India’s six-medal win in the recent London Olympics might look beautiful to everyone; after all, it is our highest chase in any Olympics so far. Nonetheless, when you refer the medal tally, the world’s seventh largest nation in area and the second most populated nation do not stand anywhere.

Sports and outdoors are always been disregarded in our country, for education is necessary to get a government job. Still we celebrate (well, celebrate does not sound appropriate), okay mark 29^th August as National Sports Day to commemorate the birth of Dhyan Chand, the famous hockey player.

To remind everyone, if they are mistaken that cricket is our national game, it is Hockey in reality but forlornly we didn’t get through even one Hockey match in London. Sounds bitter, doesn’t it?

Considering sports as a career in our country is a taboo. Although one can witness moderations now, but small cities and the small mentality are far away. It is not exactly people’s fault either, for it is necessary to have an appropriate court/field for the particular game. Keep apart the safety equipment.

On a grass root level, schools are one platform that could give heights to hidden talents. However, why is it always that studies grab the 1^st position, while sports and outdoors get a consolation prize? In an average school week, the outdoor periods are not even 1/4^th of the tuition hours. Amidst, we dream of getting 10 medals or more in Rio, what an irony.

However, there is one sport in India that has an idiosyncratic impact on the mindset of the billions, that surely we all know is cricket where Lacs and crores of rupees are spent on welfare of cricket academies, whereas not a penny is available for hockey or other games.

It is a massacre if Indian cricket team loses against xyz country; contrarily it is Who-the-hell-cares situation when it comes to hockey. Yet, we celebrate National Sports Day on the birthday of a Hockey Player.

The point is why our policies are so adamant towards a particular issue. Alternatively, can we say, extremism has grabbed too much of us. At one hand, cricket players live like kings and on the other, the national game is in ruins.

Tons of money is showered over an Indian if he/she wins a bronze medal, yet the government fails to notice that few lacs should also be spent on development of sports so that gold medal might replace the bronze.

Dozens of people have sought this question a dozen more times, a movie like Chak de India was a blockbuster, but sadly, hockey still remains busted in India. “Dil do hockey ko” was yet another revival slogan, however many hearts broke with the defeat of the Indian contingent.

Taking account of institutions in our country, there must be 1000s of coaching classes for CPT and IIT preps’, but very few that teach how to hold a tennis racquet.

National sports day is to mark sports and games as an essential part of our lives. Too bad, that we are happy remembering this fact on one day and forgetting it the rest of the year.