By Ananya S Guha
Proud To Be An Indian
“I am trying to deciper the mystery”? my friend declared.
“What mystery”? I asked a little excitedly. Life’s imponderables always aroused my curiosity and excitement.
“Why, the ‘mysterious’ lady who was with the Indian contingent in the London Olympics” he said.
“Wow, sounds like the Dark Lady in the Shakesperean Sonnets” I replied. I was woefully out of news the last few days.
“Why haven’t you heard of the lady who virtually led the Indian Contingent in the inaugural of the London Olympics? And from the shots that I saw of her she certainly wasn’t dark”.
“By dark I meant mysterious” I said. “Anyway tell me more about it” I asked. By now my curiousity was being slowly whetted.
“Well” he muttered. “Apparently a young lady sneaked into the Indian Contingent and with a smiling face took part in the March Past. Bravo! What a guttsy thing to do”.
“I don’t think this is gutsy at all” I replied.
“I think it was rather foolish. And I am surprised that how she got in, in the first place. No one apart from the participating athletes or official members of the Indian Olympics Association who are part of the contingent can do it”.
“That exactly is the mystery” he said. “And we have to solve it. Newspaper reports described her as the unidentified person”.
“In India anything can happen” I said.
“But that happened in London” my friend exclaimed.
“Anyway it has to do with India. Anything that has to do with our country happens in a flash and it can happen anywhere in the world. However, who do you think she could be?”
“First I think she could be one of the relatives of either the officials or the athletes and sports persons”.
“But how could she enter without permission?” I asked. “There is a lot of protocol, and do you mean to say the rest of the contingent did not know about it?”
“That is exactly what I thought. But I also read that the Indian Contingent that is the officials who are there will make a formal complaint to the International Olympics Association Authorities. That I think ought to be done and pushed to its logical conclusion”.
“But my friend” I said. “She was allowed to take part isn’t it? So how is it that the Indian Contingent did not know about it. I find this whole episode ludicrous. This sort of thing happens only in India”.
“Why are you repeating this?” my friend asked visibly irritated and a little angry. “I told you this happened in London”.
“Must be an NRI” I said.
“Apparently she is very much from India” he said.
“But the mystery is not solved” my friend mumbled.
Sushil Kumar of the India Olympic wrestling team carries his country’s flag during the Opening Ceremony of the London 2012 Olympic Games on 27 July. Photo Courtesy: London2012
“But wow, she looked smart, confident and clad in blue jeans and red shirt she was the epitome of courage” my friend said. By now he even looked up at me with a sense of pride.
Noticing this I said: “Yes we are all proud to be Indians and that too in London. London conquered us once, and now we are doing likewise, that is conquering them, our rulers of the past”.
“No, no” my friend shook his head gravely. “It is like conquering the world, after all this is the Olympics. Now let us wait for the medals. With every medal victory she should also be there with the sportsmen to receive them and give moral support. After all she did that in the March Past . . .”
