• This refers to the editorial, ‘Finding India’

. Rahul Gandhi has rightly asked Congress MPs to go on a Bharat Darshan and acquire first-hand information about the ‘real India’. Rahul, vested with the responsibility of reviving the declining fortunes of the Congress, is attempting a Herculean task. He is reportedly visiting every nook and corner of the country in a bid to put his party in a commanding position in the next general elections.

But his attempts may not yield the desired results, since he has so far met with little success with the electorate. Nevertheless, the Congress needs to take some bold decisions to stay on the national stage.

National game

• History will say that although Indians were once invincible at hockey they became minnows from 2008 onwards. It is shocking that for the first time since their debut at the 1928 Amsterdam Olympics, eight-time gold medallists India have failed to make it to the Olympics. India’s defeat at the hands of Britain is the death of Indian hockey. In India, every sport other than cricket earns scant respect from the media, the government and the public.

India continues to possess a great pool of latent and visible talent in major international sports, which needs exposure. Therefore, the challenge before the nation is to bring back the glory of what used to be our national sport. To do that the viewer must be persuaded to forgo his obsession with cricket. But that will never happen unless the quality of performance in other sports improves.

... contd.