Things looked good for India when Gagan Narang picked up a bronze, Vijay Kumar walked away with silver and the plucky ladies – Saina Nehwal and Mary Kom won a bronze each. The celebrations have begun and in true Indian style, we have placed these sporting icons on a pedestal and are ready to worship the ground they walk on. Lucrative ad deals are waiting for these upholders of National pride and their newfound demigod status awaits as well. And deservedly so, because they have proved that despite the horrendous conditions in this country for aspiring athletes, individual effort always pays off. And with their sterling achievements they have inspired and provided hope to billions.

Having said that, let us put the celebrations on hold to take a look at exactly what we are celebrating so hysterically. The tally as of Day 14, stands at 4 for India, and we have tied with Slovakia for 48th place. That is not a bad performance and it is tempting to linger with a touch of scorn over the names of countries that have fared worse but let us look ahead of us at the nations that have done better. Surely we want to join them at the top of the ladder if not now at least in the foreseeable future? What have they got that we don’t? In the case of the United States of America, with its whopping total of 90 medals, it is Phelps. Michael Phelps, with his unbelievable haul of 22 medals surged past the record held by Soviet gymnast, Larissa Latynina (she had 18) and many are calling him the greatest Olympian ever. And Jamaica has Usain Bolt who surely has wings on his feet, which are invisible to the naked eye. And if he were not enough, Jamaica also has Yohan Blake and Warren Weir who swept the 200m event. The People’s Republic of China, United States of America and the Russian Federation have all those sexy gymnasts with their ability to contort their bodies into impossible shapes and the tongue – twister names. The last time we saw Indians achieve similar positions was in the Kamasutra and that was a long time ago. Modern day Indians have trouble with yogasanas and most are the despair of their instructors. Perhaps, it is not just about the abundance of talent in the above mentioned countries or a dearth in ours. Mostly, it boils down to our way of thinking. We are easily satisfied as a nation and far too willing to compromise. This attitude has filtered down into every possible aspect of our lives. If the streets are filthy, we are content because the pigs have made the road and not our houses their homes. And we can always buy air fresheners to keep the stench at bay. If there is a power crisis, we just buy a generator or an inverter depending on our financial status and are thankful that we can do that much and there is no need to bring out the scented candles from the bedroom or the hand fans grandma used to have from the attic. If we read about a girl being raped or molested, we tsk a little and utter a small prayer of thanks that it not someone we know or love. If a man is dying on the road, we’d rather avert our eyes rather than mess up the interiors of our sexy cars. If politicians are busted for corruption, we cuss them out roundly while wondering if it is not the perfect career choice for our offspring given the scope it offers for making easy money providing one is willing to give up nothing more than the soul. In our country, we have made it a habit to celebrate mediocrity because there is precious little else to celebrate. Perhaps it is time to change all that. As individuals and as a country we owe it to ourselves and our nation to be the best we can possibly be. Why settle for silver and bronze when gold is within our reach? Even school kids know the famous Olympic motto: “citius, altius, fortius” which means “swifter, higher, stronger”. Clearly we Indians follow this in the bedroom with commendable sincerity as we have the dubious distinction of having the second highest population in the world. It is now time to adopt this motto for every other aspect in our lives. Because that is the only way we can bring home the gold.