India has never had much to speak about when it comes to Olympics. It is more so with winning a gold medal. In all these years of participation at the Olympics we have won only 8 gold medals (all of which have come from hockey and the last being in 1980) and none in individual events. Lt. Col. Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore did us proud at the Athens Olympics in 2004 when he struck silver in the men's double trap event. But a nation of more than a billion definitely deserves more than that.
The Indian contingent sent to Beijing is a small one. A result of the fact that we have managed not to qualify in the game in which we have won all our golds till date.The Indian Olympic Association did not look confident about India's chances at this Olympics even before the games began. This made it look like India's hope for a gold will have to wait for some more years.
Not many would have believed that this wait was to end on August 11th, 2008. Abhinav Bindra shot to glory in the 10m Air Rifle and won the first ever individual gold for India. It is a day of great pride for him and the nation. A day we will all remember and cherish for long time to come. Congratulations to him for this truly commendable achievement.
What have we to take home from Bindra's story?
Bindra's success should ignite the fresh and budding talent in our country. It should set an example for kids and their parents alike that sports in India has a future if nurtured in the right way. It should give the Indian Olympic Association and the government the confidence that we have the talent that can make us proud at the international level. It should drive them to invest more in traning and providing world class facilities to the atheletes. The people who are doing their best for the nation, deserve the best.
Their is a lesson for the youth of our country too. More often than not we indulge in criticising the country and its system, but rarely contribute to nation building. Instead most contribute to the brain drain. One must note that Bindra holds a MBA and is the CEO of Abhinav Futuristics, a Chandigarh based company. He is contributing to the country through his entrepreneurial skills and sporting acumen. With Khel Ratna, Arjuna Award and many medals to his credit, Abhinav Bindra is a person to look upto and a shooter to look for in the years to come.
All of us may not be able to win a gold at the Olympics but we surely can do our part in nation building. So lets get going ...
