When it comes to societal values, it’s always difficult for human beings to make their way to different kinds of prejudices and practices. Bias is one such example. While it’s almost impossible to deny that bias doesn’t exist, sometimes it also creates a false sense of validation. While we all realize the effect of conscious and subconscious bias, what at times goes unnoticed and unrealised is unconscious bias. The great Ruth Bade Ginsburg once said,
“I think unconscious bias is one of the hardest things to get at.”
Technically, on any given day, you can tackle and deal with all sorts of negativity, the existence of which you are clearly aware of. But hey, how do you overcome those situations where there’s a barrier that’s created between a talented individual and fame without even us knowing about it? Well, that exactly seems to be the case with R. Madhavan’s son Vedaant Madhavan and Sachin Tendulkar’s son, Arjun Tendulkar. Ever since Kangana Ranaut made a smashing appearance on Koffee With Karan and added the word ‘nepotism’ to the vocabulary of every Indian who speaks average English, we have heard the term quite often. The term has been associated with the Indian film industry and entertainment space for the longest time since 2016. Even in the case of sports, we have seen comparisons drawn between individuals. While it’s only normal and natural to be compared to your father if he’s been a legend in the same field as you are, it sometimes can add unnecessary burden to your shoulders.
Add to that, the media spotlight and constant attention and comparisons don’t help the cause in any way as well. So, are Arjun Tendulkar and Vedaant Madhavan also ‘products of nepotism’? Well, certainly not. While Arjun Tendulkar has trained tremendously hard since his childhood to be a fast-bowling all-rounder, Vedaant, on the other hand, has been a professional swimmer and has worked immensely hard to become respected as a swimmer. Yes, both are sons of famous personalities and hence, it is only natural that both will have the spotlight on them for all unavoidable reasons. However, what if we tell you that the real unconscious bias is actually deep-rooted in our minds and hearts without realising the impact of the same?
Yes, that’s true. It doesn’t really matter whether Arjun Tendulkar got his fame because he is Sachin Tendulkar’s son or whether Vedaant Madhavan got his fame because of R Madhavan. Both are relatively newbies in the sporting arena and have everything to prove. However, despite all this, the focus is much more on Arjun Tendulkar and not Vedaant. Why so? Well, I strongly feel that the only and only reason behind the same is because of the choice of sport and career. I mean, let’s face it. The popularity that cricket enjoys in India cannot be compared with any other sport. Well, that’s why, in a cricket-obsessed country like India, the news of Sachin Tendulkar’s son’s IPL debut receives more limelight and attention than a young Vedaant winning 5 gold medals for India at a prestigious International platform by representing the country. When we talk about cricketing comparisons, International cricket and being a part of Team India is any day considered more important than IPL. But hey, does IPL suddenly become more important compared to the International stage just because the sport changes from cricket to swimming?
Yes, we all are well aware of the fact that, as a sport, swimming will never bypass the popularity that cricket enjoys. But hey, have we really hit that point where just because it is not as ‘important’ or ‘big’ as cricket, we don’t even want to acknowledge something like gold medals? How on Earth does Arjun Tendulkar manage to trend on Twitter the whole evening ever since his debut for Mumbai Indians, whereas there’s not much hue and cry about Vedaant’s achievements despite his father R. Madhavan coming out openly on social media to share the same? This is the quintessential case of unconscious bias. No, we aren’t against acknowledging Vedaant’s achievements and the glory that he’s brought to India on the International swimming stage. It’s just that some of us have probably become so ignorant that keeping track of Arjun’s performance in order to post memes about him, his sister Sara Tendulkar and her rumoured ex-partner Shubman Gill is way more important than Vedaant, who’s apparently ‘just another swimmer’ whom we can show support only during Olympics. Because of course, cricket and cricketers as a sport deserves our attention throughout the year, even during domestic tournaments, but other sports personalities can reach that level only during Commonwealth Games or Olympics.
Since the last few weeks, the madness and discussion about Arjun Tendulkar have been immense. No, I am not against it when I pen this article. He deserves his share of appreciation, too, as the poor chap has had to wait for a long time to earn his debut cap for Mumbai Indians despite being a part of the squad for more than a year. For the longest time, he’s had to just warm the bench and that’s why, now that finally he is getting games and limelight, it will do his confidence a whole world of good. So, I am certainly not against the hype built by netizens and cricket fans. The only reason behind me voicing my opinion via this write-up is because tomorrow, a Vedaant Madhavan shouldn’t feel as a youngster that he’s not been appreciated enough despite doing great stuff for his country. At the end of the day, no matter how much we say, we all seek validation to become a better version of ourselves. Henceforth, my only request via this article would be to atleast try to show an equal amount of appreciation and gratitude to our sporting heroes, irrespective of the sport they play or irrespective of whose son or daughter they are. Let’s give credit where it’s due and try our best to eliminate the ‘unconscious’ bias.