The later part of this year has brought a rash of scams involving politicians, bureaucrats, media personnel, businessmen and so on. In a country accustomed to corruption at all levels, the past few weeks have taken our perception of probity in public life to a new low. But, just when the country was feeling depressed owing to these events, our sports news pages (quite in contrast to the front pages) gave us a reason to be hopeful and happy.
Just a few weeks after basking in the glory of India’s achievements at the Commonwealth Games, we are now seeing a repeat in distant Guangzhou. The feats of our champions at the Asiad are all the more laudable because most of the Indian medal winners are from small towns who literally pulled themselves up by their boot straps to achieve victory. They made it to the top despite the system being what it is and not because of it. Hats off to the athletes and coaches.
Anil Prashant, Hyderabad