Subrata Roy Sahara: Commonwealth Games, an emotional appeal.

The funniest part of today's papers... an appeal from Mr. Roy... I really enjoyed this one...

It starts of with:

Like any proud citizen, I am filled with pride that our great country is hosting the Commonwealth Games 2010, which are symbolic of our national honor.

I agree with this part...

India is a country of immensely constructive, progressive and cultured people with a rich heritage and our recent economic growth has drawn worldwide admiration. As such, the whole world today looks upon us with respect and hope

This too sounds good. There are hardworking people in India who have created this impression for our country... we should also note that we are not looked upon as the most honest and straightforward Government and administration by the world. There is nothing to write home about the efficiency of our administration too.

The recent continuous and negative media coverage of Delhi Commonwealth Games, 2010 has resulted in absolute negativity among our people and the whole world is talking adversely about our country.

I think the negative media coverage is because the media believes it has discovered malpractices in the organizing of the games. The coverage appears continuous because they are discovering newer issues and malpractices by the day. The absolute negativity is because when someone reads about inflation and also about the amount of public money spent on the games in the same page of the newspaper, they put two and two together. Maybe you can at least ask the paginators to ensure that they put these stories on different pages. And the television to restrict one story to one timeslot.

Due to this continuous and extensively negative coverage we are creating a withdrawal feeling in thousands of organizers, 23000 volunteers, who are feeling totally demoralized and dejected.(Boss, why should the organisers feel dejected and demoralized??? because they have screwed up big time??? well then they rather feel demoralized) This would totally mar the successful conduct of the Commonwealth Games and give a bad image to our beloved country for all times to come. Participating players, officials, and even the guests will have a very negative feeling, right from the beginning. The smallest of flaws will be magnified in the minds and they will go back with quite a weak perception about our country.(when we are spending this kind of money 35,000 crores, why should there be flaws... are we not paying for everything.. don't we pay for all goods and services? then why should there be small flaws... Why can't we ask our suppliers and contractors and workers for good quality work after we pay them? ) All our countrymen are feeling talking, reacting so negatively towards the forthcoming Commonwealth Games at such time when they should be participating in, contributing to and celebrating it as the Grand Festival of India. (should we be? don't we have enough festivals already. and yeah... we just celebrated the FIFA world cup...)

I do not know at all as to who are the culprits, how many people have misappropriated the country's funds/resources and pushed back the preparations with regard to the completion of the infrastructure, as the reports say. If so, the culprits most definitely need to be punished with all their misdeeds thoroughly investigated and all sorts of checks and audits duly conducted by going deep into the matters related to purchase negotiations and payments etc. But it should all be done after the country's greatest ever sporting event is over. Of course, all the culprits should be severely punished, thereafter. (no no no.... isn't it right to trace, find, prove and punish the culprits immediately... The issue that someone misappropriates public funds is more important than the games. This issue should be addressed first. Those responsible should be pulled up for inefficiency to perform their duty and allowing this sort of rampant misappropriation. After we find out the mistakes and who was responsible, we should punish the guilty as per the law of the state, then, if we can, we should conduct the games in a honest manner. Else, we should just accept the fact that we are a nation of inept and inefficient people who make the wrong choices, elect the wrong people to govern us and put up with their corruption and misappropriation of public money. We accept that we have elected a government who is not efficient enough to put together a committee that can honestly organize the games. Sorry. If we do that, we at least tell the world that, we make mistakes, but we don't feel bad to accept them and make corrections.)

I am asking in all humility and cordially whether for the wrongs of maybe a hundred people, should the hopes and aspirations of 1.2 billion people be crushed? it would be such a huge blot on our country's image if we do not conduct the games successfully. (it is not just the hundred people.. it is also the people who chose those hundred people which would mean all those in the country who voted during the elections and those who did not vote... and talking about the aspirations of 1.2 billion, you can count me out. It would be a bigger blot on our image and conscience if we hushed this up. We should clear up the country's system first, before getting on with the Games. )

I myself am running a media network throughout the country and i appreciate that the media has done its duty to expose organisers' misdeeds but at the same time with all humility, we must accept that media has already overdone it, causing very big damage in maligning the image of the country. (the image of the nation has not been maligned by anyone. someone was stealing public money and the media thinks they have seen it. they are just telling everyone what they have seen. theft is conducted by individuals. when theft is conducted by organized gangs it should be called crime and the gang members, criminals. the media is saying that the organizing committee is the gang. (or is it that the ruling party is the gang?) Only when it is proved beyond doubt that whatever the media said is wrong, we can say that the media has maligned the image of the nation.) Certainly the media on its part should not forgive the culprits but should postpone its campaign until after the successful staging of commonwealth games. ( we have a very young television news history. the channels are still fighting for supremacy. At this stage there is a great scope for investigative journalism, to take risks to expose the crimes against society and the like. We should do this correction when the topic is still hot. After the games, the topic will be lost as it will no longer be relevant to the media.) The immediate need is to create an exceedingly positive environment for the present organisers and genuine workers to make the games a grand success befitting the great image of our nation. (The immediate need is not the games. the immediate need is the value systems of our nation. We should be a grand nation with good values, good citizen, good governance and then, only then, need we conduct the games.)

I therefore appeal to anybody and everybody to raise as one united nation maintaining absolute positivity and dedicate themselves whole-heartedly to the cause of the Delhi Commonwealth Games, 2010 for the pride of our beloved country.(Yes, we should rise as one united nation to the cause of the pride of our nation. We will be proud if we can take the drastic step to resolve and put our house in order first) We still have almost 2 months to go and can work wonders if we rise together collectively on war footing and contribute in all possible ways so that we may hold our heads high before the entire world. (Yes, we should use these two months to ensure that we can hold our head high before the entire world. This, we can do by ensuring that we correct our mistakes. We should make a mark in history by solving our issues, and then conducting the games if we can)

I appreciate Mr. Roy's concern and agree with him that corrective measures need to be taken. These measures should be to first verify the various claims of malpractices, bring to book all those responsible for these malpractices, and also find why these malpractices have been going on for such a long time. We should also bring to book those responsible for ensuring that the games were conducted honestly. Then, if we have time left, we should make a fresh effort to conduct the games. It is better to be known as someone who has made a mistake but then, realized the mistake and corrected it. rather than hide the mistakes for pride... After all we are the nation of the Mahatma..

(sorry for the grammar and the spellings. this is the 1st draft)