It never rains but pours, is an old saying. This has been an extraordinarily rewarding week for India. Spectacular and unexpected success in the Commonwealth Games, number one in cricket after defeating Australia and getting a non-permanent seat on the UN Security Council.
While in no way minimising the significance of the medal tally, even more praiseworthy and pulse-quickening was to observe the brio, élan and self-confidence of our boxers, wrestlers, athletes, shooters, archers and badminton and hockey players. Each of our sports persons seemed to be proclaiming, “We can and will do it.” And they did India proud. The doubting pundits were proved wrong. The credit for this goes, of course, to all the sportspersons. We should, at the same time, recognise that when push came shove, the multiplicity of organisations involved did deliver.
The government departments concerned will now inquire into the financial irregularities, nepotism and shoddy construction work in some venues.
Another question. What is the future of the magnificent stadiums built and renovated? Who will maintain these expensive structures? Will these be used or allowed to go waste? Maintenance is a state of mind. The melancholy fact is that, we as a people are not maintenance-enthusiasts.
Finally, the blame game could become ugly, it seems inevitable.
Cricket. It is not just a game. It carries the air of a secular-religious obsession on a vast scale. Our top cricketers are immensely popular, immensely talented, and immensely rich. For the first time, cricket is being linked with corruption. India is by and large not in this sordid game. Our cricketing heroes should and, I am sure, will not allow the lamp of uprightness and financial propriety to be extinguished.
It is a matter of pride that we are the number one cricket team in the world. Criketers such as Tendulkar, Sehwag, Dravid, Kumble and Dhoni are rightly considered role models. Cricket is no longer an elitist sport. It has caught the imagination both of rural and urban India. Many top cricketers come from humble and impoverished homes.
Security Council. I welcome this for several reasons. Unlike 1996, we got elected almost unopposed. The credit goes to the Ministry of External Affairs and our able diplomats. India of 2010 is vastly different from the India of 1996. We now have far more clout even as a non-veto member. Sitting in the Security Council will provide younger diplomats opportunities to test their diplomatic skills at the highest level.
During our two-year term, the Security Council will face many challenges, many devilishly complex issues. Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran, Palestine, North Korea, Sudan. On each, we must stand up and be counted. India’s non-aligned, independent foreign policy will be under scrutiny not only at the Security Council but all over the world. On certain issues, we should be prepared to vote against the United States, e.g. Palestine and Iran. We cannot be and must not be seen as a camp-follower of any nation, however powerful.
Is our election as a non-permanent member a prelude to becoming a veto-wielding permanent member? I was a member of the Permanent Mission of India to the UN for almost five years. I know how the world body functions. I hope I am wrong, but I am not sanguine about our chances in the near future. The US may not block us (it could abstain), but I am unable to persuade myself that China will take kindly to India becoming a permanent member with a veto. Much, naturally, depends on how the new international order performs. Another complexity is the US penchant for bypassing the UN when it suits it, i.e. when it cannot get its way in the Council, it bypasses the world body.
When the UN charter was being drafted in 1944, US Secretary of State Cordell Hull minced no word when it came to the veto.
“The veto provision was an absolute condition for US participation in the United Nations. The superpowers would not be subject to any collective coercion. The veto ensured that the General Assembly or the Security Council could not act against any of the permanent five.”
The Mexican delegate’s comment at the time was that under the UN charter, “The mice would be disciplined, but the lions would be free.”
Tailpiece
Three cheers for the 33 Chilean miners. Three cheers for the technical/medical staff, three cheers for the families of the miners. The world watched with bated breath. Ultimately, fear gave way to cheer. This was indeed superhuman courage and confidence under unimaginable circumstances. This was the triumph of grit, faith and God-given self-belief.
A word about the president of Chile. President Sebastian Pinera is a self-made billionaire. For almost 24 hours, he was at the San Jose Mine in Copiapo, watching, inspiring, hoping and praying. No special, VIP treatment for him. No fuss, no genuflection, only democratic fellowship, comradeship. We could learn a thing or two from him.
