When he won two gold medals in the shooting events of the Commonwealth Games at Kuala Lumpur, Jaspal Rana provided ample evidence of his sense of timing.It was equally apparent when Rana used the resultant media attention to articulate his financial worries and the fact that he was toying with the idea of migrating to Australia. In most countries there would have been an uproar. In India, where the shrug of the shoulders is virtually an art form, nobody bothered. That an athlete at the prime of his career, a potential Olympic winner is frustrated enough to think of changing his passport should leave every Indian cringing. In a wicked irony, just after Rana made his anguish known the Board of Control for Cricket in India announced it was paying the cricketers who went to the games Rs 1 lakh each, Rs 1 lakh for being thrashed out of contention. In India, the caste system doesn't go away; it merely reinvents itself.It is easy to see this as a battle between avaricious cricketers and indigent others. That would be both simplistic and unfair. Nobody can grudge cricketers the money they make, especially since they have turned a gentle pastime into a mammoth commercial enterprise. .preferred-source-banner{ margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom:10px;}Even so, India has a duty towards people like Rana who spend more time looking for ideal practice facilities than actually honing their skills. In the old days, business houses and public-sector companies ran a disguised patronage network in the form of employment. In times of recession, as Rana has discovered, even corporate sponsors shy away. It is incumbent upon the Government to act. True, it can't subsidise just about everyone. Yet, athletes of world-class standard should become wards of the state. Perhaps a graded system with higher funding for better performers could be evolved. Perhaps Rana could still be kept from the emigration counter.Published By: AtMigration Published On: Oct 5, 1998--- ENDS ---
