Civil Services Mains 2020 Results: In or Out ? Way ahead, gratitude and Pain

Maaf kijiye 🙏🏻 

Some things are better left exclusive 

I have received the provisional confirmation mail for 2nd round.

I am working, so the job makes my preparation time table even more uncertain... 

It kills me. And I am so tired, I am not giving up but I feel like I am stuck in a limbo.

I am sorry... I feel so lost. 

An open advice to everyonewho is getting started with essay writing, Read this and see if you can inculcate such nuances into your writing style.The following is a beautiful example of use of"ALLEGORY"to drive home a point you are trying to make.

Background:

Naomi Osaka, World Number 2 Tennis Star, recently withdrew from the French Open after the organizers fined her heftily for skipping media interactions and post match conferences. She has admitted to having bouts of anxiety while giving interviews or facing the media (similar to"Joker" Joaquin Phoneix).

Edited Excerpt from today's editorial 

Naomi Osaka withdrew from the French Open tennis championship after the organizers would not accept her request to be excused from post-match interactions even as she cited a history of suffering from bouts of depression and severe anxiety while facing the media.

 “Anyone who knows me knows that I am introverted and anyone that has seen me at tournaments will notice that I’m often wearing headphones as that helps dull my social anxiety,” she said, adding, “I am not a natural public speaker and get huge waves of anxiety before I speak to the world’s media."

The organizers of the French Open  had imposed a fine of $15,000 after Osaka excused herself from the post-match press conference after her first-round victory. Such conduct by unfeeling officials is callous, cruel, and characteristic of the highly commercialized sport.The French Tennis Federation did not cover itself in glory when it displayed an utter lack of empathy towards a vulnerable young woman who rose to the top of the game because of her immense talent and not because of her speaking abilities. The high priests of tennis tournaments must be reminded that Osaka was there to demonstrate her sporting talent in an open court, not for a gladiatorial display of psychological wounds in the enclosed arena of a press room under the glare of flashing lights. Even if media interaction was written into her contract, special circumstances must merit exceptions.

In Harper Lee’s classic, To Kill A Mockingbird, the young girl protagonist, Scout, wants to reveal to the world that it was the shy and reclusive Boo Radley who had come out of his self-imposed home isolation to save her life when he saw that she was in danger of a murderous attack on the street outside. Atticus Finch, her lawyer father, was a man of great wisdom and moral courage. He gently advised Scout not to do so, as it would expose a sensitive soul who was scared of contact with others to the glare of unwanted attention and distressing public interaction. Atticus told Scout that it would be like killing a mockingbird.

In Lee’s book, the mockingbird represents innocence and vulnerability. Scout’s confidante and neighbour, Miss Maudie, later explained to her the significance of what Atticus said: “Mockingbirds don’t do one thing but make music for us to enjoy … but sing their hearts out for us. That is why it is a sin to kill a mockingbird.”

Perhaps the guardians of the Grand Slam galaxy should revisit that book. They might then allow Osaka to do the one thing she does best — make music with her racquet.

Found it interesting. Thought about sharing :)

For in the end, if they are to accede to such demands of individual players, it could invite a flurry of such requests from others too. It could set a bad precedent. And the organisers don't have the luxury of time, energy and money to go out and investigate each such request and grant such waivers for frivolous reasons, that too in the middle of a Slam, the biggest level of the Game(not to say in any way that Osaka's reasons were or are frivolous). Also, the fine and subsequent threat of default isn't something the officials did out of their callousness or disregard, they were purely stating and implementing the rules of the tournament and her contract. On the contrary, they were doing exactly what they had to, if one goes by the rules and contracts.

Lastly, while such analogies like the one stated in this editorial sound all rosy and wonderful, for all one knows, it just blurs the truth of the situation with fancy words and wrongfully paints the officials/tournament in a bad light when all they did was follow the rules as they normally would.

Moreover, no one is mocking or ignoring mental health issues here, its just that you cant let any personal illness, be it physical or mental, overshadow the sport and that too at its biggest stage. There are millions of dollars and millions of fans involved here all around the globe. No one wants such a situation that embarasses both the player and the sport at large. 

And moreover if one is suffering from any such illness, shouldn't they be getting treatment for it and try to recover as fast as possible. Atleast that would be the case if the player were to have a knee or wrist injury. 

Instead of that, she went ahead playing the tournament and asked for concessions. Having been an avid follower of the sport since 2005, I understand how important it is for the players and the tournament to be in sync with each other for the two weeks the Majors go on. And Osaka is one of the best in the current crop of Women's Tennis, with four Slams already under her belt and by a conservative estimate atleast 6 more to go. So she could have acted more responsibly by sorting out her health issues first, rather than broadcasting them like this and putting the Tournament in jeopardy. In the end she did make the right decision though. Some good advice prevailed upon her. All the strength to her, for I personally want her to lift the Wimbledon trophy this year.

Not a serious tennis fan, but an F1 enthusiast here. Both sports are of similar nature- centred around an individual. Interaction with media is a regular ordeal in sports. In team sports, the brunt of criticism very rarely falls on an individual. Individual performances are criticized, but the nature of sports overshadows the criticism. In sports like Tennis and F1, individuals get the attention- praise or criticism. It is not the media that is at fault, but the nature of the game itself! We must understand this distinction before holding media responsible for the story that is unfolding.

I'll cite an anecdote from F1 here. The year is 2007. A young driver (22 yrs old) from England made his debut for the McLaren Racing team. He was signed up by McLaren to play second fiddle to Fernando Alonso, the then F1 champion who was defending his title that year. The young man beat Alonso, not once or twice, but many times in the Season. The young man was Lewis Hamilton, who would go on to become the greatest F1 driver of all times.

The press used to ask Alonso very tough questions-

'What do you think about Lewis who has not allowed you to win races?' 

'Do you think Lewis is a better driver than you?'

'Is the reigning F1 champion finding it difficult to beat his rookie teammate?'

Lewis on left; Alonso on right (2007)

Alonso could not bear it then. He complained about media being difficult on him. It was the same media that heaped praises when Alonso decimated his opponents in 2006. 

Many people have come in support of Naomi so far, yet none of them have probed deeper into the problem to suggest a long-term solution. I do agree that as sportspersons they are humans as well and may have anxiety issues. I am not criticizing Naomi here. Her reasons might be correct. Naomi should seek assistance. If she feels she is being targeted, she must send a representation to the authorities. They have expressed willingness to hear her concerns. 

However, an eternal press boycott is not the solution here as some have suggested. Press is an inalienable part of any sport. Without the press, a sport will soon lose its relevance. If Tennis players do not attend press conferences, who will promote Tennis? Not Virat Kohli!

The bigger problem here is not Naomi, but the way these sportspersons are groomed. Mental health has become important only recently.

Experienced players 'toy' with the media. What to feed the media and what not is clear to them. When a young player arrives at a bigger stage suddenly, he/she is not ready to face the cons that come with it- criticism of media, fans, etc. They do not know what to dodge and what to answer. Hence, young players need to be groomed when they are at the sub-national level. They should not be interacting with media directly, but with some adviser to assist them in the beginning. Only after a few months, they could be allowed to interact with media on their own.

If the authorities in these individual sports are more considerate to work towards a sustainable solution to such problems, a solution could be worked out. We need-

• Better grooming of sportspersons
• Better education for them
• Periodic counseling

Please do not go for a press boycott and kill the sport. Press is how we, the fans, talk to our favorite sportsperson and know about the sport.

Guru most humbly speaking ki tum mental health ke baare me ye sab kehne me  thori jaldbaazi kar rahe ho.

You have no idea ki tum kitna bada dhoka kar rahe ho when you put up a  seemingly rational argument asking' shouldn't one seek treatment  and try to recover"as early as possible"as is the case with some physical injury'.

Dost dil ka daura parna aur dimaag ka baura jaana ek cheez nahi h.

In second case as soon as possible waali cheez nahi applicable hoti- kamse kam medical science/aggrieved ones iss tarah se nahi sochte. 

And what makes you think that she was not seeking treatment and tried to recover 'as soon as possible' before the start of tournament and thus acted irresponsibly ?

Ab tum kahoge ki if she was indeed taking treatment and could not recover entirely before the tournament started, then she should have acted even more prudently and waited rather than coming all the way to participate in one of the most imp  events of the year. 

Phir tum kahoge ki half fit or unfit players participating in such grand events is an insult to the sensibilities of committed fans.

Matlab mazaak bana rakha h ki hum fans apna zeb aur dimaag dono kharch karne ko taiyaar h aur aap aadhi adhuri taiyaari ya bimaari liye yahan aa gaye h?

Ab socho bhala bharat ke pagal cricket fans pe kya beetegi jab unhe koi yeh bataye ki virat kohli apni left hand wrist injury ko chipaye aur world cup me team ka captain ban jaaye and somewhere in the middle of the tournament jaa ke haath khade kar de - ki bhai log bana lo ab naya captain. Kitna anyay hoga tab?

Nahi dost mai bas itna kahunga ki Aam aur imli me farq h.

Physical injury and mental health issues are not similar.

Moreover I have no interest in commenting upon whether she should be booked for contract violation or not. 

Agar mai Osaka ki jagah hota to chup chaap fine bhar deta aur committed fans aur event organizers se maafi mangte hue - which she has also done- Kehta ki ab bas karo. Meri baat samajh nhi sakte to apni saari baat ab mujhe nahi samjhao. Apna gyaan apne paas rakho.

Finally ,irrespective of the fact that bina fans and media ke sports bekaar ho jaaye I strongly believe that no sportsperson plays solely for their fans/teams and them breaking their commitment would not bring any havoc  to them or the sport either.

PS: Ekdum most humbly tarike se likha h maine with no intention to devalue your opinions although at some places the tone might imply otherwise. I hope you understand. 

The sexism in the old saying killed the joke for me :/

Inviting new debate? 

Always this debate. Long after I get called a simp. Forever and always! :D

If together in service someday, all of us "the femi-nazi" would open themahila morcha. 

I agree and apologise for that.