All
of you would be in awe of AB De Villiers’ catch in the match against SRH. Most
of his catches are such, but this one surpassed even his usual standards of
athleticism. Same as the events following the results to Karnataka Assembly
elections. The political players involved crossed the depths not seen for quite
some time. Yet, they fell short of ABD. Maybe, they could take some lessons
from him.
The
1st memory of the catch is ABD jumping up, beyond the reach of a
normal athlete, towards the ball. Something BS Yeddyurappa did after the
results were out, when he approached the Governor with his claim to the CMship.
But ABD’s leap is something he has been doing all the time. Batsmen around the
world know that the ball should cross ABD beyond at least 3 metres (in all
directions) to stand any chance of crossing ABD. ABD has made his name in
cricket, but he has been playing many other games with equal enthusiasm &
skill. Which rubs off on his cricket too. Many other sportspersons follow this,
e.g. MSD was a football (soccer) goalkeeper before taking up cricket seriously,
while Usain Bolt may be seen playing football (again, soccer) for a top flight
German professional club. In sporting lingo, this is called cross training.
Sadly (for himself), Yeddy is too old a person to try his hand at other
activities. He may be tempted to follow the footsteps of ND Tiwari or Digvijay
Singh, but that won’t help!
It
was not just the leap that did it. He stretched his arm out, as if pulling his
body behind it. He went beyond the limits of his physical reach. Sporting greatness
is attained by those who cross the barriers. Whether it is a Rahul Dravid with
his mental focus or a Sergei Bubka who always pushed the bar higher (literally
& figuratively!). But the largest party (by no. of seats won) failed to do
this. Had they patched up with JDS before the Congress did, it would have been
spared the embarrassment of a Trust Vote not taken. If the Congress, who had earlier
accused JDS of being BJP’s B-team, could do so, why not the BJP?
When
the ball landed in his palm, he latched on to it. Fingers closing around the
ball, not letting it get off. Opportunity seldom knocks twice, they say. This
is nowhere truer than sports. Had ADB failed to catch it, the ball would have
gone beyond the boundary for a maximum. But champions seldom give up easily,
true champs never do. They give it their all, and more. In Karnataka, the famed
BJP machinery failed to break through the opponents’ defence & couldn’t
entice even a single MLA to switch sides. They were not only the largest party
by number, they also had their own person as the arbitrator of political
fortunes. Maybe owing to complacence but still unpardonable.
And
then landed firmly, within the boundary. Had he stepped out, the effort would
have been wasted. But he was alive to the fact & ensured that not only did
his feet drop inside the ropes, they stayed within the line. Sports has always
been about honesty, integrity & playing by the rules. Those who do not,
howsoever successful they may be, have been shamed once they are known to be
cheats. From Ben Johnson to Lance Armstrong, sporting rehabilitation is out of
the question. BJP failed here on the first count itself. By making the claim
without having necessary numbers was crossing the line of political propriety.
Not that ethics have been integral to Indian politics for a long time now. But
this was too openly corrupt for a party that has been harping on the corruption
indulged by its predecessor.
To
summarise, the story line in Karnataka would have been different had BJP looked up the ADB's success mantras:
- Multi-skilling has its payoffs.
- Reach out to push the boundaries.
- Never let go of an opportunity.
- Honesty pays, every time.
But
this is not all, there are other aspects to ADB’s success story:
- It is years of hard work & practice that has gone behind ABD’s being the best in business.
- ADB has never been lackadaisical in his approach & has always given his 110%.
- He has managed to find motivation to deliver even when chips are down.
And
not just our netas, if you can tick all the boxes above you can also be sure of
seeing your dream come true. As my brother, Vikas, did who was literally on top
of the world when he reached the summit at Mount Everest!
