"Nero Fiddled While Rome Burned" - It was in all probability a nasty political statement to destabilize the emperor’s grip on power but it is also an important indicator of people’s expectations of their leader. A Man of Action is sought and all the shortcomings of the leader are forgiven when this singular expectation is met. To be such a man, certain traits are considered vital. One such trait is excellence.
Every sphere of human activity is a quest for mastery. The ancients realized that the attainment of the ultimate in any pursuit is a mark of an individual’s character. Indeed some activities have been designed with the sole purpose of identifying human excellence. Before the Romans used sports for amusement, the Greeks had come up with the Olympic Sports not as a mere means of recreation but as a scientific process of identifying the best among us. Competitive sport was therefore meant to segregate and distinguish potential - A potential to be tapped for greater deeds.
Sport is a proving ground to hone one's skills to face life. Yet today sport is slotted either next to or made part of public entertainment. For some a sport is a career, for others sport is an escape – a place to hide from life. The Satyajit Ray movie based on a Premchand short story - “Shatranj Ke Khilari” depicts the sport of chess as a source of trance that numbs the decadent protagonists into inaction resulting in their inevitable doom. There is refuge in the fairness of sport, the rules are known and applied uniformly. The arbitrary nature of human existence does not creep into sport and hence true justice seems possible.
Therefore it is understandable that once most people taste this offering of sport, they do not ever completely participate in life. But from time to time the ultimate objective of sports is deciphered by a few. These few, after reaching the pinnacle of sporting nirvana realize the futility of their pursuits and focus their attention on grander endeavors. A few years ago Chess Grandmaster Garry Kasparov retired from chess to get into the murky waters of Russian politics. Then there is the tragic tale of the young American footballer Pat Tillman who gave up a $3.6 million dollar contract and fame to enlist in the US army post 9-11 only to be killed by friendly fire in Afghanistan.
Closer to home, the late Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh Dr. Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy who recently died in a helicopter accident, is said to have been a weightlifter and an outstanding NCC cadet in his youth. And all the hyperbole of the elegies aside even his detractors would agree that he was definitely a natural leader of men, atleast in the primeval sense. Sports might not have been the secret of his political prowess but if he had found bliss in mere sporting achievements then there would have been one more entertainer and one less leader.
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