In a country like India where there is tremendous hierarchy, a gap between
rich and poor is the reality, but there are some rare occasions where all such
differences dissolve and we blend into oneness. It was on 10th November, 2013 that a sports
event in the department of BSBE was held. The game selected was
"obviously" Cricket and the event got huge response from the students
as well as the faculty members. It was brilliantly executed by the organizing
team mainly consisting of PhD students. The main reason this article was
written is the theme of "inclusion of all members under one
umbrella".
That Sunday morning was really something special. Unlike every day, we did
not maintain a very strict demarcation of who was a faculty member, a post
graduate or an undergraduate. From a staff in the department to the faculty
including the HOD, everyone shared the same enjoyment on the ground. That
high-five with the professors and other members gave a unique kind of happiness
to me. The praise from the professors when one hits a ball or gets a wicket was
something very special. The scenario was such that the intermingling among the
professors, the students and the staff of the department brought about a story
which is not seen in general in our country. Where we can easily
differentiate between the haves and have-nots, low and high and other barriers,
the event seemed to be a striking lesson for everyone. Winning was probably not
the goal for many in that event, the aim was to include all. I am almost sure
that no day could see as many "happy faces" in the department as that
one on the special Sunday.
It is a sports event that has been able to start this feeling of
togetherness, but this feeling should be actively maintained by our routine
interactions by imbibing the same spirit.
It is very true that sports bring togetherness among people of a nation. When
one is watching the national team play, one forgets his/her status for a moment
and the only thing that seems to be true at the moment is the victory of the
nation. In that happiness, one feels that we as a nation have won. The moment
we generate this feeling of "we", is the one we are striving for and
this is what humanity is all about.
I hope, in future, this feeling of oneness will spread and the gaps are
reduced. These small events (which bring everyone together) can really act as
an antidote and bring miracles in the society. I hope that every walk of life
would be like that game of cricket where everybody had equal ‘opportunity’ in
spite of their initial conditions.
