Of Shooting Star & Setting Sun

Finally a GOLD!!!

118 years have passed since the modern Olympics began and finally, we have an individual gold medal. So, I guess the "monkey is off the back" now. Man, 118 years is a pretty darn long time to put one's name in the Gold Medal Column. So its time to rejoice and celebrate the elusive gold and not think about India getting home only 18 odd medals in those 100 odd years.

Abhinav Bindra's feat is no routine affair, well one might argue whether it can be routine when Olympics are held once in 4 years ;). Kudos to him. All the news channels must be grinning from ear to ear coz he has given them enough fodder to last till the next event. Almost Every state government has been showering him with moolah. Even MCD, yes you read it right, has announced an award of 5 lacs. (MCD - Municipal Corporation of Delhi).

Winning a Gold in Olympics is no mean feat, given the facilities, state of sports(other than cricket, that is), politics and what not. Abhinav has been lucky to be born in the Bindra household and to have a generous enough dad who got a practice facility constructed in his own backyard. But I cannot fathom the logic behind him taking up Shooting, of all sports. Let me explain, Abhinav is 25 now. Cricket became a religion exactly 25 years back. Every child growing up in those times must've been crazy about cricket. I wonder how one decided to take up Shooting, and i am glad he did. (Dont ask me how i thought of this, its almost 1 AM and am half asleep).

So 4 years back India had a shooting star, but this time around we have another one but WAY brighter.

Now comes the Setting Sun Part. On that very day, as a star was shining in one sport, the Sun was setting on a few people on a slightly different sport. Making no bones about it, India lost the 3 test series to Sri Lanka or should I say the-eternal-good-players-of-spin had been "Mendis-ed". The Fab Four (Tendulkar, Ganguly, Dravid and Laxman) were a collective failure. As they are getting older, maybe they should be re-christined as The Flab Four. They should thank Abhinav (probably by announcing a prize money) coz he made the Loss and their failure, a less talked about topic, for a change.

The fate of the Fab Four seems to be pretty clear but whatever happens to Abhinav remains to be seen.

PS: Was chatting with a friend and a fellow blogger about India winning the GOLD. And I said, Dude this calls for a "POST" and here it is!!!