Mountain of light

Yes the World Cup is on and yes everytime I watch a good match I feel the need to write about the beautiful game. The World cup this time is particularly wonderful in terms of the talent on display and the matches so far have been very competitive. It is just amazing to see the fans in the stadiums, the singing, and the fun on the streets. I wish I were in Germany to watch the world cup!

Of all the wonderful talent at display, the teams from Africa just astound me. It is no means achievement for these teams to qualify against immense odds, given their political and economic problems, and then to be able to hold their own against the football giants of the world. However, to be able to show their skills and to defeat some of these big names is no less a feat for them than winning the world cup itself. You can see by their playing styles that there is so much talent that if they just held themselves together and not completely lose it (Cameroon vs. England, 1990) they can go on to much higher levels. These very African players are stars in their European clubs and there is no reason why these teams can’t do better. 

My match of the tournament so far has been the Ghana vs. Czech Republic. The Czechs were the fancied team, highly ranked in the FIFA rankings and had just handed out a football lesson to the US in their previous match. Even the Africans themselves, their neighbors Ivory Coast were touted as more likely to succeed, did not give the Ghanaians much chance. Ghana had also lost their first round match to Italy. However, from the word go, Ghana set the stage with a brilliant 2nd minute goal. They then went to miss a penalty (!) and still managed to beat the Czechs by 2-0. I was absolutely on the edge of my seat during the entire match. The skills of the Ghana team were breathtaking and had it not been for the brilliant Czech goalkeeper who must have saved atleast 5 sure shot goals the scoreline would have been 5-0. By the end of the game, Ghanaians were playing with their heart on their sleeves and the entire stadium, except the Czech supporters seemed to be rooting for Ghana. Ghana has since then managed to move on to the second round by defeating the US. Wonder what it means to them to defeat the might US even though they are not half as mighty when it comes to football! I can only imagine what can become of this team if they just sharpen up their finishing skills.

The other African team, which is equally good if not better, is the Ivory Coast. Their first match with Argentina was equally breathtaking and the scoreline of an Argentina win by 2-0 did not do justice to Ivory Coast at all. Their next match against Holland was again evenly matched, and even though I am a diehard Dutch fan, I have to admit that the Dutch didn’t play fair and Ivory Coast were unlucky in not being able to convert their chances. The scoreline of 2-0 in the Dutch favor didn’t do justice again. 

Ghana, also known as the Brazilians of African football, play the second round match against Brazil (no less!) and if they can even get the Brazilians to raise their level of football, I will be applauding Ghana and I will be applauding the game of football.

Growing up, I was generally encouraged to always look at the big picture. There was my father telling me that how understanding the big picture helps to put the situation in hand in the proper perspective, there were always starving kids in Bangladesh when I didn't finish my food and so on and so forth. Then there was Economics which always looks at the big picture, albeit too simplistically sometimes. Also, my line of work is such that a little unrelated ripple somewhere directly affects my career and I do not think there exists a picture big enough to understand these movements. But I try, I really do.

Having said that, on my drive to work today morning I was wondering that I don't look at the big picture enough times. I only remember to look at the big picture when things are not going my way. If I have professional problems I start looking around to get the big picture and depending on my mood I will either seek solace from the fact that people around are worse off, or feel miserable that I have the thin edge of the stick. Some people turn to God during their times of trouble while I turn to look at the big picture. It helps me get a better grip on my situation and usually I get my answers on what is happening and why is it happening to me. I usually don't get the answer to how can I resolve my situation, but that's allright as long as I can seek solace from the fact that their are people who are worse off than me.

But my drive to work today morning was not focused on what the big picture does to me. It was more focused on why do I usually look at it when things are not going my way. If I get that huge salary jump and the job of my dreams then I am the big picture myself. Its like standing on Mt. Everest in some ways, isn't it? Surely, there is no need to look at the big picture when things are on an upswing. But then I am not sure if my life will improve for the better, if I continue to stay focused on the big picture. I see a lot of people around me who go about their lives that are completely filled up with themselves and their day to day struggles. They have no time or any inclination to look at the big picture. If you are worried about where your next meal is going to come, your big picture is shorter than a motion picture !

So then what does the big picture do for me? Apart from making me feel better with the knowledge that other people are worse off than me and enabling me to overanalyze my current situation to death, it doesn't do anything for me. My small picture continues to remain the same. Or does it?

So the sensex is going to touch 10,000. The papers and news channels are full of it in anticipation of when the sensex will touch 10,000. There is talk of market growth, booming economy and a general feeling of well-being around what with the sensex being at its buoyant best. Except, I feel like an odd man out in this whole bull business. I mean so the sensex is scaling unheard of heights I don't know what it means for me as an individual. I also don't know what it means for my present and future. I think it is just a sign of our times that the general mood of the nation depends on the performance of the stock market. On top of this when you hear that only a miniscule percentage of the population is invested in the stock market you begin to wonder what the hell is going on!

Also in these papers I read in one of those little news stories, which are not PR sponsored or sensational in any way, which said that India had met the WHO targets on reducing leprosy in India. The news story said that India had completely eradicated leprosy from India. That to me is more heady news any day than the sensex. I mean so smart people will always manage to make money with the sensex being at any level. However, how often do I hear that a disease has been eradicated from my country? India can now rid of itself the baggage of pictures of poor people with bandaged hands and legs, about those movies on how lepers (how I hate that word!) were outcast by their families. We have now have one reason less to term people as untouchable.
As much as I am against timing of statements on important days, I think it was only apt that this announcement was made on the death anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if the media also tracked various social indicators? The argument about GDP not being the best way to track economic progress is so now so old but still no one pays any attention. Yet, year after year, we go to Davos and trumpet our GDP growth. Its disgusting how cheap we sell ourselves to the altar of GDP growth. Why shouldn’t these indicators also be part of the annual budget speech? I mean so our biggest boast to the world is that we have this huge population, which then transforms itself into a huge market. So don’t we want to know how our biggest asset is doing? Does it have jobs, does it have two square meals a day, is he educated, are his kids going to school?

I know that the day the sensex hits 10,000 the papers are going to be full of it. The editorials will talk about the glorious rise and rise of the sensex as will be the Sunday magazine editions. There will be more talk about expensive lifestyle options to spend the profits earned from the stock market.But somewhere in all this I also hope that their would be talk about how India went about eradicating leprosy. About the men and women who made this possible. About how we can learn from this and apply these lessons to other diseases that affect us.

Do I hope in vain? I hope not.