Dreams of Olympic proportions

Olympic. Pic/AFP

They are back…" sighed Sir PM, forgetting his usual greeting for Lady Flora, when she showed up at St Thomas Cathedral for their Sunday session. She was surprised with this un-Pheroze-like behaviour. "The Chinese? There's no news of recent aggression in Ladakh," informed his friend, always aware about the political developments. "Thankfully not, My Lady. I was referring to the banners, posters, cloth-lined façades and technicoloured street lighting; the mega cover-up job that's bedecked the city once again. This time, sources tell me that it's a three-day conference that has something to do with India and the Olympics," revealed Sir PM, looking thrilled that he was privy to this information.

"Oh, Pheroze, isn't it a shame that it's only when India and overseas dignitaries come here that such a temporary, cosmetic show is pulled off to hide the creaky infrastructure, over clogged drains or piled-up garbage," Lady Flora grumbled in her civic activist mode. She felt strongly about how her adopted, favourite city continued to slip badly with basic civic issues. "But guess what? My sources tell me that there is talk about India bidding to host the 2036 Olympics. Now that would be something, Pheroze…" Sir PM wasn't aware, and so, searched his mind for an informed response. "Well, it depends how prepared we are, infrastructure-wise. And since you brought up China, I thought that was a terrific show put on by our country at the Guangzhou Asiad..." uttered Sir PM, hoping this observation would deflect the attention from his lack of knowledge about Lady Flora's query. "Absolutely! Our champs were stupendous across disciplines. I loved how we gave everyone, including the Chinese, a run for their money and ended up in fourth place on the final medals tally." Sir PM's ploy had worked.

She continued, "My favourite moments were how those bubbly Bengali girls, childhood friends, I'm told, surprised the higher-ranked Chinese pair in table tennis; or how the UP athlete Parul made that fabulous blitz in her last burst in the 5,000-m run, stunning the Japanese participant, who was leading till then. What about your picks, Pheroze?" Sir PM wasn't expecting things to get this serious. He was hardly the sporting kind but managed to save face: "When Neeraj Chopra gave equal importance to that Jena chappie who won silver. Such humility from the young lad; he's a superstar." Lady Flora did a slow clap; she loved his reply, much to his relief.

"But my concern is about this news - the Olympics pitch. We need to be realistic. After all, when was the last time we hosted a big sporting event? Why look for examples; at the ongoing cricket spectacle we saw the poor turnouts for the inaugural match between New Zealand and England. My family back home was shocked to see this in a cricket-mad country," Lady Flora rolled on. By now, Sir PM felt comfortable to jump in, "You are right. And the Olympics is a different ball game altogether. The last big spectacle was the Commonwealth Games in Delhi in 2010, and it wasn't an entirely flattering experience, given the controversies that spilled over. I feel we should bid for an Asiad before the Olympics; my views might sound conservative but we need to be practical because the world will be watching us."

By now, the duo had reached Oval Maidan. It was dark, barring the light from the street lamps, and from the imposing façades of the High Court and the University building complex. "See Pheroze…all we see are cricket pitches. If we are to host such a large sporting event, our mindset must change; there needs to be interest for other sports. Yes, the powers-that-be and big companies invested and the dividends are showing in other sports but we are yet to become a sporting nation, in my opinion, despite the recent Asiad glory. Interest for other sports is sporadic, ad-hoc, and then, the junta go back to watching cricket," exclaimed Lady Flora.
"Bombay has always been a cricket-crazy city; yes, hockey and football were once popular disciplines, but cricket has moved way ahead, I am afraid," added Sir PM, recalling his days as a young football enthusiast showing up for trials, and failing miserably. Yet, he secretly loved the sport the most. "Though, I am curious that if this does happen, our city will get a chance to host a few disciplines. With the legacy of the historic Yacht Club, I'd love to see sailing events take place here," Sir PM was beaming by now.

"Pheroze, now that's a dream frame. Imagine watching proceedings by the Apollo Bunder, with the Gateway in the backdrop. Or will it be by Marine Drive? Both venues would make for a picture-perfect setting," she smiled. "Let's see how it pans out. Asiad or Olympiad, I hope it gives a much-needed fillip to other sports in Bombay. We are way behind most big metros when it comes to sporting infrastructure, and this could be a silver lining," he signed off, as they sat by the scenic promenade on a sultry October night.

mid-day's Features Editor Fiona Fernandez relishes the city's sights, sounds, smells and stones...wherever the ink and the inclination takes her. She tweets @bombayana

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