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Journalism of Courage
Fourth floor, Room No. 1429 at Ashok Hotel. Mamta Kharab, the hockey player from Rohtak, is wide awake, though it8217;s past her normal bedtime. Down the corridor, in Room 1406, footballer I M Vijayan is also awake. Each plays with the TV remote, surfing channels, hoping late-night cable fare lulls them to sleep.
Though they have instructions to turn in early, they can8217;t sleep because of the excitement. Friday morning, 11 o8217;clock, they are to be in Rashtrapati Bhavan to pick up their Arjuna Awards 8212; honours that took each by surprise. And the contrasts in their stories tell the tale of the controversy that has dogged the Arjuna Awards this year.
Mamta, the star of the Indian team that won gold at last year8217;s Commonwealth Games, is frank about her fortune. 8216;8216;I just played in one international tournament where I got to score the goal that won us the gold.8217;8217;
Vijayan, in the twilight of his career, has built a reputation as one of the country8217;s finest footballers of the past decade but the country8217;s highest sporting award had passed him by. Three years ago, he was recommended along with Sathyan and lost out. The next year, he was up against Bhaichung Bhutia and the former got it. Last year, recommended a third time, he lost out to Bruno Coutinho.
This time, his was the only name. Usually reticent, he allows his emotions to get the better of him and opens up. 8216;8216;I was not hoping this time either because this award is for performances in the past year. I had nothing to show 8212; I wasn8217;t part of the LG Cup squad, nor the one that went to Busan. Maybe I8217;ve got it because I8217;m part of the national squad 8212; or maybe because there was no other footballer in contention this time.8217;8217;
Mamta the Rookie and Vijayan the Veteran sum up the problems surrounding this year8217;s Arjunas. The Sports Ministry, in a rare moment of wisdom, had decreed that only 15 awards be given every year. The awards committee, headed by PK Banerjee, recommended 21 names, the ministry sent it back, the committee prepared two lists of 15 and six and the ministry eventually accepted all recommendations.
The buck-passing had drawn heavy criticism from several sportsmen, including Geet Sethi and Bishen Singh Bedi, who said expanding the list would only mean compromising on quality.
Though both Kharab and Vijayan figured in the list of 15, their diverse experiences show that there8217;s no fixed yardstick for deciding who gets the award.
