Looking eastwards

An article titled 8220;one dream, two worlds8221; in the latest issue of CPM mouthpiece People8217;s Democracy looks into the sports...

An article titled 8220;one dream, two worlds8221; in the latest issue of CPM mouthpiece People8217;s Democracy looks into the sports scenario in the country and compares it with that of Communist China. It says China had spent at least 2.3 million dollars to win one gold medal and carefully worked out a plan not only to successfully organise the Olympics, but also to emerge as a powerful sporting nation by supporting its athletes with the necessary monetary and training facilities. 8220;Our sports officials exhibit lots of interest in bidding for organising mega sporting events but do not show even an iota of that in preparing our sportspersons for competing respectably in those events,8221; it says. 8220;The absence of proper infrastructure and training facilities and their non-availability to the majority of our people is another important reason for our failure to produce medal winners. It is estimated that out of the 77 crore people below 35 years of age, only 5 crore or so have any access to organised sports and games, to the neglect of nearly 72 crore of our children, adolescents and youth,8221; it notes.

On the other hand, China has 37 per cent of its population actively participating in physical education and sports activities. There are over 3,50,000 popular sports instructors, over 40,000 grassroots level sports associations, 3854 urban community associations, 2000 community sports institutions, and over 1,00,000 part-time sports instructors, besides and incredible 6,20,000 sports facilities spread across the country, it says.

Instead of seriously undertaking a course correction in the Eleventh plan, the government has decided to limit its role in funding sports activities and go for an active involvement of the corporate sector in developing academies and centers of excellence for different disciplines. 8220;What this really would mean is that only glamorous sports and sportspersons would be promoted as the market would be interested only in them and the other disciplines would be left to suffer,8221; it says.

Back to Hindutva

The lead editorial on the anti-Christian violence in Orissa observes that as the general elections draw close, it has become clear that the RSS/BJP has fallen back on its hardcore Hindutva agenda as its only sustainable hope to return to power. It says that though Maoists have claimed responsibility for the killing of VHP leader Swami Laxmananda, the RSS, VHP and BJP have chosen the murder as an opportunity to unleash a vicious attack against the Christian minority. 8220;The VHP has been fomenting these tensions in order to consolidate the Hindu vote bank by exploiting the tensions between the Christian tribals and Christian Dalits over the issue of deriving benefits of reservations,8221; it says. The pattern unleashed by the RSS/VHP in Orissa is similar to what they did in the Dangs district in Gujarat in 1998. 8220;Subsequent consolidation of the Hindu vote bank by perpetrating the fiendish rousing of communal passions against the Muslim minorities is there for all to see in Gujarat. It is precisely this pattern that the RSS/VHP is seeking to unleash in Orissa,8221; it notes.

Politics of conversion

Another article on the Orissa situation titled 8220;Fascist realism and the creation of a common sense8221; says the real problem in Kandhamal is related to the aggressive drive to convert tribals to Hinduism, including the terror directed at Dalit Christians, who are the stumbling block in the Sangh Parivar and the VHP8217;s path .Ironically, the activities of the VHP match what they accuse the Christian missionaries and the Church of doing in western Orissa. 8220;Both work to attract and convert people to their respective faiths 8212; something that is allowed under the Constitution.8221; The article, however, accuses the VHP machinery of propagating the idea that the tribals are Hindus and Christian missionaries are the villains who are spreading the religion through inducements and the Sangh Parivar has the right to re-convert the tribals to their original faith. 8220;This is skillfully combined with terrorising sections of Dalits 8212; who had opted to convert to Christianity after suffering social discrimination 8212; to reconvert to Hinduism. This common sense makes the conversion of tribals look like as re-conversion,8221; it says.