MUMBAI, 25 April 2008 — “So far so good.” That must be the instant reaction of all those connected with Indian Premier League, a Twenty20 tournament that brings all the marquee names of the world on one stage. It is an experiment in playing cricket in India without the usual patriotic passion and it might well be worthy of emulation elsewhere.

The event can only get more exciting from here. But it is from the ecstatic to the agonizing, as we move from one sport to another, that is hockey, still India’s national game, but now fallen in the lap of such terrible times.

Even as faithfuls still hopefully thriving to revive the game in which India’s only Olympic gold medals had been won, comes the shocking revelation that an important functionary of the controlling body had been accepting bribes to grant places in the Indian team.

A TV news channel’s sting operation showed the secretary-general of the Indian Hockey Federation, K. Jyotikumaran, in the act of accepting an advance bribe of 200,000 rupees for a player’s certain selection in the team for a tri-series in Australia next month.

The official concerned has since resigned, following a huge hue and cry all over the country and even questions being raised in the country’s parliament. Just about a month ago the nation had received the shocking news of India being wiped out of the Olympic map by the team’s miserable display in Chile. For the first time in eighty years India will not be playing hockey at the Olympics.

Several present and former hockey players had then spoken out and the IHF top brass had come under fire but they did not quit. Now people know why such substandard players were selected over and over again. It is the result of large-scale corruption.

It must make people’s blood boil to know that places in the Indian team were sold by unscrupulous officials. When India did not qualify, the selectors had admitted that they had little say in the matter of final selection of the team. “It was clandestinely done by just one of two top officials,” they said.

The lid is now off and the truth lies bare.

IHF president K.P.S. Gill cannot escape similar charges being hurled at him, as he is the chairman of the selection committee. Can the secretary-general promise a player a certain place in the team and Mr. Gill not know about it? Can that ever be possible?

The conscience of the nation has been aroused as never before after the exposure of this shameful act. Will some good come out of this evil, time alone will tell.