Recently I read a news article which informed about Bihar’s Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s desire of promoting sports culture in the state. The article even suggested that he has directed the concerned department for setting up a national level sports training institute in the state. Being a native of Bihar, I am delighted that the state government is finally acknowledging the importance of sports in the development of any society. However, before I go gung-ho about the information, it would be prudent to analyze the ground situation and possible way forward for such a ‘sporting revolution’ (if I may use the terminology).
Let us start with analyzing the present situation of sports in the state of Bihar. Though I am no expert on sports and related fields, I can safely claim that Bihar has not been making waves in the arena for quite some time now (especially after its bifurcation). Take for instance the performance in the recently concluded National Games held at Ranchi. While the host Jharkhand (earlier a part of Bihar and marred by mismanagement for most of the decade of its existence) stood 5th with a total of 96 medals (33G, 26S, 37B), Bihar could only manage 12 (1G, 5 S, 6B). I agree that after bifurcation, most of the sporting infrastructure went to Jharkhand (mainly Jamshedpur) but Bihar could have slowly built its own infrastructure in the last decade.
At present Bihar does not boast of any sporting venue / facility of international standards. Once a pride of Patna, Moinul Haq Stadium is in shambles (at least it appeared so when I visited it one and half years back) thanks to the apathy of the administration. The upcoming Sports Complex at Kankarbagh is under construction since eternity. Bihar has not hosted any international sporting event for past one and half decade. I think the Cricket World Cup match in 1996 between Zimbabwe and Kenya and the Asian School Football Tournament held sometime in mid 90s were the last of such events.
The state government has taken some positive steps to promote sports at grassroots level. I have heard that playgrounds are being provided to government schools and local level stadiums are also under construction at various places. However, these initiatives are not enough. There is a need to provide a proper system / channel which would nurture the sporting talents in the state and ensure that they achieve their full potential. It is almost criminal to teach one how to dream but not adequately equipping him / her to realize those dreams. We were bereft of many cricketing talents when the cricket administrators of Bihar failed to get a full-fledged member association from BCCI post bifurcation. The fact that talented cricketers of Bihar are still left (even after a decade!!) with no other option than to move to neighbouring states for getting due recognition gives a fair indication of the state of affairs in sports managing bodies of the state. And this apathy is not restricted to the state of Bihar. Once I was having a discussion with a member of the national governing body of a reasonably popular sport who was responsible for talent promotion (courtesy a close friend). With all due respect to his passion towards the sports, he was reluctant to expand the reach of his programme. I believe that until and unless there is concerted effort to democratize the sports (by which I mean the reach of it), India would struggle to become a powerhouse in the global sports arena.
Nitish Kumar has expressed his hope that Bihar would perform better in sports at national level in the coming years. I would urge him to expand this vision to include international platforms as well. When one has to dream then why not dream big and make efforts to convert those dreams into reality?
I think that Bihar would need a three tier strategy to bring in this ‘sporting revolution’.
- The first step, which is already under implementation, would be to invest in the infrastructure at grassroots level. This would be the key to inculcate the sports culture among the common masses.
- The second step would be to nurture genuine sporting talent. In my view, in the beginning the state should choose a mix of sports and invest in them. Thus ideally this mix should include some sports which require comparatively lesser infrastructure and some sports which would require huge investments in infrastructure. Once this selection is made, the state should come up with regional centers of excellence for each of these sports. Thus, suppose a district headquarters houses a development centre for swimming while another town (in some other part of the state) has a centre for archery. This would create a pool of potential champions.
- The final frontier would be to create a world class training facility to prepare the best to take on the world. It could be in the form of a satellite sports city near Patna which would have facilities for training in all the sports. Considering the investment and infrastructure requirements, it would take some time to come up even if the state government goes ahead with this idea. And unlike the previous two steps, this center should be to train potential athletes / sportsperson from across the country (with some preference for Bihar / Jharkhand). This would give Bihar another image boost.
Finally, Bihar government can make serious attempts to bring sporting events (both national and international) to the state. It can institutionalize an international tournament which could be a yearly fixture in the sporting calendar. The invitational Nehru Cup Football Tournament has prize money of $100000 (~Rs.4.5 crores). If the state can start a yearly Asian Youth Football Tournament or something on the similar lines in different sports then it would go a long way in imbibing the spirit of sports among the people of the state.
However, this is easier said than done. If the ‘sporting revolution’ has to come to Bihar, it would require a vision, an effective system and a will to execute. It would also require investment in the form of creating infrastructure, using the services of better coaches and support staffs and also for providing necessary facilities to the sportspersons. It would need proper planning in consultation with athletes and sporting greats; it would also require seeking assistance from international sports community in the form of guidance and coaching. This is not easy at all – but I think, this is the only effective way to go ahead. People may object that a poor state like Bihar should invest in other fields than indulging in promotion of sports (and that too at the level I propose). My only submission is that sports can be a triggering agent for a changing society of Bihar. The road to ‘sporting revolution’ may bring in following changes:
1. The move will give young people a chance to explore better sporting facilities and make a name in the sporting arena. This move may bring out several hidden talents in the state (and in the country) to the forefront.
2. Once Bihar has sporting icons through this initiative it will boast of some genuine and inspirational ‘Brand Ambassadors’ for brand Bihar.
3. Promoting women in sports may actually help in elevating their status in the society further and bring in socio-economic change in the longer run.
4. There is an economic aspect to it as well. With the emergence of sports in the state, the state can also explore the opportunity in Sports Industry (Businesses based on sporting gears and accessories, Training institutes etc.) which may provide employment to thousands.
5. Finally, it is not that state government will have to bear the entire cost. If there is a well laid plan then even the corporate can be persuaded to be a partner in such initiatives. Who knows, this can actually open gates for investment in the state?
With the government willing to take the next step, I sincerely wish that they would at least consider on these lines before preparing the roadmap for this much needed ‘sporting revolution’.
Comments
-piyush