The real winner | Latest News India - Hindustan Times
close_game
close_game

The real winner

Hindustan Times | By
Nov 03, 2010 10:58 PM IST

Suresh Kalmadi aspires to host the Asian Games and Olympics. He is capable of doing more.

No sooner has the aerostat come down on the Commonwealth Games and the knives are out for Organising Committee chairman Suresh Kalmadi, the wily old fox is on to a bigger game. Not letting any expensive astro-turf grow under his feet, he has said that his dream is to host the next Asian Games and a future Olympics. Now cynics among you may say that these events offer a much bigger share of the pie than the few thousand crores that went on the world's most expensive treadmills and toilet paper in the CWG. But we are missing the point here. We should enlarge dear old Kalmadi's scope from sports alone.

HT Image
HT Image

Clearly, he can hold up leaky stadium roofs and restore collapsing bridges in a manner of David Copperfield. He can grow flowers and shrubbery overnight and banish eyesores like beggars by sleight of hand. His contributions to our greater good are yet to come if we have the savvy to put him to use. We could, for a start, get him to tackle our problems of urban blight. Take for example, cleaning up the Yamuna. Give the job to him and he will not only clean it up in a trice but also sell the river to the Chinese thereby landing us a huge profit. Then comes the issue of urban slums. Using his expertise in the CWG, he could make them vanish to such far off places as Ulan Bator.

Hindustan Times - your fastest source for breaking news! Read now.

But his real forte would be in building. If he had been given the now controversial Adarsh housing society, it would have been up and running before anyone noticed that all was not well. Jairam Ramesh would have had quite a fight on his hands if Kalmadi were given charge of dams. While Jairam would be inspecting one, another dozen would have sprung up and let's see how he would have plugged that. So instead of thinking of ways to clip his wings, we must understand that such talent for speed and ability to take criticism on the chin is a rare one. A medal for the man, please.

Unveiling Elections 2024: The Big Picture', a fresh segment in HT's talk show 'The Interview with Kumkum Chadha', where leaders across the political spectrum discuss the upcoming general elections. Watch now!

Get Current Updates on India News, Election 2024, Arvind Kejriwal News Live, Bihar Board 10th Result 2024 Live along with Latest News and Top Headlines from India and around the world.
SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
Share this article
SHARE
Story Saved
Live Score
OPEN APP
Saved Articles
Following
My Reads
Sign out
New Delhi 0C
Thursday, March 28, 2024
Start 14 Days Free Trial Subscribe Now
Follow Us On