Rio Tales: Hindu gods in foreign land

Rohit Mahajan

Tribune News Service

Rio de Janeiro, August 23

The day after the Olympics came to an end, the athletes whose events ended late made a beeline for the various tourist hotspots of the city. But it was a horribly cold, windy day, reminding us yet again that it’s still winter in Rio. The two famous beaches, Copacabana and Ipanema, were deserted as it rained, and the waves of the Atlantic were rough. Athletes were spotted at the statue of Christ the Redeemer, and Sugarloaf Mountain. Another famous tourist landmark, the Escadaria Selaron — Selaron Steps — was packed with athletes, sports fans and other visitors.

Indians abroad

We bump into Shrikant Iyengar, the physiotherapist of the Indian hockey team, and have an illuminating conversation about why Indian sport is in the state it is, and what must be done to raise it. Raipur’s Iyengar, who had been a national level sportsperson when a student, says he’s hopeful of big changes taking place in sport in India over the next few years.

Tall tale

We also meet Laju Cherian, a Kerala-born pilot who now works in Nigeria. He’s come to Rio alone. “I love sports,” he says. “I’ve spent around Rs 8 lakh on the tickets, and I went to many of the events in which there were Indian competitors.” He’s a tall fellow, and to drive home the point that he’s tall, he’s included “tall” in his email ID. A large sum of money spent to watch the Olympics... Why such passion for sport? “Yes, I’m passionate about sport,” says Cherian, and reveals that he’s been a basketball player. Not a tall tale, we hope.