One billion. Zero gold.

The London Olympics comes to an end today. Hmmm... for most of us, it's been merely watching a collection of sports that grab our attention once every four years. And some of those are really, really great to watch, aren't they? Great to watch, yes, but the results for us weren't really that great. Why?

Let's do a comparison. Britain has a population of 62 million, and they've won 64 medals so far - 29 of them gold. India has a population of 1,210 million. And we've won, uh, 6 medals. 0 gold. What do you possibly make out of this? That we Indians simply can't play well? That we're born physically weak or something, and it prevents us from coming even close to our counterparts around the world? Or are we simply too engaged in intellectual activities (many of the greatest scientists of the world are Indians, or of Indian origin), and we just don't have time for sports? Or is it something else?

The truth is, none of the above. We just don't let ourselves play enough sports. Yes, ourselves. There has been enough blame put on the government for not providing enough sports facilities in schools and colleges, lack of training academies, good coaches, sponsors, blah blah blah. Yet it is we who put so much of unnecessary focus on studies, treating it as the only criterion for a person's success or failure. Even the recent ad promos for a hugely popular reality show proudly say, "Sirf gyaan hi aapko aapka haq dilata hai". Seriously? The world couldn't care less about how many marks Michael Phelps had secured in his university exams.

We just need to believe that excellence need not always be achieved only in studies. Just because the kid next to you is a class topper doesn't mean you have to move heaven and earth to get more marks than him/her. If you can run really fast, play tennis damn well or excel at boxing, it's you who can give a real shot at having the shining gold thing around your neck. And make the country proud. Go for it.

Holidays, and what's next

81 days. Yeah, that's the number. 81 days of staying miles away from anything that's even remotely connected to studies. And man, what a time it was. The sheer feeling of having to do absolutely nothing, to be as free as the bird that flies high in the sky (which makes me wonder- why do people always refer to the bird while talking about freedom? Isn't the field rat equally free? Agreed- the rat can't fly in the air, but so can't the bird dig holes in the earth. Anyway, getting back to the point..) It was pure heaven. Especially when you see your juniors having to go to school everyday and study at home for exams :P.

And then all of a sudden, just when you were getting used to the routine - waking up late, eating, playing, being glued to a screen - computer or phone or TV, eating, going out for a movie or a party or a function every now and then, eating, sleeping late... you come face-to-face with reality. And then the truth hits you, like a brick crashing right into your face. The holidays are ending. College is going to begin. There is soon going to be a time when you will have to sit down, open your books in front of you, and study. Yes, the monster in the form of the black-and-white books and exam question papers has been asleep for too long. It's rising, and this time, it's going to stay awake for really long.