Feel Indian, Be Indian

By M H Ahssan

Only Indian citizens can play for the country, says the government

The central government’s sports ministry has proposed a policy that will no longer allow Persons of Indian Origin (PIOs) and Overseas Citizens of India (OCIs) to represent India in sporting events, as they are technically ‘foreign citizens’. The argument proffered is that allowing sportspersons of Indian origin to wear Indian colours even after they acquire the citizenship of another country would be tantamount to depriving Indian citizens of the opportunity to play for their country. The decision will leave currently registered players in the lurch, as their future would be uncertain. It will have serious implications for India’s tennis team, as Prakash Amritraj, Sunitha Rao and the Uberoi sisters, Shikha and Neha, will all become ineligible to play for it.

These columns have consistently promoted the idea of an elective identity that will help us do away with restrictions that curb talent and aspirations. The government, too, has gone to the extent of setting up a ministry of overseas Indian affairs to felicitate and honour members of the Indian diaspora. The ministry organises the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas event every year that is a huge draw for people of Indian origin from all over the world. When we value their services and make so much effort to appreciate what they do, why the stepmotherly treatment when it comes to their wishing to represent the country of their origin?

According to official estimates released in 2001, more than 20 million Indians live overseas in addition to the six millionplus who retain their Indian citizenship though they live abroad. Indian sportspersons who have had the benefit of getting trained by foreign experts and who feel strongly enough for their country of origin to wear its colours in competition should be allowed to do so. Chances are they would walk that extra mile to prove their cultural allegiance and so work harder to tot up the number of Indians on the winners’ list. The sports ministry should make its criteria as flexible as possible and leave it to councils that govern events like the Olympics or the Asian Games to take decisions on the eligibility of participants.

Only citizens should represent India
The sports ministry is mulling a proposal to disallow PIOs and OCIs from representing India at international sporting events as competitors. The proposal has been met with outrage, perhaps owing to the fact that India’s ability to compete in anything but cricket would be severely reduced if such a rule were applied. Several athletes representing India in the international sporting arena are actually PIOs or OCIs. But that is not enough reason to keep letting non-Indians represent India.

Why, in international sport, do sportspeople have to identify themselves as Indian or American or British, even in non-team sports? Because success in sport is a tribute to one’s country, its facilities and its culture. To cheat on that account is to demean the sport, too. And identifying one as belonging to a nation one might never have seen, let alone trained in is cheating. It’s also unfair to the nation that the sportsperson is a citizen of. Having made use of their home country’s facilities to hone their skills, why do athletes want to pledge allegiance to India? It is as dishonest as Maria Sharapova playing tennis for Russia. She is more American than Russian, having learnt all her tricks in Florida.

We have no need for borrowed heroes in this country. If a billion-plus people cannot produce world-beaters in sports, then we must learn to live with it. The honour of representing the country shouldn’t be given to someone who can’t even be bothered to hold an Indian passport.If an athlete is willing to become an Indian citizen, by all means, they should represent the country. Indeed, the nation will be proud to be represented by them. But they can’t play on both sides. There is more to being Indian than just the colour of one’s skin. If a second or third generation sporting genius feels truly Indian, she can initiate citizenship proceedings. Otherwise, they’re just making a mockery of the idea of nationhood. To represent India at a sporting event is a matter of great prestige and that honour should be given to those who are Indian in every way.