Window Seat | Mrinal Chatterjee 8.8. 21
Vision
As
the Independence Day comes closer, which will mark the beginning of the grand
festival to commemorate the seventy fifth years of Independence (‘Azadi ke
Amrut Mahotsav’) we should be discussing about the vision for a nation which
has recorded history going back to over 5000 years and a present mired with
several problems and issues.
Contrary
to conventional belief, vision is not a gift with which a select few are endowed.
Neither does it entail an aha moment
that comes out of the blue. It comes about as the result of the focused
thinking – sometimes stretching to several years – that goes into searching for
a solution to a serious challenge.
Having
a vision is like looking at the present from the future’s standpoint – putting
one’s mind in the future, imagining it, and then looking back to the present to
see how to get there. This “time-forward thinking” is not easy as it may seem
because of the way we are wired - seeking
comfort in the “familiar present” while dreading the unknown future. One needs
to be bold to explore new horizons and unwrap a new reality. It is also
important to fight off “anti-visionary” forces, external as well as internal,
such as ego, negativity, lack of confidence, and so on.
A carefully
crafted vision demands compelling communication too – in language that is clear and simple so that
everyone understands. That is when it
becomes a collective property and generates shared passion and commitment. It
is then the leader’s responsibility to maintain the team’s focus.
A
powerful vision, then, becomes a magnet and pulls everyone towards it. It
becomes a unifying force for those who subscribe to it.
Rejoice India’s hockey revival, remember Odisha
An
Olympic medal in Hockey after 41 years- is occasion enough for nationwide rejoice-
starved as we are of medals from international sporting arenas. However, while
rejoicing India’s hockey revival, we mustn’t forget the contribution of Odisha.
After
Sahara withdrew from sponsoring the hockey teams, Odisha came forward to take
the responsibility- the first state in India to do so. Odisha spent Rs 150
crore to sponsor the national men’s and women’s team for five years till 2023.
Odisha
government also set up a ‘High Performance Centre’ at the Kalinga Stadium
Sports Complex in Bhubaneswar for providing world-class training to budding
hockey players. Kalinga Stadium is one of the best hockey stadiums in the
World.
In
recent years, Odisha has hosted some of the most important international hockey
events including the Men’s FIH (International Hockey Federation) Pro League,
Men’s FIH Olympic Qualifiers, Women’s FIH Olympic Qualifiers, Men’s Hockey
Series Finals, Men’s Hockey World Cup, Men’s FIH Hockey World League and
Champions Trophy.
Yet
another world class hockey stadium is coming up in Rourkela. Bhubaneswar along
with Rourkela will host the 2023 Men’s Hockey World Cup.
All
these stand out in the backdrop of the fact that Odisha is a poor state. As per Niti Aayog
SDG India Index Baseline report, 32.59
per cent of the population in Odisha live below poverty
line as against the national average of 21.92 per cent.
Despite its poverty and demand on its scarce
resources from several other sectors Odisha stood by hockey like no one else.
Odia Journalism Day
August 4 is celebrated as Odia journalism day as on this day in 1866 the
first newspaper of Odisha Utkal Deepika
was published by Gourishankar Roy.
It was on this year Odisha experienced one of the most devastating
famine, (called N’anka Durbhikya, which continued till 1868) which killed over
a million people.
As social historian Anil Dhir says, “The famine was not an accident of
nature. It was not providence; rather it was a series of mistakes.” Utkal Deepika played a role that a good
newspaper should have. It highlighted the plight of the suffering people; pin
pointed the loopholes and mistakes. Utkal
Deepika also played a stellar role in stabilizing and improving Odia
language and literature and in amalgamation of Odia speaking areas- which would
create Odisha as the first state in India to be formed on linguistic basis in
1936.
It was on 2013 for the first time Odia journalism day was celebrated at
the eastern regional campus of Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC)
located at Dhenkanal. I had a small role in the celebration of this day. My
book ‘History of Journalism in Odisha’ was also released on that day.
 |
| History of Journalism in Odisha released on 4.8.21 |
Eight years later, this year prominent politicians including the Chief Minister of Odisha and Union Education Minister tweeted their wishes on this day- thereby sanctifying it.
Tailpiece: Camaraderie thanks to hockey
Girls
lost to Great Britain, boys beat them
Boys
lost to Australia, girls beat them
Girls
lost to Argentina, boys beat them
Girls
lost to Germany, boys beat them
If
you beat our girls, our boys will beat you
If
you beat our boys, our girls will beat you.
Tailpiece: Gyan from the Olympics
Weddings
to Olympics... India always expects women to bring home gold.
(Courtesy:
Social Media)
++
The
columnist a journalist turned media academician lives at Dhenkanal, a central
Odisha town. He also writes fiction and translates poetry. An anthology of
Hindi and Urdu poems that he translated into Odia has just been published.
mrinalchatterjeeiimc@gmail.com
This column is published every Sunday in Gangtok based English daily Sikkim Express and www.prameyamews.com
No comments:
Post a Comment