But this was a day primarily for the Tibetans. As hundreds of specially deployed policemen watched from the sidelines and scores of reporters took notes, the entire panoply of anti-Chinese dissent was on display in a tent city that had come up virtually overnight on one of the side lanes leading up to Jantar Mantar. The centre-piece was a day-long funeral service for those who died at the hands of the Chinese, conducted by monks specially brought into Delhi for the occasion. As their chants and gongs filled the air, we could see a whole range of stalls—representatives of the banned Falung Gong, photographs of those dead and missing and pictures of torture and death at the hands of Chinese troops. This was where the bulk of the protest groups took up residence for most of the afternoon, once the 4 km distance from Rajghat had been covered, for a day-long ritual of songs, chants and slogans. With hundreds of local students joining hands, Jantar Mantar was turned into a mini-Tibet, the adjoining alleyways and streets leading up to Janpath Road and Connaught Place now chock-a-block with activists sporting ‘Free Tibet’ T-shirts and head bands. Their one-point demand: China must open its doors to envoys of the Dalai Lama.
By early afternoon, when the Tibetans resumed their peaceful march after a gap of almost three hours, the scene of action shifted to the stretch between Raisina Hill and India Gate, the venue for the official Olympic torch relay. This was when the cost of the protest to the ordinary commuter came home to us most forcefully. The five-minute drive from Jantar Mantar to India Gate turned into a 90 minute walk with the police having closed all access roads and all vehicular traffic. As we pleaded with the first police access point on Copernicus Road, we could hear the desperate pleas of a middle-aged man whose mother-in-law had suffered an accident at Safdarjang but who was stuck on this side of town with the police clampdown. ‘What do I do?’ he pleaded, ‘how do I get there? Will you let me through?’ The policemen were sympathetic but their orders were clear. These roads were off-limits. ‘Try another route,’ was the advice to the distraught man. As for us, we were by now late for the function, after having taken numerous diversions to reach the venue. Despite possessing all the necessary invites and IOA advisories, the policemen on duty had the same answer: ‘Sorry, the road is now closed.’ So we put on our most humble faces, protested about being academics writing on the torch relay and dropped a thousand names before the wall of resistance reluctantly melted. We could still hear the man with the injured mother-in-law arguing his case with another group of policemen as we entered. We were on foot; with his car, he had no chance. A policeman was explaining a long circuitous alternative route to him as we crossed the barricade.
Even on foot, only a handful of select invitees were allowed to line up along the relay route stretching for 2.7 km and manned by 3000 plus security personnel. As the sponsors’ cheering groups performed their customary song and dance numbers without an audience, their act seemed superficial in comparison to the intensity of the protests in the morning. Declared Randhir Singh, Secretary General of the IOA:
We have done everything possible to ensure the torch relay goes through peacefully. We did not intend it to be a closed one but there isn’t much we could do. We would have loved the public to come and be part of this historic occasion in keeping with established Olympic tradition. But the situation is such that one blemish might lead to violence. Our national pride and international standing was at stake.3
And so it was. At exactly 4.40 p.m. Kunjarani Devi, India’s legendary weightlifter, kickstarted the carefully orchestrated flame relay. As the official run began, the tension in the air was palpable. The IOA and the government were determined to get through the day’s events as soon as possible. Within 50 minutes the flame had travelled the distance from Raisina Hill to India Gate, escorted by Chinese minders. Finally, when Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi lit the cauldron, Suresh Kalmadi, President of the IOA, looked justly relieved.
As the troubled flame left Indian shores for Bangkok and then on to Canberra, Osaka and Seoul, we could not help but comment on the way in which the Olympic movement champions sport as a medium for inter-cultural communication and peaceful democratic exchange. In fact, it could be successfully argued following the Delhi leg of the international torch relay that the Olympic ideology promoted by the IOC since its creation is no longer founded on the unity of sport and culture alone, as extolled by De Coubertin at the beginning of the twentieth century: it has taken on a third dimension, of concern for human rights. This development is not only a sign of the times, but also a positive legacy of the modern Olympic Games.
Index
Aaj Tak, 211–213
Abdullah, Farooq, 302
Adibasi Sabha, 62
advertising, 177–181, 198–206
Afghanistan, 35, 91, 104, 113, 154, 159, 116
Aga Khan Tournament, Bombay, 54
Agassi, Andre, 278, 293
Air Defence Missile Regiment, 265
Air India, 189, 221
Aiyar, Mani Shankar, 228
Ali, Mushtaq, 71–72
Aligarh University, 64
All India Council of Sports, 184
All India Football Association (AIFA), 33, 40, 73, 254
All India Radio (AIR), 89, 181, 189, 197–198, 200, 231, 278
Allen, R.J., 66
Amarnath, Lala, 71, 260
Amateur Athletic Federation of India (AAFI), 158
Ambedkar, B.R., 6
Amin, Narhari, 302
Amrit Kaur, Rajkumari of Kapurthala, 165
Amstelveen, Holland (2005), 129
Amsterdam Games (1928), 10, 27, 56
India vs Austria, 59
India vs Belgium, 59
India won hockey gold, 10, 23, 38, 70
Anand, R.L., 123
Anglo Indians, 57, 61, 102
Ansari, M.A., 149
Antulay, A.R., 124
Antwerp Games, 15, 27
Appu on INSAT: transformation of Indian television, 201–202
Archery Federation, 301
army
and sport in independent India, 245–252
and the decline of sport (1989–2008), 265–267
Army Sport Institute (ASI), 270
Army Sports Control Board (ASCB), 55, 73, 250–256
Army Supply Corps (ASC), 265
Artificial Turf, 131–133
Ashok Yatri Niwas, 191
Asia-Africa Bandung Conference (1955), 172
Asiad Village, menu for, 194–196
Asian Athletic Championship, 158
Asian Games, 210, 218, 276, 292
Bangkok (1970), 51, 288
Delhi (1951), 46, 147–148
Delhi (1982), 137, 151ff, 189–194
Jakarta (1962), 128, 143–147, 159, 161, 185
Manila (1954), 159
Seoul (1986), 225
Teheran (1974), 134–135
Tokyo (1956/58), 162
and the idiot box, 170–178
Special Organising Committee (AGSOC), 188–189
Asian Games Federation (AGF), 155–170
Asian Relations Conference, Delhi (1947), 135–136, 142–143, 156, 158, 160, 167
Asian Relations Organization, 157, 160, 166
Astro Turf and the North-South divide, 130–142
Athens, 244, 267, 269
athleticism, 13–14
Athletics Federation, 275, 301
Atlanta (1996), 276, 278, 292–294, 311
Ayyangar, Gopalaswamy, 258
Azad, Maulana, 258
Azharuddin, Mohammad, 297
Aziz, 100
Azlan Shah hockey tournament, 299
Babar, Ilyas, 288
Babu, Digvijay Singh, 109, 301
Babu, K.D. Singh, 102, 260–261
Bachchan, Amitabh, 196
Bagga, Aslam, 71
Bakht, Sikandar, 138, 140
Ballygunge Cricket Clubs, 253
Baloo, Palwankar, 77
Bannerjee, Ananya, 203
Bannerjee, P.K., 260
; Baoqing, Sun, 151
Barcelona, 311
Baroda, Maharani of, 93
Barooah, Debakant, 184
Basketball, 35, 259
Beighton Cup, Calcutta, 54
Beijing Games (2008), 296
Bekov, Roshind Mahmed, 279
Bengal
vs Indian Olympic Association (IOA), 40–42
dominance over football, 40
dominance over soccer, 145
identity and self-assertion, 217
Bengal Amateur Swimming Association, 41
Bengal Hockey Association (BHA), 44
Bengal Hockey Federation, 43
Bengal Olympic Association (BOA), 41
Benson and Hedges Champion of Champions Trophy, Australia (1985), 226
Berlin Olympics (1936), 86, 95
failure in other sports, 76, 89–92
India vs. France, hockey, 94
India vs. Germany, hockey, 113
India vs. Hungary, hockey, 77, 87
India vs. Japan, hockey, 93
India vs. US, hockey, 67
Betancourt, Lazaro, 286
Bhagwat, Anjali, 273
Bhakra Canal, 98
Bhalindra Singh, Raja, 47, 134, 137, 139, 142, 144, 183, 185
Bhalla, G.P., 89
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), 187, 212, 297, 301, 305
Bhaskaran, Vasudevan, 125
Bhoot, Sohrab H., 45–48
Bhopal, Nawab of, 64, 71
Bhupathi, Mahesh, 296, 316
Bhupinder Singh, Maharaja of Patiala, 27–28
Bihar Cricket Association, 302
Billing, Amar Singh, 50
Bindra, Abhinav, 273, 276
Biondi, Matt, 309
Blatter, Sepp, 196
Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), 162–163, 215, 218, 231, 277
Bokhari, Lal Shah, 63, 65, 71
Bollywood, sports and, 241–242
Bombay, dominance over cricket, 34, 54
Bombay High School Athletic Association, 12
Bombay Olympic Association, 96
Bombay Pentangular tournament, 220
Bonino, 282
Border Security Force (BSF), 189
Bose, Dilip, 260
Bose, Subhash Chandra, 74, 217
Boxing, 90, 221, 259, 296
Boys Sports Companies, 271
Brasher, Christopher, 283
Brewin, 79
Brijnath, Rohit, 229, 292, 297
British East York Regiment, 74, 217
British Empire Games Canada (1930), 11
Sydney (1938), 45
British Football Association, 252–253
British imperialism, 97, 160
British Indian Army, 250–251, 253, 263
British Isles, 10, 100
Brown, Elwood S., 21, 152
Brown, Judy, 290
Brundage, Avery, 49, 87, 174, 176
Brussels (1949), 46
Buck, H.C., 19, 22
Buniyaad, 205
Burdwan, Maharaja of, 25, 27
bureaucracy, 192, 197–198. See also politics
Burma, 22, 29, 159–160, 168
Bysack, N.C., 46
Calcutta Football League, 255
Canners, Norman, 87
capitalism, 88, 181, 237, 244
Cariappa, General K.M., 163, 165
Carr, Richard John, 71
Carvalho, Joaquim, 214
Cathedral School, 12
Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), 189
Ceylon (Sri Lanka), 22, 29, 35, 65, 152, 154, 159–160, 166
Chacko, Molly, 292
Chak De India (2007), 127, 223, 289
Chamberlain, Neville, 88
Chanakya, 206
Chanda Committee Report (1966), 199
Chandra, Sandhya, 260
Charanjit Rai, 117, 334
Charlsweworth, Ric, 298
Chatterjee, A.C., 106
Chatterjee, S.K., 260
Chautala, Ajay, 301
China, 121, 128, 148, 150–151, 153, 159–160, 168–170
notions of honour and self-respect, 153
Chistyakov, Valentine, 286
Chopra, Yash, 147
Church Imperial Club, 57
Churchill, Winston, 161
Coubertin, Pierre De, 20–21, 31, 33, 35–36, 148, 152, 154–155, 317
Cohen, Stephen, 261
Cojecaru, Cristina, 274, 291
Cold War, 170
collectivity, 181, 227, 243
colonialism, 11, 99, 108
commercialism, 5, 218
Commonwealth Games
Cardiff (1958), 162, 285
Delhi (2010), 317
communal riots, Bombay (1932), 64–65
communalisation and politicisation of sport, 100
Congress Party, 88
Congress Working Committee (CWC), 149
consumer economy, consumerism, 178, 181, 207, 209, 228, 297
Cornacchia, Giovanni, 286
corruption, 301
cricket, 6–7, 10, 12–13, 25–26, 30, 32–34, 72, 127, 220, 225
Ashes (England and Australia series), 85, 212
Indian-ness and television, 223
television and globalization in India, 210
Twenty-Twenty Cricket World Cup, South Africa (2007), 211
Cricket World Cup
England (1983), 243
India (1999), India vs. Pakistan, 120
South Africa, (2003), 211
West Indies (2007), 176
Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB), 231
Cricket Club of India, 163
Cullen, E.J.C., 79
cultural practices, 6
cycling, 33, 45–46
Cycling Federation of India, 46, 51
Czechoslovakia, 91, 103, 107, 289
Dalai Lama, 313, 315, 318
Dara, A.I.S., 83, 93, 96, 100
Das, C.R., 149
Das, Sajani Kanta, 74, 217
Dasmunshi, Priyaranjan, 301
Datt, Keshav, 260
Datta, K., 123–125
Davenport, 286
Davidson, Bob, 123
Davis Cup, 292–293
Davis, Otis, 283
Dayanand, M., 123, 137
de Mello, Anthony S., 156, 161–163, 210, 218, 248
Deccan Gymkhana, 14–17
Defence Deposit Certificates, 260
Delhi Development Authority (DDA), 188
Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC), 189
Deo, K.P. Singh, 301
derby, 140
Desai, Morarji, 140
Deshmukh, G.V. 61
Deutsch Hockey Bund, 95
Dhoni, Mahender Singh, 214
Dhyan Chand, 94–97, 100, 102, 111–113, 249–251, 263
Delhi dilemma, 76–77
and Indian nationalism in the Third Reich, 76
Diem, Dr., 81
diving, 155
Doctor, Behram, 79, 96
Doordarshan (DD), 179–181, 189, 197, 200–207, 223, 231–232, 234–235
technical backwardness, 201
Dorabji Tata Trust, 320
Drapeau, 132
Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), 130
Dravidian movement, 130
Duke of Edinburgh, 282
Duke of Wellington, 263
Duriez, Marcel, 286
Dutch East Indies, 155, 180
Dutt, Sunil, 301
ESPN, 230, 232, 234–235
ESPN-STAR, 229, 234–235
Eaves, Kendrick, 120
economic dimension to news channels, 213
economic reforms, 200, 215, 223
Emergency (1975–77), 185–187, 199–200, 210
Empire and Commonwealth Games, 162, 260
English education, 13
Enterprise, 10–12, 148, 205, 269
Enterprise Nexus Lowe, 228
entertainment programming, 205, 240
Evers, Georg, 95
factional
fights, 36
Far-Eastern Asian Championship Games (FECG), 151
fascism, 88
Fédération Internationale de Natation (FINA), 36–39
Fernandes, George, 297
Festival of India, UK, 182
FIFA, 196, 218
financial crisis, 69, 109, 128, 169
Flint, Debbie, 290
Folkstone Easter Festival, 58
Football Association of England, 255–257
Football Federation, 257
football, 5, 28, 54, 185, 220, 235
World Cup, 254
Ford Foundation, 167
Frank, Rene G., 102–104, 105, 111, 113–115, 118–119, 120–121
Free Tibet movement, 266
Freeman, Cathy, 265
French Hockey Federation, 112
Fyzee, A.H., 14
Gaekwad of Baroda, 96
Gal, Henrik, 284
Games Ethic, 9–13, 260
Games of the New Emerging Forces (GANEFO), 150, 172
and the fight for Asian leadership, 168–169
Gandhi, Indira, 124, 178–182, 186, 194–198
Gandhi, M.K., 157, 161, 241
Gandhi, Rahul, 213
Gandhi, Rajiv, 179, 181, 188, 195, 204, 207–208, 228
Garder, Reese, 278
Gassman, Kurt, 280
Gately, 59
Gautam, Mohanlal, 160
Gavaskar, Sunil, 226
Gentle, 114, 118
German Hockey Association, 68
German Hockey Federation, 69
Germany Olympics (1932), 77
Ghose, Bhaskar, 197, 202–203
Ghosh, Nilima, 239
Gill, K.P.S., 145
Gill, S.S., 187, 207
Glacken, 102
global communication industry, 216
global economic depression, 62
global realpolitik, 150
globalization in India, 211–222
Goebbels, Joseph, 78, 80, 82
Golden Olympic Order, 182
Golf, 258
Göring, Hermann, 82
Gramsci, Antonio, 13
Gray, J. Henry, 22, 29
Great Depression, 76
Great Revolt of 1857, 220
Green, Milton, 87
Gupta, Pankaj, 34, 42, 63, 67–68, 83, 102, 110, 111–112, 114–115
Gupta, Shekhar, 223
Gwalior Sports Association, 55
Gymnastics, 258, 270
Hafeez, Abdul, 73
Hall, J.S., 19
Hamid, 58
Hamilton, Bruce, 104
Hammond, 56
Hanuman Vyayamprasarak Mandoli, Amroti, 90
Haq, Moinul, 102
Hari, Chetan Singh, 50
Harris Shield Tournament, 12
Olympics-The India Story Page 40
