Why can't a country of 1,150 million produce talented sports people?

We have no heroes because we have forgotten the ones we had. Gopal, pictured right, who played in World Cup Hockey in 1978 today crushes stones in a quarry to earn Rs.50 a day. Our sports people who play for world cups are forced to buy their own gear due to lack of funds. Yet there seems to be no dearth of money when the minister himself decides to embark on a foreign jaunt to "study" the methods of sports promotion.

Every sixth person on this planet is an Indian, yet India won only 1 medal in the Olympic Games out of a total of nearly 300 medals. Is it not a shame that even this pathetic performance (or the lack of it) failed to spark off so much as a debate?

Need we comment on the state of cricket? A senior editor of a leading weekly wrote that he doesn't care if Kapil Dev had taken money in match fixing case. An emotionally charged guy he is, but what about the emotions of those who feel betrayed by these cricketers, in whom they once saw Gods?