Wrestlers Protest: It’s time to call a spine a spine

Kolkata: Celebrity vertebrae are suddenly occupying sumptuous media attention, purely as a metaphor though. While the current focus is on the wrestlers protest, the scope extends rather effortlessly.

To begin with wrestling, the sporting heroes with a publicly-designated spine include Neeraj Chopra, Kapil Dev, Anil Kumble, Sunil Chettri and Abhinav Bindra. They have, in all fairness, commented on the patently shabby treatment of national icons, whatever the levels of provocation. If proven correct, the allegations against the official Brij Bhushan are indeed heinous and courts will surely not be considerate.

Equally, on a mirror image note, the country at large is aghast that the mainstream sports stars, especially the posh IPL brigade, have remained disturbingly silent. Perhaps they have all become stooges of the ruling disposition, many suggest, or maybe the lure of the lucre cannot afford any disruptions. Like so much in life and in sport, a matter as such is not so plainly black or white as the layers are itching to be heard.

Everybody is fully aware that modern sportspeople cease to be autonomous individuals at the height of their performing or earning powers. They are governed by sternly punitive codes of conduct, from the brands they endorse to the associations that govern their sport and even the professional image consultants accountable for their earning chutzpah. If an honest emotion were to come out in the open, the consequences can be staggering for many stakeholders and not just one person. This logic may not sound fair but it is true and typecasting every silent voice as corrupted and heartless is clearly silly logic.

To stretch this argument further, the remuneration shelf lives of sportspeople are indeed short and only a few fortunate souls continue to milk the commentary circuit. By modern-day injury and expiry standards, today’s heroes may well be in business for less than a decade, rampant obsolescence a part of modern games. So, however heartless or transactional it may sound, nobody will risk their targets for a stated demonstration of empathy, however valid the cause. A candid analysis of those who have protested will possibly reveal that they have nothing to lose, especially since they have very little left to gain, with the exception of Chopra possibly.

But here I must comment on another aspect of the spine, which is the ability to exercise self-restraint when performing a seriously unethical act, an error of commission and not omission as accountants would certify. Folks like Sunil Gavaskar and Virendra Sehwag endorsed Kamla Pasand for instance, an action that has led to a fair amount of vigilante outcry. In sharp contrast to Sachin Tendulkar who refuted every tobacco proposal with a savage hoik over mid-wicket and Amitabh Bachchan who has officially withdrawn his affiliation with the same brand.

It is well known that chewing tobacco, smokeless, can increase the risk for head, neck and mouth cancers - just that the damning causation as in the case of smoking has not yet been suitably established. Gavaskar and Sehwag are clearly at the ‘Cash Cow’ stage of their revenue potential and frankly don't care a damn about the backlash, as the opportunity cost is limited. Unlike Mr. Big B, who stands to lose cashable equity from multiple stakeholders, if hardliners were to pursue the ethics dimension. The simple point I wish to make is that demonstration of the spine, present or absent, is a calculated tactical subject for most celebrities, and not a black-and-white issue of personal ethics and morality.

Why just blame high-profile celebrities, the search for vertebrae extends beyond just sports and cinema. Recently a whole host of NDTV journalists moved newsrooms and earned considerable credit for taking a stand - the truth may well reside in the merry equilibrium of windfall hikes and corporate restructuring as per global norms. In fact, all corporate jobs insist that we suspend our spine at the altar of the monthly paycheck ping, dissent unless structured not seen in a favourable light. If a Tata or Reliance or Meta employee posts a tweet about the bosses for a seeming transgression then the headhunters will have to be shortly summoned - cases like Twitter post the Elon Musk aggrandisement are now predictably viral. Wriddhiman Saha was seemingly banished to Tripura for falling foul of the Lord of Lords while his clearly-deserved slot for the WTC Finals may be firmly connected to his critique of The Wall.

Thus, it can be thoughtfully surmised that only those with nothing or very little to lose have the liberty to inflict a contra-mainstream vertebral repartee, otherwise, there will be a major penalty. Those who stick to a stoic silence or act strangely even under utmost provocation are usually victims of circumstances, whether perceived or actual. Which are invariably linked to financial or vocational well-being, as the bill for being out of favour is too much to bear. Good or bad or ugly, the judgement trail can continue but the truth loosely resides in the zone I have just carved.

The spine, as a metaphor, was clearly designed for a less transactional universe and its successor is the relatively milder POV or point of view. A POV gives you the liberty of a college fest debater even in a serious boardroom, second chances are programmed with the territory. But celebrities mostly do not enjoy this luxury and they are human like all of us, so please do forgive the chronic slippages.