VERY SENSIBLE OPINION: Dissenting opinion STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE New Delhi, 24 November Questioning the very idea of conferring the Bharat Ratna to sportspersons, Lok Janshakti Party chief and Rajya Sahbha MP Ram Vilas Paswan has said if at all some one from the field of sports deserved the highest civilian award first, it was the legendary hockey player Dhyan Chand and not cricketer Sachin Tendulkar. “Major Dhyan Chand should have been the first recipient of the Bharat Ratna when it was decided that sports persons will also be conferred with the highest civilian honour,” Mr Paswan told reporters here today. “Had Tendulkar got the award for playing a game like hockey, we would have been happy,” Mr Paswan stated. Describing cricket as a “colonial game” which according to him is not Indias sport, Mr Paswan feels kabbaddi, football, volleyball and kho-kho are essentially the Indian sports. “Cricket has never been Indias sport as it is a game of the elites, he added. Pointing out that none of the first world countries play cricket, he said, “Cricket is still played in the erstwhile British colonies only. The USA does not play cricket neither does Russia, China, Japan or Germany. It was only in the British colonies that cricket was played.” The former Railways minister also feels that the Bharat Ratna should only be conferred to those associated with social work and all those who are working to bring about a change in the society. “The Bharat Ratna should only be given to social workers and people who have contributed to society,” Mr Paswan said. He also questioned as to how a country benefits from someone playing cricket.
Posted on: Mon, 25 Nov 2013 19:16:26 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015