JOIN USNo one would begrudge the high adulation and excited paeans of praise across the country for the boys who brought the cricket world cup home. They won a place in the sun for India, so devoid of accomplishments in competitive sports. It was a moment of glory for a nation which was troubled by doubts and was being ill-served by some of its leaders, and so the emotions that overflowed the cup were understandable. But blinded by sentiments, we sometimes tend to overreact and lose a sense of propriety and proportion. The torrent of rewards by way of cash, land and other goodies being announced for the heroes is arguably overdone. When they come from unexpected places and in unwarranted ways they raise questions too.
Karnataka chief minister B S Yeddyurappa initially promised sites in Bangalore to every member of the team and even announced the formation of an exclusive layout for them. He has now modified it to a cash reward of Rs 25 lakh each. The rationale behind the largesse is difficult to understand. The government has failed to deliver on its promise of BDA sites to some of the best sportspersons from Karnataka who have brought glory to the country and the state. They include six-time world billiards champion Pankaj Advani. While they are still waiting, the chief minister has made an unjustifiably grand gesture to the cricketers. It is not being parochial to point out that none of them is from the state. Other governments too have announced rewards for the players from their respective states. It is difficult and even embarrassing to criticize a gift but there is no doubt that Yeddyurappa’s generosity is devoid of reason and sense.
The cricketers, who are crorepatis many times over, do not need these gifts either. There are hundreds of sportspersons in other less glamorous but equally important games who have done well but need encouragement and even a helping hand. Some of them are even in dire straits. Money might be better spent on them. Rather than lavish their largesse on cricketers governments might well create better sporting facilities for aspiring sportspersons. Instead, politicians are trying to promote themselves by being seen as rewarding the cricketers and snatching a bit of glory reflected from them. Yeddyurappa has nothing to lose but people’s money but he should learn that discretion is the better part of generosity.