Col P S Sangha, VrC (retd)
I have a course mate from the Army days who gave me some surprising
news. In his younger days he had played cricket for the Services at the Ranji
Trophy level. His younger brother, a civilian, was also a cricketer and played
one Test match for India. The news was that both these guys were on the pension
payroll of the BCCI. My friend, who had played more than 25 Ranji Trophy
matches, was getting Rs 15,000 per month as pension and his brother with his
single Test match was getting Rs 3,75,000 per month. In addition the BCCI has
given a lump sum going upto Rs 1 crore to ex-Test cricketers to help them in
their sunset years. Well, I thought that this was indeed a grand gesture of the
BCCI to recognise their effort.
It got me thinking on the value system that prevails in our country. I
was a soldier in the Army for close to 29 years before I called it quits.
During this period I fought in the 1971 Indo-Pak war and was awarded the Vir
Chakra for gallantry. This is the third highest gallantry award after the Param
Vir Chakra ( PVC) and the Maha Vir Chakra (MVC). The government gives a
decoration pay while in service and later as part of the service pension. It
started at a low amount which increased with each pay commission. At present I
get Rs 3,500 per month as the decoration pay. For a MVC it is Rs 5,000 and a
PVC it is Rs 10,000.
What set me thinking is the value put on a soldier's life. Most of the
gallantry awards are given posthumously. So the awardee is already in the happy
hunting grounds and his heirs are left to handle the situation. The dead
soldier's family gets a lump sum amount of a few lakhs from the group insurance
fund and the pay/pension. All this is a pittance compared to the BCCI dole to
ex-cricketers. I remember getting Rs 25,000 in lieu of 5 acres of land from the
Punjab Government for my gallantry award. Compare that with the lakhs and
crores you can make for getting medals in Olympics, Asian Games and
Commonwealth Games. The conclusion is that a soldier’s life is cheap.
Which brings me to a comparison between a soldier in the battlefield and
a cricketer on the pitch. Both face projectiles of differing variety. For the
cricketer it is a red/white ball which could be coming at you at a speed close
to 150 km. For the soldier it can be a bullet, a bomb or a missile travelling
at speeds beyond the speed of sound. The cricketer can hit that ball for a six
or just duck under it, or at worst, get hit on the well-protected body. The
soldier can just pray that the bullet, splinter or missile misses him. Both the
soldier and the cricketer are doing something for the nation. The cricketer on
losing a match just says "It is only a game". The soldier just cannot
think or afford to lose in the battlefield. Also, consider that as a cricketer
you can get a Bharat Ratna for your outstanding achievement. But Field Marshall Sam Manekshaw has
not been given that honour despite leading the Army to its greatest military
victory which resulted in the formation of Bangladesh. I sometimes wonder what
would be a greater catastrophe to the Indian psyche: losing a cricket match or
losing a war to Pakistan? It makes you think: to be a soldier or a
cricketer?
[27/09, 12:57] Kane: Although this is no joking matter...It is a question of demand and supply.
ReplyDeleteThere can be only 22 test cricketers with bench strength etc. And in a 50 year period it may have a total of 75 cricketers in a country of 125 crores of people.
On the other hand we have what 0.5 crore standing military and reserves etc. for a 125 crore population.... So test cricketers fall under the 0.1 percenters... like the billionaires of India.