sachin had. The hope he gave to a developing nation still reeling under poverty and an inferiority complex, the defeats after many heroic innings by him, for pioneering those multi crore contracts, for scoring a century days after his father’s death, for ‘Desert Storm’, the list goes on. None of them deal with stats.

        Bob Paisley possibly won more trophies and titles as Manager than Bill Shankly and Matt Busby, but Shankly and Busby are one step better. Bill Shankly created the new Liverpool out of dust and Matt Busby built his Manchester United team after the Munich Air Disaster. Messi is one of the Greatest, but to me, he will continue to be one level lesser than Pele and Maradona as long as he does not win the World Cup for Argentina. League titles and Champions Trophies don’t touch our souls like World Cup wins do. 

        Usain Bolt may have won more, but Jesse Owens is a Symbol. To win in Germany in front of Hitler. Similarly, there could be better players than Muhammed Ali in numbers, but Ali will always be ‘The Greatest’.

       Take any sport, as long as statistics agree with our emotional favourite, we are Ok with ‘the greatest’ debate, but once the numbers don’t favour our hero, we turn to emotional reasons.

 So how do we define a GOAT? What does one need to do to become a GOAT.

It is the emotions around a player, the tragedies he faced and won, the failures, the vulnerabilities, the player’s contribution to the sport as a whole, the sporting statements that he made for his country and the world that defines greatness. Statistics only help create the Greatness Myth, but only emotions complete them.

Cruelty and Romance of Sport

            Serena Williams was on the verge of making history. Sure, she has already made history before. There is no need for me to elaborate on those achievements. If she had retired before this semi-final against Roberta Vinci, without picking up her racquet ever again, she would still be considered the best of this generation and in the Top 5 tennis players of all time. But this US Open was different. She is already one of the greatest. But we are talking a level above. Winning this US Open would have elevated her to the levels of Pele, Michael Jordan, Muhammad Ali and Don Bradman. ‘The Greatest’ club. At least to me.

            Better than Roger Federer and Steffi Graf, better than Sachin and Schumacher, better than Tiger Woods and Usain Bolt and Michael Phelps. That’s how remarkable her achievement would be. At least to me.

           But sport, and life in general, has always had some fundamental realities. Every time we forget, they are reinforced – in various manifestations. One of them was reinforced today. Serena lost. It was an upset for the ages.

Sport is cruel. Very cruel.

Ask Sachin Tendulkar, who after a surge of centuries, got stuck at 99 for an embarrassingly long time. His legacy was secure, but the disastrous wait for the grand event is also part of it now.

Ask Tiger Woods, who in 2008 won his 14^th Major but is still stranded at the same exact spot.

Ask Rafael Nadal, who is also stuck at 14, his odds of overtaking Federer considerably low now.

Ask Steven Gerrard, who seemed destined for Liverpool’s first EPL title and lost at the final hurdle. It got worse when he captained the England team in a horrible World Cup and finished his career with embarrassing losses to mediocre teams.

Ask Liverpool, who have been waiting for No.19 forever and seem to live more in history than reality.

Ask Badrinath, whose brilliant domestic cricket career overlapped with the careers of the Fab Four and is now lost in oblivion.

Ask those unlucky unknown sportsmen and women who lost their career to injuries, poverty and lack of opportunities.

Ask Serena herself, who stepped on glass after winning Wimbledon and lost a year when on top of the world. And has to defeat her own sister in nearly half her Slam wins. I am not even bringing up the prejudice and the intended/unintended racist views that she has to withstand. That needs a separate post of its own.

I agree, sport also has its own fairy tales – Ivanesevic and Sachin winning World Cup immediately spring into mind – but, in general, sport is cruel.  Very cruel.

But, come to think of it, the romance and beauty of sport is derived out of this cruelty only. This is what we watch sport for. For these moments when fairy tales don’t happen. This is what makes sportstars human. This is what connects them with us mere mortals, who couldn’t play beyond street/school/college.

 It is only when we recognize defeats, we truly appreciate victories.

Successes don’t create fairy tales, failures and adversities do. Success only completes them.

Information Overload - Is it or Is it not?

As I was paying over the counter for Appy Fizz, I got a WhatsApp message that said,”Appy Fizz causes Cancer. Never drink it.” Oops. What do I do now?

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I have always thought that the amount of information man can store and process has remained almost constant throughout history. True, the variety of info that a man can remember today is much more than, say, 60000 years ago, but in terms of the amount of data, like in GBs, it hasn’t changed much at all. For example, a  Jaravan tribal, who has no exposure to the outside world,  can identify and differentiate more than 70 types of tubers that he has seen in his entire life of living in a 200sq.km forest while, evidently, we cannot.

                So, as the variety of information we encounter and digest increases, it leads to two distinct developments.

•      It takes a lot of effort for someone to make me notice and absorb any info

•      The info I absorb doesn’t stay in my mind for long

The first point has led to what I call the “death of superlatives.” Every video that is shared is “Best ever”, “ultimate” and “never seen before”, every quote “the greatest of the century”, every picture “the cutest” and “most beautiful”, every act “impossible” and “extraordinary”, every cricket match the “greatest ever” and so on.  This is the same reason why Arnab Goswami goes berserk on TV and politicians scream at each other. The same reason why some online news portals change the titles of the same news articles multiple times so as to be relevant on Google News. It takes so much effort to make me take notice.

The second has more interesting effects. The “best ever” TV series I watched this week is usurped by another next week and I don’t remember the “greatest IPL match” ever. This means that a marketer has to put in more effort to make me remember his product, the R&D line of automobile companies have to keep rolling out new cars because my attention span is lower  and Arnab has to report new “Extraordinary events” everyday.

This information overload has unleashed a new beast, actually an old beast in a deadlier version: false information. Whenever there is a crowd, there would be false information, miscommunication, rumours and outright lies. And internet is a big bad crowd of magnitude humanity has never dealt with before.

So, we have a FB post of a quote attributed to Lord Macaulay that says, “I have traveled across the length and breadth of India and I have not seen one person who is a beggar, who is a thief. Such wealth I have seen in this country, such high moral values, people of such calibre, that I do not think we would ever conquer this country, unless we break the very backbone of this nation, which is her spiritual and cultural heritage, and, therefore, I propose that we replace her old and ancient education system, her culture, for if the Indians think that all that is foreign and English is good and greater than their own, they will lose their self-esteem, their native self-culture and they will become what we want them, a truly dominated nation.” Sorry, he never said this.

Then there is one more that quotes Putin saying something about Minorities in Russia. Sorry, false again. Gujarat and Modi is another area where there is so much wrong info floating around. Health facts are another area victimised. Appy Fizz causes cancer. No, it does not. Mentos plus coke will cause instant death. No it doesn’t. Kurkure has plastic. Seriously? Mobile phones emit 1000 times stronger signals when battery is low. Oops, wrong again. Dont drink Tea in Plastic cup. It can cause 52 types of Cancer. Bullshit.

All these information have one or more of these following characteristics

-          They make you feel good about your history, culture or heritage

-          They make you feel extreme emotions like revenge

-          They threaten your existence itself

-          They usually quote reputed sources

-          They give credence to what you want to think of, but what may not actually be true

Biased information is a different thing altogether. Varied interpretations of correct data may exist. For example, 18 degrees at Bangalore may be cold for a Chennaite but warm for a Canadian. 

But how do we identify which information is right and which is wrong, assuming we usually seek the right information? These false info and rumours may have serious consequences, like when north east Indians packed their bags from Bangalore and went back to their homes because of rumours about danger to their lives. Or like past week, in Chennai, when after a bomb blast, there were rumours of multiple bombs planted across the city.

Usually, couple of extra clicks and minutes can dispel your doubts about any info that you encounter. But it is always necessary to take any info on social media with a pinch of salt, particularly when you decide to act upon that information. So the next time I encounter a picture that shows Buddhist monks throwing dead bodies into the fire, I would do some more research and find out that they were actually cremating victims of a huge cyclone in Myanmar.

Doomsday Prediction

In a recent discussion on the ‘Impact of Macroeconomics on Auto Industry’, the presenter painted a very rosy picture of the future when a participant asked, “So, what’s the catch?” The presenter just smiled in a resigned manner and replied,” Please vote judiciously. We are doomed if the next government is unstable.”

This article is an attempt to understand if we are doomed. So, will the next government be stable? What are the factors that will impact the stability of the next government?

Before I get into who will come to power, let me get this straight. Corruption will not be an issue in the elections. India is too big and diverse for that. Did Adarsh scam impact me on a personal level? Did CWG, Coalgate or 3G impact me? Actually 3G scam may be the reason call rates came down so drastically. The common man who is more than willing to bribe the policeman when in trouble, bribes to get gas connection early, uses influence to jump the queue in crowded temples, produces non-existent receipts in office for undeserved reimbursements and so on is not overly bothered about corruption. The issues in the election will be price rise, caste, religion, jobs, roads, electricity, Marathi/Gujarati/Tamil pride and other stuff like anti-incumbency, leadership etc

So let us make a broad assumption on the seats for the parties.

NDA – 210-220

UPA – 110-120

Others – 210-230

       So what are the options that we have?

1. Third front – Let us get this myth out first. Mamata cannot live with Left, SP cannot with BSP, ADMK and DMK, TDP and YSR Congress. This just means  “Others” is not 210-230, because as a single coalition, it cannot be more than 100-120
2.  Congress led, supported by others or Third Front supported by Congress. The previous point makes it clear that this option will also not reach the half-way mark
3.  NDA led, Modi as PM, supported by others – This looks like a distinct possibility, under the assumption that Jayalalitha and Naveen Patnaik will support Modi.
4. NDA led, puppet PM, supported by others – This option may bring in a few “secular” parties along. So this is also a possibility, though a little far-fetched.

This buzzword “secular” reminds me of the impression created against Congress and BJP by the media and the other parties. This by itself can form the basis of another blog. It is fascinating to see media houses give subtle/not-so-subtle hints against some of the parties. While the negative imagery of Congress is around words like corruption, dynasty, suffering and poverty, the ones around BJP are blood, riots, wounds, death, dark etc. This is an attempt to influence those who value life over survival, which is pretty much everyone. To find out if the attempt was successful, we will have to wait till May 16.

Well, I digressed. Now that option 3 or 4 looks probable, the other parties which will possibly support NDA will be ADMK, BJD, MNS, BSP and TMC. And this brings in a peculiar set of regional leaders: Raj Thackerey and the deadly trio of Jaya, Mamata and Maya. What is the common thread among these leaders? One, they can be very unpredictable. Two, you can’t afford to hurt their ego.  

People like Karunanidhi, Nitish, Mulayam and Left leaders can be expected to behave in a certain way, depending on the ministries they get and the CBI cases against them. But the others are not. In 1999, Jaya had lost an election recently and had so many corruption cases against her, she knew DMK may come in to prop up NDA, but still she pulled the plug. But it was fairly predictable when Left quit UPA over the Nuclear deal.

So, this unpredictability and ego of these leaders (Raj, Jaya, Mamata and Maya) will be the factors that will decide the stability of the next government. Tough I say.

A sample of the demands that will topple the next government will be

• -           Vote against Sri Lanka in UNHRC session. Else I Quit
• -          Dont dare release Teesta waters to Bangladesh. Else I Quit
• -          Give special status to my state. Else I Quit
• -          Remove CBI cases against me. Else I Quit
• -          Dont dare increase fuel prices, damn the Oil companies. Else I quit
• -          Dont rub my ego in any way. Else I Quit

So what does the next 5 years hold for us? In one word, DOOM.

THE END

09:40:05 P.M, Yesterday

             He was waiting for her. It was cold and overcast. He pulled his jacket closer. The weather seemed to reflect his mood. He touched his gun to his cheek, feeling the cold metal. He would do it today. He had to. He wanted to see those pretty eyes widen in shock. This would be the final act. His Judgment.

                She must suffer for loving him; for leaving him; and for still loving him. Just as he had borne all her wrath.  Yes, the mistake had been his, his alone, but the price he had paid was far too much. And for that, she’ll pay now; with her life.  As he was rolling these thoughts around his head, he heard footfall.

              It was her. Those round, brown eyes; like a Japanese doll. His own moonbeam. He was entranced, just as he always was.  He scurried behind some bushes, out of sight. She walked past, as if in a spell. He realized that she must be thinking about him. He couldn’t bring himself to do it. “Tomorrow”, he said to himself and hurried back. 

09:40:05 P.M, Yesterday

           The pain was excruciating. She could not bear this emptiness in her. Leaving him hadn’t been easy. She knew it never would be. They had been too close for that. Still, she had to do it. There was no alternative. She tried to drive the thoughts off her mind. The park was silent, which did not help her cause. Then she saw him crouched behind some bushes, looking at her.

             She wanted run towards him, hug him and say everything was fine and they could go back to being just as they were, but she knew it was beyond reclamation. All spoiled by one moment of blind hatred. Part of her wanted him to run to her, hug her and say everything was fine but she knew life did not work that way. She walked past him; still hoping life did work that way.  

09:30:33 P.M, Today

                  He was waiting for her.  It was a beautiful clear night, and the moon was a thin two day crescent. Jupiter shone brilliantly in the east amid the faint stars of Pisces.  Even the night was conspiring against him, sneering, reminding him of all those nights he had spent with her under this same, star-dotted dome. That seemed a lifetime ago; those stolen moments of unadulterated bliss. Now he was tensed, and felt his shirt damp against his damp skin. The park’s nocturnal inhabitants were now waking up. He heard crickets droning, frogs croaking and the rustle of leaves as a snake slithered somewhere. “Focus”, he said to himself and mentally rehearsed what he had to do, as he hid his gun in his jacket. Then he saw her.

09:30:33 P.M, Today

                The park seemed the same. She knew he would be there today too; waiting for her as always. Today she wanted to talk. This stalking had to stop. All stories had to end somewhere. May be this might end happily ever after. She looked up. Jupiter shone brilliantly in the east amid the faint stars of Pisces. He had taught her star gazing; she thought that the night was telling her how delightful those days had been; those unending nights of looking at the stars, resting on his shoulders. She made up her mind. They had to talk. Then she saw him. 

09:31:00 P.M, Today

                He came out into the path. They stared at each other; all those years between them. She ran into his arms, sobbing. She felt him stiffen, but he relaxed immediately. They hugged, still sobbing. Slowly hand in hand, they started walking back, silent. They just needed each other’s presence. No words were necessary. No words would be enough.

                He felt her hands in his, warm and soft. She was his goddess, his muse, his unborn child, his dead mother. He felt ashamed that he had even thought of a punishment. He would make it up to her, he thought, devoting his entire life for her. Just to be with her as she grew old and pale; to be always there holding her hand.

                 She felt his hand in hers, hard and strong. He had taught her to appreciate the world and life; he had made her who she was. Nothing would bring them apart now. Everything was forgotten. It was all just a hazy dream in the realms of her subconscious. She would have been happy even if the world had ended right then. They walked back to his place and got married the next day. It was bliss. It was an entire lifetime.

09:31:02 P.M, Today

              He was calm, as he took the Glock 17 out of his pocket. He saw her eyes widening, scared. She knew. And he knew he couldn’t through with it if he heard her voice. 

“I love you”, he said, his voice breaking.

Then he shot himself. 

------------

A Short Story by my friend, Bharathwaj Ranganathan, that lazy genius who refuses to write more