A week that was

What a week it was!

A week of joy, a week of emotion, a week of feeling for at least a brief time that the world was normal and just plain decent. That good wins over evil, that hard work pays, that glass ceilings can be broken, that women are equal to men, and yes, wishes are horses and beggars could fly.

It felt nice, see a young band of boys who were written off completely, put up a fight like we haven’t seen in forever, teaching us life through a game of cricket.

It felt wonderful, to see a bully finally leaving a chair that rules the world.

It felt ecstatic, to see a woman enter the highest office of the most powerful country, not as a mate or partner, but as a chief officer with her spouse walking beside her.

A week of joy, a week of emotion, a week of make belief for at least a brief time so we can hide our hypocrisy behind the veil of beautiful words, expressive exclamations, elaborate posts. So we can forget who we really are and what we are not doing.

It felt strange, to see a young band of boys put up a fight and have us couch potatoes, praising them, their game, their fight,.. never for once thinking that maybe, just maybe, this fight is not just for us to praise, but for us to follow.

It felt embarrassing, to see a bully finally leaving his Chair, and us armchair commentators join the sea of celebrations, ignoring that in our little worlds we have become bullies to so many others.

It felt confusing to see a woman enter the highest office not as the leader she should have been, but as a deputy, cheered by those who viciously abuse women in public offices in their own countries because…. well, they can.

I’m left confused by what I personally feel.

When we see a young man with a spine of steel take body blows so the opposition cant take his wicket, and an unknown inexperienced young team face a brutal opposition with outstanding resilience for the pride of their country, we choose to make them heroes, instead of becoming students of this exemplary behaviour.

When we see, what we think is the rightful dethroning of a loud, manipulative leader, we cheer for his ouster instead of worrying about the health of our own nation.

When we see a woman who fought like a tigress being sworn into the highest office, we write odes to her power instead of crying for the many potential tigresses we kill in our own backyards simply by closing our eyes.

Yes.. what a week it was! But imagine what weeks ahead could be, if we chose to imbibe rather than pedestalize these beautiful victories. Pedastalising only helps us absolve our responsibility. As if it’s someone else’s job to fight these fights while we sit with our popcorn, remote and our phone, heaping praises on behaviour that we should all be internalising. Can we choose to learn and follow instead of praise and worship?

After the game was won and the crowds went home, a bruised but victorious Cheteshwar Pujara responded to a question “We couldn’t afford to lose wickets, so I decided to let the ball hit my body.” It was a choice, deliberate, conscious, to keep the eye on the ball and take the hit for his fight. If the week that was, has to become the future that can be, we need an appetite to take the blows chin up.

Whether it is a historical victory in cricket, formation of a new Government, or a woman reaching the pinnacles of power, it does not happen with mere idolizing and eulogizing. It takes grit to get what one wants. It takes body blows again and again and then again.

Are we ready for it?