SOUNDS OF SILENCE Mohit Lalvani Diwali brings an air of expectancy with it. As much for the celebration, the feelings of hope and freshness as for the fact that in the racing world of India, it is the start of the New Year, the winter season. Connections of three year-olds are in a state of hustle and bustle as they begin their final preparations for moments that will pass by fleetingly and either banish them to ignominy or shower them with champagne and roses. For owners, trainers and breeders who are associated with two year-olds, the moment of truth is around the corner. It’s often said that a top quality horse will demonstrate his ability the very first time he starts and for most owners who seek the answer to the million dollar question of how good their juvenile is, harsh reality will soon set in. For breeders, the launch of a stallion can be nerve wracking as most of these are really only living on borrowed time. For every Multidimensional that blazes the track, there will come five forgettable names and for the trainers who look for that one elusive David to appear in his string against the Goliaths, the compromises in this regard are often painful for all. While we leave a look at the classic picture for now and allow the thoroughbreds to stay clear of the intrigue that surrounds every race track, it’s important to note that at this stage of its evolution, Indian racing has built the metaphorical Tower of Babel. A tower that it could preserve but at the risk of getting confounded. The Tower of Babel is a story told in the Book of Genesis of the Bible and you might ask what this has to do with Indian racing. Bear with me for according to the story, a united humanity of the generations following the Great Flood, speaking a single language and migrating from the east, came to the land of Shinar where they resolved to build a city with a tower that reached heaven. This would make a name for themselves, help them to be untouchable and soon filled them with a sense of pride. Not surprisingly, God saw this attempt as an intrusion at many levels, to say the least, and noticed that as long as they were one people and had one language, nothing would be out of their reach. Legend has it that God therefore, came down to Earth and confounded their speech in the process rendering them useless. Soon they were all speaking different languages making it impossible to complete the tower and the city and here lies the point. Unlike most other racing nations, Indian racing is divided by languages as is the country. Western India speaks English while North India speaks Hindi. Bangalore and Mysore more or less are on the same page while Hyderabad isn’t far away in Andhra Pradesh. Calcutta used to be very much like Western India and speak English. Somewhere the shift to the vernacular happened, but now, over the past few years, have begun a march to the language that saw them scale the pinnacles of the sport in India. I’m not really sure what language Chennai speaks right now and while most of you have figured out that I am not really speaking about languages, there is much to be learned from the legend of the Tower of Babel. The Turf Authorities of India speak a different language each year and perhaps need to look at how the different authorities can be taken that in time back to before the Tower of Babel was built and racing in India spoke as one. India faces many challenges on the one hand as it looks to establish itself as first world racing nation. On the other hand, while there is plenty to cheer for as well, it is important that we begin to speak one language in order to tip the scales. Not just a common language at global forums but amongst ourselves too. Till such time though, in words that are understood all across the world, I wish you all a very happy Diwali. (I will be available to interact on this topic on Horse Talk.)
Posted on: Sun, 03 Nov 2013 06:37:27 +0000
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