Straightforward question and a nice detailed response from our Wizard of Words (and Wisdom) Without any further ado, here’s Dr Bhaskar Das with the August 9 edition of Das ka Dum. Read on…

If you wish to access the archives, please go to the Das Ka Dum tab on the website’s top navigation bar.

Q. Can’t not ask a question on the Olympics. Seven medals including a gold in athletics, despite insufficient help from the government. Time for corporate India to take the lead like Odisha has done with hockey?

A. There is heightened interest in the Olympics in India this year. More people have viewed various events. The social media has been abuzz with celebratory comments. And finally the performance of various participants have received laudatory remarks. The spirit of the participants is worth saluting.

Now issues like a nation of 1.3 billion-plus population should win more medals, or who is supporting which sports are immaterial. These are all givens. I don’t want to indulge in any sofa-induced meditation and critical comments about the state of affairs of sports in this country and spoil the celebratory mood.

Having said that, I would add that this year’s performance has created consciousness (I hope it’s not temporary) that there are talents in the country other than cricket and younger generation can be encouraged to pursue them as per their inclinations. A public-private collaboration can certainly make it happen. Apart from channelising the energy of the country’s youth, it would also build character of the nation.