Error cuts heroes down, humility resurrects

‘He who acquired the undisturbed sovereignty of the three worlds by dint of sacrifice, austere fervor, sacred study, self-restraint, and valor, was nevertheless ruined for want of virtuous humility.’ Thus is Nahusa, the king of the Aila Dynasty in Hindu Mythology described in Manusmruti, the ancient legal text among the many Dharmaśāstras.

The power acquired made him arrogant and abusive. He was duly punished. He fell from the heavens and when he descended he was not even a lesser man but a serpent.

History and legend are fully of heroes and the heroic. Few among them have charmed lives. They rise, much like Nahusa, through hard work, sacrifice, determination and virtuous conduct but success does not necessarily guarantee immortality of one kind of another. Frailty after all is the constant shadow of the human being.

This is why epic literature is full of tragic heroes. This is why those who are cheered are later jeered. This is why the adoring multitude turn their backs, look for other heroes and also vilify the fallen.

Mind you, it’s not on account of performance, in the case of sports for example. No one stays at the peak forever. Fans know that even those who retire when at their peak cannot deliver deliver the spectacular over and over again. It is always on account of some other flaw such as envy, greed, ill-temperedness or even resorting to underhand tactics that bring heroes down. 

The particular sport can be brought into disrepute in many ways. For instance despicable on-field gamesmanship or off-field violation of basic discipline. Such things are not necessarily illegal but they nevertheless dent the spirit of the game, especially if the perpetrator has acquired god-like status in the eyes of peers and fans.

However, the ‘transgression’ doesn’t have to be related to the sport either. Any transgression outside ‘the game’ can result in ‘gods’ being taken off pedestals. It’s a price the famous have to pay. Simply, they are more visible than others and therefore are subject to greater scrutiny. Moreover, the public are less likely to forgive them — gods that fail disappoint because people feel they’ve worshipped in vain, that their adoration was misplaced, that indeed they had been taken for a ride.

None of it erases the track record of course. The names and the achievements will remain in the relevant books. The posters, however, will come down.

It seems unfair that certain individuals are held to higher standards than their fellow creatures, but that’s part of the story. Adulation, whether desired or not, is showered on ‘the greats.’ It follows them wherever they go. Not their fault. Even the most humble heroes can’t dodge the spotlight. And so, if and when they err and the public turns off the light, they can’t be seen any longer. They become not lesser deities but lesser mortals as well. This is partly because when gods fall from grace, the mortals feel more divine. ‘They are no different from any of us,’ they can then tell themselves. The finger-pointers are not saints, but when the moral high ground ceases to exist, everyone ends up in Ordinary Street — those who used to be godlike and those who could never aspire to such heights.

The two key words in the Nahusa story in the Manusmruti are virtue and humility. Those who have cultivated self-restraint and are inclined to reflect on the eternal verities are less likely to fall. And those who fall, if they are humble enough to acknowledge error, can rise again. They can stand up and walk among people, no less and no more taller but with respect restored. Among those who err, the arrogant are the least likely to have any degree of respect resurrected.

It is worthwhile noting, in conclusion, that according to legend following a discourse with Prince Yudhishthira on the Dharma in the Dwapara Yuga, Nahusha finds redemption and returns to heaven.

Other articles in the series titled 'The Interception' [published in 'The Morning']
Paul Robeson didn't scream 'BLM' but he knew what mattered

The plus, minus and equal of improvement

The 'never give up' of sports

Those who kneel are actually standing

Do you have a plan? Strengths and weaknesses

Wait, it's a strategy

The virtues of risk-free generosity

Thinking and out-thinking in sports

Read, locked-down people, read!

The team, the team!

Who should take the last shot?

It's all about partnerships

There are no Tommie Smith or John Carlos t-shirts brother

'The done thing' is rarely done

'Practice, lots of practice'

Special, always and forever

The shortcut to greatness

It's healthy to retire the braggadocio 

Money talks, gold rules: are we ok with that?

Sometimes if you don't stand up, you fall

Selections and the political economy of disappointment

So who is the GOAT?

Predecessors are great teachers

When things go wrong check the fundamentals

There's always only one more game left

Mind games are part of the sporting story

Those nervous ninetiesOut-think the opposition
School sports and parents

The importing mania in school cricket

Sportsmen and sportswomen beware: your accounts will be hacked soon!

Not all victories are recorded

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‘Fixing’ can define dimensions of entertainment, health, sovereignty and existence

For years certain NGO personalities, academics, politicians, diplomats, journalists, political commentators and even heads of state argued that the LTTE could never be militarily defeated.  Today we know that these predictions were part conviction, part hope and part psychological operation to dent opposing view and military strategy. 

Kumar David, a well-known commentator, insisted, for instance, that the LTTE will never be crushed.  He said, at the time, that it was imperative for Marxists to hold and express this view. Many, like Paikiasothy Saravanamuttu (Centre for Policy Alternatives) and Jehan Perera (National Peace Council), launched well funded campaigns to convince people that the LTTE’s demands would have to be accommodated in some way ‘because Prabhakaran can never be defeated’.  Sudarshana Gunawardena (Rights Now) screamed ‘The government’s war balloon will burst in Killinochchi!’  Today we know who these people were batting for and why they had to read the game in a particular kind of way. 

It is hard to predict the when and how of conclusion in the case of a war that has dragged on for decades. As such, I doubt that the bookies were giving odds on outcome.  Perhaps there were bets being placed about specific things. For example, someone could have posted 4:1 odds on the Army capturing Killinochchi on or before January 2, 2009.  People betting on the matter might have considered the fact that well-known defence columnist Iqbal Athas had written on December 28, 2008 that it was virtually a toss up, that either party could emerge victorious.  The bookie would have made a killing because the said journalist has a reputation and is expected to know more about these things than the average person on the street.  It was no ‘toss-up’. It was a rout.  In the process, some balloons did burst -- those of people like David, Gunawardena, Jehan and Paikiasothy. 

People gamble all the time.  It is not a clean game. It is not ‘cricket’ (or maybe it is!).  This is why there is ‘fixing’.  For example, it is well known that the share market is negatively influenced by a terrorist attack. So, if someone had prior information of an impending terrorist attack, he/she could save a lot of bucks by selling off large chunks of his/her portfolio.  The late Dharmeratnam Sivaram (who wrote as ‘Taraki’) often knew of an LTTE attack a few hours ahead.  That knowledge could easily have been transformed into bucks if he tipped off someone who speculated in the share market.  I need not elaborate on the buck-making potential of information, especially ‘inside knowledge’ except to say that it is a short step from this place to that of getting the LTTE to set off a bomb.  Yes, we could call it ‘spot fixing’. 

It’s an old game.  Gambling artifacts have been recovered from ancient China (2300 BC), India, Egypt and Rome.  The Mahabharatha tells us that Prince Yudisthara gambled away the kingdom and much else in a game of dice.  Someone could very well have made a bunch by betting that he would stake Draupadi (the common wife of the 5 Pandava princes) if there was whispering that did not go unheard.  That would be called ‘spot fixing’ too. 

It is of course easy to speculate about these things after the fact.  Especially in cricket. There’s been so much talk about match-fixing and spot-fixing, after all.  India beat Pakistan in the second semi-final of World Cup 2011.  Did Pakistan throw the game? Was Umar Gul paid to deliver an uninspiring and indeed match-throwing spell?  Was Tendulkar paid to offer catches at 27, 45, 70 and 81?  Was he dropped because the entire Pakistan team was paid to lose (Tendulkar getting a good score would enhance the possibility of an Indian win, everyone knows)?  Did Younis, Misbah, Kamran and Umar get a bonus for dropping him?   Was Afridi in the plot, after all he persisted with Gul when he was being clobbered and didn’t show concern when one or two of his star batsmen were happily plodding away the overs?  Or was his innocence proven beyond all shadow of doubt because he left Shoaib Akhtar out of the team?  Unless someone rats, we wouldn’t know. Better to assume innocence. 

What is more important is learning from error and learning to predict events.  In other words, use science; state a hypothesis up front and put it to the test.  In cricket, for instance, given what we know and the patterns that have emerged, we could predict something like the following.

So and so will bowl Sehwag juicy, hittable leg side balls and two wides in his first three overs. So and so will produce only 10 runs in the first 30 balls he faces. So and so will bowl in a particular way in three overs at such and such a stage of the game.  Now, if this actually happens, we should flag the person and monitor his performance, the ups and downs.  If there is shady stuff happening, the lines of the pattern will get more pronounced and we then learn to predict the kind of contracts that may be given to susceptible players.

The same principle can be applied to identify people who are in the pay of corrupt corporates. We can, again based on observation over a period of time, that so and so in the Health Ministry will do or say such and such and/or support such and such a move.  We can predict that this cabinet minister will push that policy or that this senior administrator will get subtly smeared in the private 'free' media so that he is vulnerable to being removed or stops being too honest for the liking of the corrupt. This particular IGP, DIG or minister will be portrayed in this way by this particular TV station or media group, we can predict.

After watching the events in the 'Middle East' (by the way, what ‘East’ and what is Bahrain in the middle of?) we need to see who are the agents ready to be given arms to 'rise against' any nationally oriented government in a given country. Or which party is paid to be hostile to which neighbouring country so that tension can always be maintained - ready to use when needed.

Let’s take nothing for granted.  That seems to be a good rule of thumb for the honest, responsible and patriotic citizen in these days clouded by gambling, match-fixing, spot-fixing and nation-selling

[first published in the Daily News, April 1, 2011]

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