Are Tendulkar & Ganguly Givers or Takers?
Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee handed over “lifetime achievement cards” to both Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly. Using these cards both Sachin and Sourav and their families can travel free in air-conditioned first class coaches for the rest of their lives. Ms. Banerjee on the occasion said that Tendulkar is a “genius” and “champion of champions”. She also said “Players may come, players may go, but Sachin will go on forever”. I have my own opinions on whether Sachin is a “champion of champions” and I do not want to waste my time trying to understand what the Railway Minister meant by “Sachin will go on forever”.
People who have money will always get preferential treatment. It is not fair but that’s the way the world is. India is no exception to this rule. But there is a difference between the West and particularly the United States and India in this regard. There is a culture of giving and charity work that is ingrained in the American psyche that is to some extent missing in India. This is not to say that Indians do not give. They do but not to the extent that the Americans do. This contrast is even starker when you compare rich athletes from both countries.
Most American athletes setup some type of charitable foundation of their own or join other foundations as soon as they sign a big contract. The word “giving back to the community” is something that you will hear them say often. I think they do this because of a few reasons. Most of these athletes are from poor and broken families and they understand the reality on the ground very clearly. The other reason is a tradition of giving, volunteer work and charity that exists in all sections of American society. Almost all contracts signed by athletes and their governing body or teams will also have clauses for mandatory time that should be spent by the athlete towards team charities.
In 2008 Americans contributed $307 billion dollars towards charity. Out of this $229 billion dollars (75%) came from individuals alone and the rest from other organizations. This does not include the number of hours and average American puts in every year towards volunteer work. It is very difficult for a poor country like India to match these types of numbers. However, the size of the Indian middle class is getting bigger and bigger every day and is very close to the American middle class in terms of numbers (about 250 to 300 million). It is important for us (the middle class and the rich) to start thinking of how we can help the disadvantaged members of our society. We should stop looking at the government for help and start our own initiatives.
I am sure Tendulkar and Ganguly have made charitable contributions. I have read articles about Tendulkar signing bats and sponsoring the education of kids in Mumbai. But what they lack is a plan and a vision that utilizes some of their income, immense popularity, influence and time to focus on specific issues that will benefit the society that made them rich in the fist place (check out the “Tiger Woods Foundation”).
There is an organization called “Athletes for Hope” which was founded by some of the most well known American athletes. One of the founders, former tennis player Andre Agassi said “We’ve helped each other through our foundations. We realized as much as we can effect (change) individually, you can effect more profoundly collectively. It’s an exponential message.” When can we expect a group of Indian cricketers to set something up like this? Not anytime soon since they hardly can get along with each other on the field.
Tendulkar and Ganguly are extremely rich athletes. They for the most part are not going to travel by Indian Railways like you and me. On the other hand what is Indian Railways going to gain by offering the free past to these celebrities? Have they agreed to provide free advertising to the Railways or promote any of the Indian Railway programs? Shouldn’t the Railway Minister focus on trains that are derailing frequently, trains that are late by days and trains where the passengers are getting raped rather than kowtow with celebrities?
Picture Tendulkar and Ganguly standing next to the Railway Minister and receiving a card that will guarantee free A/C travel for them and their families for the rest of their lives. What is wrong with this picture? What is next? Free lifetime Auto rickshaw ticket for travel in Mumbai?
Shame on you.
Related posts:
- The Dilemma Facing Sachin Tendulkar
- Indian Railways Profits are Falling
- All Those Meaningless Runs Scored By Tendulkar & Company
- Are These Empty Praises?
- Mamata Banerjee is Unfit to be Cabinet Minister
Category: News & Government
We believe in hero worship on this country.
Why talk of free rly pass.There are concessional income tax rates for the cricketers.
And I am told that these cricketers are worth few thousand crores each.
Jai Hind.
This is really unacceptable. Why reward the rich?