Power Struggle

I suggest you cannot find more instances of ‘Might is Right’ than in Delhi. No data, just perceptions, but this city says ‘might is not just right, it is logical, justified, pure and sacred’. I had yet another experience of this recently. I went to my neighbourhood sports club run by DDA (Delhi Development Association, the best thing about this organisation is the numerous well-maintained sports clubs and parks in the city). I am a permanent member of the club and went for one of my occasional attempts to ‘learn’ the sport of tennis. Now I do not go regularly and have no playing partner. And I am very, very amateur. So I play in an enclosed hard court practice area where one strikes the ball against the wall. It has space for two people to practise, and it is usually vacant. This particular Sunday, as I was walking towards it, I could see a large group on the court, playing the favourite sport of this country. I agree that the space is excellent for the gully version of cricket given its decent size, hard surface, and well-defined confines - one side a long wall and rest three grilled.

When I reach, the only entrance gate to the court is latched from inside. I ask a couple of boys fielding on this side of the playing area to open the latch and they do so. I enter, put down my pack of balls, my car keys, and my sleek Sony Walkman. I take out the shining yellow ‘Head’ tennis racquet with the flair of a Samurai master taking out his sword from the sheath. I then throw my ball around and rotate my arms, and give impression of preparation as if I am playing a final. (ok, this I do always, nothing special about the day I am mentioning).

Now I survey the scene and find that a few players are fielding in my playing area. I motion them to please get out of my way. This causes stimulation in this large group which comprises players in the age range of 15 to 40. Now my first expectation was that people will accept their folly and accede (ok, I knew deep inside that there would be some friction). But, immediately a couple of men suggest that I play in another practise court. Now there is another court adjacent but it is just not suitable for tennis practise – it is for kids, there are nets in between and the surface is very rough. Genuinely, I did not want to be inflexible, but the other court was just not suitable – it is difficult to get serious when you have cartoon characters laughing on the wall against which you are bouncing balls. So I hold my ground, saying that the other court has poor surface and that I just want one court to play.

Grudgingly the men accede and clear of the space, some of it. So I start. It was not the best way to practise given that there are people all around restricting my playing area (at times stepping into it) and I couldn't play freely. I was always conscious that my shots don't stray. After a few minutes, one gentleman starts to field in my playing area. I ask him to shift out of it. He just shakes his head, and hand gestures ‘f*** off’. I again shout that you have to get off. His mates suggest that he shift a bit but he replies, ‘I am not getting off, this guy should see that he is causing inconvenience. There are 20 people playing and he walks in’. I say I do not care whether there are 20 or 25 of them, I am playing tennis in a tennis court. To which he replies ‘this is a multi-purpose court’. (there is a metal plate screwed on the grill enclosure which reads ‘Tennis Practise (Hard)’). By this time, the more mature men in the group again appeal to me to play in the other court. They say ‘we only play on Sundays’ and I say ‘so do I’. So they continue and I continue. They were civil and mature about the whole thing and kept asking fielders to stay off my playing area. I gave due respect in return, holding off my game whenever anyone entered my side of the court chasing a ball. I spend one hour and decide to call it a day.

Agreeably, I did not have a good practise, I was disturbed mentally and too aware of so many people around me to be able to concentrate. I know that I inconvenienced them as well. So nobody gains. I had a good mind to talk to the administrator who sits at the entrance but he was not there when I was leaving. I know the replies I would have got, and I am not good at sharing a rapport with administrators to ‘get my way’.

Minor incident, but the word which came to my mind about the incident was ‘mob’. Was I wrong? – I say no. Was I imbecile? – I say yes, and I have always been. I can say that had I been in their place, I would have been very apologetic to any person who came to play tennis. I would have been downright embarrassed to each and every tennis player who stepped into the court. I have no issue with those people playing their sport in the wrong place, I just object to their presuming that they are correct and rightful in doing so. And thinking that one person’s stand against many is always wrong.

As I ‘pack my bags’, I see that my Sony Walkman has been smashed. One of the headphone had torn off, the case which housed it was broken, and the wire was scratched. It had been stepped on. I was infuriated, saw the players around and atleast one person was staring at me as I was taking stock of the damage. I thought of taking it up with them, but realised - ‘mob has no face’, nothing will be achieved. So off I go. I assign a very high probability to it being an accident. And blame it on my carelessness that I did not keep my stuff absolutely out of the playing area, so as to prevent any inadvertent damage. I could repair the Walkman almost completely and it is usable – you see, Sony is very sturdy. I am happy.