Walk Alone

Is it any good having a racing team in F1 called Force India? What is Indian about this team other than its owner and its colors? Formula racing is the ultimate symbiosis of engineering and passion - in which other sport does a human pilot half a ton of exquisite engineering to speeds in excess of 300 kmph? Where is the Indian talent in Force India’s engineering? Where is the Indian passion in its driving?

Is this all we can do? Are we so devoid of talent that we have to bank on a billionaire’s purchasing power?

We, Indians, are sure buying up a lot of ready-made pieces. Mittal buys up steel companies in Europe. Tata grabs Rover and Jaguar in Britain. Mallya grabs Midland F1.

And over a billion people pat themselves on their collective back.

As kid, I used to hear an anecdote.

America dug out a lump of iron ore and shipped it to Germany. Germany refined the ore into an ingot and flew it to Japan. Japan machine-tooled the ingot into a perfect square plate and sent it to India.

And India stamped “Made In India” on the plate.

Now that I think of it, I can guess why cricket feels good. Sure, our boys are unreliable. Maybe they are not the best that is out there. But, they are our boys - Indians. And when they win, India wins. When they win, more people than a billionaire and his stockholders win.