What do the Olympic Games signify to the Indian mass?

The Olympic Games need no formal introduction, and is the biggest platform where sportsperson from around the globe  showcase their talent.Ok,let me stop here because I don’t  want to bore off the very small amount of readers going through this amateur stuff.

Let me start my proceedings with a topic that rocked the country almost 1 and a half years ago:"MAKE CRICKET THE NATIONAL SPORT!!!".Let me come straight to the point. Why do most of the people from our country take CRICKET to be the default word, when someone means to say sport?And thus, there were these  suggestions from some of the masses of this ‘over a billion’ populated country  to make the so-called religion, CRICKET, the NATIONAL SPORT of India after we won the ICC cricket world cup 2011. And worst of all,the cricketers are referred to as Gods, as CRICKET is a religion for them.There's nothing wrong about it,is there?WOW,that’s more to ask for,right?But, No,there's more.......Tendulkar for BHARAT RATNA??I wouldn't like to argue with the followers of this religion, but would surely pop out one question: Dhyan Chand, (for me, arguably the best team-sports-person of India of all time,who won 3 Gold medals consecutively for India) was never awarded the Bharat Ratna. But, then no one cared.Then, why so much CHAOS for a person who is just under 40, and he is still not retired.I am not saying "Tendulkar doesn't deserve the award" but isn't it too early?And mark my words, HAD THE 2011 ICC WORLD CUP NOT PLAYED IN THE SUB-CONTINENT, INDIA WOULDN'T HAVE BEEN THE WINNERS. And to top it all, India has won 2 World Cups (for those of you who has the ICC T-20 world cup in mind, I do not consider T-20 to be traditional cricket,mind you), and in Hockey, India won a total of 8 damn Gold medals in the Olympics.Now,still, does CRICKET deserve to be the national sport?  

And the result of the favorite sport as cricket for 9 out of 10 people in India is that , the best performance in an Olympic Games for India came in the 2008 Beijing  Olympics,and hold your breath, BELIEVE IT OR NOT, we won a total medals tally of 3.Yes,3 out of all the  medals.Just 3 medals.isn't it sad enough?But,the good news was that Mr.Abhinav Bindra became the country’s first individual gold-medallist.#RESPECT.

When will the people understand the essence of the sports being played, other than CRICKET?This question will go down to the future if the other sports are not given the same respect as given to  CRICKET.And, the GOVERNMENT is also fully responsible for this debacle.For instance,the planet's most popular sport, football (my personal favorite :) ) is not even given a meagre chance, as we are lying in the FIFA rankings as low as 165, worst till date in the history of Indian football.sad enough,huh?And when Sunil Chettri got selected   in the Sporting Lisbon B side of the Portuguese League,the club  which groomed players as Cristiano Ronaldo and Luis Figo,amongst  others, it didn't create a single ripple in the water.Strange case of India!! 

Now,tell me, for a country with a population,which I do not need to remind you of, won only 3 medals in the last Olympic Games.And many of the people would funnily suggest that it was at least, by far the best performance put together by our country.But, then tell me in the 116 year history of the modern Games,is it not embarrassing for the country that a total medals tally of 3 was the best in 116 years of the Games?

Now,the question arises in your head, “what can I do when the country’s sports-persons itself do not perform in the biggest platform?” You needn’t do anything,respected friend.Just show faith and support for the sports-persons who are participating in the Games. I am not telling you to throw away the addiction known as CRICKET out of your head. It’s a request to show support for the persons participating in the Games and who are trying to make India proud.And, also watch the Opening Ceremony where our very own A.R Rahman will also perform.So,lets get united at least, as of now and show some support and respect for the various athletes who are vying hard to win medals in the name of INDIA and make this Games even more succesfull than the previous Beijing Games.And, topping it all, this time the strength of the Indian contingent is a solid 83-member team,the largest Indian contingent in an Olympic Games so far. SO, LETS ROCK-N-ROLL INDIA.BEST OF LUCK TO ALL THE PARTICIPANTS.

####RESPECT.