Padma Awards
M S Dhoni and Harbhajan Singh did not accept the PadmaShri awards conferred on them by the Government of India. This has evoked much comment. Great Bong has a typically incisive commentary on this weighty matter, while Amit Varma stands firmly in Bhajji and Dhoni's corner, or rather, against the Government.
The Government's response to Dhoni and Harbhajan Singh's absence has been rather ham handed, especially the bit about the Sports Minister's intention to issue a circular about this. The Government of India had better not start commenting on "casualness" related to sportspersons, for if a serious accounting of the Government's casualness with respect to managing the sports that are unfortunate enough to require direct Government patronage is ever carried out, Mr. Gill will have a lot more to answer for than mere casualness.
But, compared to the Sports Minister's rather comical circular, which will be published, and also sent to the Home Ministry, which will then inform Mr. Dhoni and Mr. Singh that they should behave themselves (now do you see why it is called a circular?), this strikes me as rather extreme. That it is a Public-Interest-Litigation is even more egregious. What public interest? Besides, "criminal intimidation" and "intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of peace"!!! Really? Because these two guys didn't show up to recieve an award from the Government?
Given that there is a seperate set of awards reserved for Sport (just as there is for Cinema, Literature and the Arts), I wonder whether it is even necessary to give the higher national honours to sportsmen. Giving it to a Gavaskar or a Kapil Dev after retirement is one thing, but giving it to Harbhajan Singh, who only last year was involved with SlapGate and MonkeyGate is questionable. If sport is ultimately about character, then is Harbhajan (who was not completely blameless in either of those episodes) the best candidate in this year?
The Government's response to Dhoni and Harbhajan Singh's absence has been rather ham handed, especially the bit about the Sports Minister's intention to issue a circular about this. The Government of India had better not start commenting on "casualness" related to sportspersons, for if a serious accounting of the Government's casualness with respect to managing the sports that are unfortunate enough to require direct Government patronage is ever carried out, Mr. Gill will have a lot more to answer for than mere casualness.
But, compared to the Sports Minister's rather comical circular, which will be published, and also sent to the Home Ministry, which will then inform Mr. Dhoni and Mr. Singh that they should behave themselves (now do you see why it is called a circular?), this strikes me as rather extreme. That it is a Public-Interest-Litigation is even more egregious. What public interest? Besides, "criminal intimidation" and "intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of peace"!!! Really? Because these two guys didn't show up to recieve an award from the Government?
Given that there is a seperate set of awards reserved for Sport (just as there is for Cinema, Literature and the Arts), I wonder whether it is even necessary to give the higher national honours to sportsmen. Giving it to a Gavaskar or a Kapil Dev after retirement is one thing, but giving it to Harbhajan Singh, who only last year was involved with SlapGate and MonkeyGate is questionable. If sport is ultimately about character, then is Harbhajan (who was not completely blameless in either of those episodes) the best candidate in this year?
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