July 12, 1999
|
|
|
|
ON THE BALL Ties That Bind Root for our brave jawans in Kagil and not for Indo-Pak cricket encounters in Toronto. By Kapil Dev
When I returned to Delhi on June 23, I was struck by the British media's coverage of the Kargil issue. I was concerned about the goings on but didn't really know what was happening there. The turning point came when I saw the photograph of a brave Indian Army lady officer saluting the coffin of her husband Vivek Gupta who had laid down his life for the country. There were no tears in Mrs Gupta's eyes but I think every Indian must have cried. I did. That is when an indescribable fire filled my being. Call it impulse or whatever, I wanted to go to Kargil, to be with the soldiers, just to put my arm around their shoulders. I immediately rang up Ajay Jadeja to ask him whether he would like to join me. Before I could complete my sentence he had agreed. I think it was very nice of him. Both of us flew to Srinagar on June 27. On landing, it was a different experience altogether. We had been told so many things about the "danger" of going there. But what greeted us was the warmth of the local people. They were, however, terribly distressed since the tourist traffic, which had reached a peak after the low of the militancy years, had fallen following the Pakistani intrusions. We met the ordinary man on the street, the chief minister of the state, tourists and security personnel. All of them communicated the same message -- they were happy being in Srinagar. Ajay and I went out a lot, sometimes with security, more often without. There was no feeling of fear or apprehension. We walked around the Dal Lake. After my last visit to the spot 14 years ago, nothing seems to have changed except that it wore a deserted look. I wish I had a piece of land there but the laws don't allow me to purchase property in Srinagar. What I would definitely like to say is that the local government has been extremely effective in keeping things under control. Except that it has not been very successful in projecting its tremendous efforts to the world outside Jammu and Kashmir. We would certainly like to do that. "Aaj bhi agar jannat hai to yahin hai (even today if there is a paradise it is this)." Though we wanted to go to Kargil to meet the soldiers, we decided against it as we didn't want to distract them or attract the wrong kind of media attention. We just wanted them to know we were thinking of them and feeling their pain and sorrow. Meeting the soldiers at the military hospital in Srinagar was a moving experience. Most of them were under heavy sedation and were not in any condition to speak but their spirits were high. They told us they were waiting to get well to get back to their posts. With great fervour some of them held our hands tightly and egged us on to win the Sahara Cup (the series of cricket matches with Pakistan in Toronto in September) for them. But sports is a game of chance besides other factors. I strongly feel we should not have any sporting association with Pakistan until the Kargil issue is settled fairly and squarely. I am the same person who went with Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee on the goodwill bus trip to Pakistan because I really felt we should be good neighbours. The journey went off well with the two prime ministers hugging each other like brothers. But then why did the situation explode within three months? Something seems to be drastically wrong. We need to analyse why even after more than 50 years of living independently we are still at loggerheads. It hurts me very much and I know it hurts every Indian. Especially when 80 per cent of the injured soldiers I met had taken bullets on their chest and not on their backs. I cried for them. My heart bled for their families. Let us be proud of them. Let us show our solidarity with our jawans who are fighting for the motherland. Let each one of us make this country our pride, one worth living for and dying for. That is why I made a public comment that we should not have any ties (sporting or otherwise) with Pakistan until the violation of our borders is set right. Whoever says that we should not mix culture and sports should put his life at stake and go to the warfront or meet the soldier, a boxer, who lost both his hands and yet wanted to shake my hands. So much spirit, so much guts, let us not ignore it. Let's share this responsibility -- it is ours and ours alone. Jai Hind. Former India captain and allrounder
Kapil Dev will be writing a regular column exclusively for |
|
Issue Contents | Write to us | Subscriptions | Syndication BUSINESS TODAY | INDIA TODAY PLUS | COMPUTERS TODAY © Living Media India Ltd |
 |
 |
The World Cup
was over. After one month of being away in England, my mind and heart, even my body,
longed to be back home. Not that I did not enjoy the World Cup experience, I just wanted
to relax at home. Little did I know that this was not to be. 
