The Autobiography of Aslam Sher Khan
By Matin Khan, Allied Publishers, 1982
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Entry Into Politics |
I lost the elections, and found myself on the sidelines once again. I learnt that there is as much sports in politics as there is politics in sports. The defeat was an embarrassment to my ego. I spent my days restlessly at home, not venturing out because my entry into politics was a flop. I had become a joke in Bhopal again. |
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ricket
and I have nothing in common. Unlike hockey though, which is a lucrative sport for
officials only, cricket distributes this benefit equally between players and
officials.
So rewarding has been the fallout from the game of cricket that sports magazines have blossomed in the country. These magazines seek refuge in articles by eminent cricketers on their performance in the field.
What baffles me is how can a cricketer, for whom the game demands total concentration in judging the flight, direction and trajectory of the ball, detach himself to write about his or the team's performance immediately after the game.
Despite my misgivings about such reportage, the public laps it up. In addition, the transistor boom over the years has injected cricket into our way of life. It has become a national phenomenon even though most people cannot differentiate between a leg-bye and a cheeky single.
I have always hated the game of cricket, not only for the man-hours it wastes, but also for its narrow objective. It is a lousy game in which everybody on the field aspires to get one poor man out.
This cricketing trait has imprinted itself on the national mosaic. Signs of it are visible in every profession, occupation and business.
Conditions in the country had deteriorated to a great extent. The youth wing of the Congress party had taken the lead to counter anti-national movements. One man symbolised the fight against destabilisation - Sanjay Gandhi, the younger son of prime minister Mrs. Indira Gandhi.
Sometime during the winter of 1976, Inam-ur-Rehman and I met Sanjay at a reception for a visiting Russian youth delegation. Inam walked up to Sanjay and said, "Saheb, zara hockey ko bhi theek kar dijiye."
"Bahut politics hai," replied Sanjay. There was nothing even Sanjay could do about the rot that had set in Indian hockey.
Like other young persons, I was drawn into the vortex of the Sanjay charisma. In addition, his elder brother, Rajeev, was my captain. This was because I was made a flight steward in Indian Airlines after the 1975 World Cup victory, and Rajeev Gandhi was a commander with Indian Airlines.
On November 18, 1979, Mrs. Gandhi was to take the evening flight from Mumbai to Delhi. The flight got delayed, and left only at 0100 hours on the 19th. I was honoured to have a picture taken with my leader, even though she was out of power.
November 19th being her birthday, our greetings to her were "Many happy returns for the day."
She did return - to power - two months later, in January 1980. The Congress (I) got a massive mandate from the people. The world's attention was once again rivetted on Indira Gandhi.
During this time, I met M. J. Akbar, the editor of Sunday magazine, at Airlines House. I have always regarded Akbar as a soul brother. But unlike me, to whom only my cause is important, Akbar embraces every cause worthy of projection. Akbar was berating the public relations executive in Airlines house as their service had gone haywire that day, stranding thousands of passengers, including himself.
Akbar forgot his inconvenience on seeing me. "I think you should join politics, Aslam," he said, "maybe you will be able to improve sports from there."
Long after Akbar left, the idea lingered. Politics could indeed hammer sanity into the sphere of sports. I spoke to a few friends who were close to Sanjay, and found myself the Congress candidate for the Madhya Pradesh Vidhan Sabha elections from the Bhojpur constituency.
I lost the elections, and found myself on the sidelines once again. I learnt that there is as much sports in politics as there is politics in sports.
The defeat was an embarrassment to my ego. I spent my days restlessly at home, not venturing out because my entry into politics was a flop.
I had become a joke in Bhopal again.
With Mrs. Gandhi on board Indian Airlines