Dear Readers,
Yesterday, we
gave you the following topic for WAT – “Viswanathan
Anand is as good a brand ambassador as Sachin Tendulkar.” In this
article, we will look at the correct approach for an essay on this topic and
will also cover some important points which may be used in this essay.
Guidelines – How to Approach this Question
·
This is an opinion-based topic.
You have to present your take on the given statement and support it with
relevant facts.
·
Whether you write in favour of
or against this statement, make sure that your stand is not too extreme. It’s
important to give a balanced answer because often your essay is used for your
PI and an aggressive take on the subject may lead to cross-questioning and may
be difficult to justify.
·
If you intend to present both
the views (yes and no), it would be ideal to make a rough outline first.
Generally, candidates are asked to write an essay in 200-300 words only; so, it
becomes crucial to sort out the most relevant points and only use them.
·
The ideal structure would be to
give a brief profile of each player in the introduction, then move to your
stance and derive a logical conclusion.
What to Write in the Answer
Here are some
points which you can use in your answer:
· Introduction: The ideal introduction to
your essay would be a brief background about both the players. Your challenge
here would be to do so in 1-2 lines each so do make sure that you write an impressive
first paragraph. Since the topic is about their iconic status (brand
ambassadors), the central idea would be how each has influenced people.
· Main Body: The first thing to do is to
pick your stance. You can choose either but make sure you have strong and relevant
points to substantiate it. We are presenting points for both the views here.
· YES: In this, you are agreeing with the
given statement. If you are agreeing with the statement, you can also explore
how Viswanathan Anand is a better ambassador than Sachin Tendulkar. You can
start by explaining how cricket has always been the most popular sport in India
and its infrastructure is much stronger than that of chess. Viswanathan Anand
had to move to Spain since he could not get proper coaching in India.
·
Anand, therefore,
single-handedly put chess on the national sports canvas. Sachin Tendulkar, on
the other hand, had a lot of backing from the management. He got to make his
debut at 17 and even though he did not score his first ODI century in his first
79 matches, the management kept on giving him chances.
·
Chess is a lot more competitive
than cricket. The World Chess Federation (FIDE) has over 150 member countries.
International Cricket Council, on the other hand, has merely ten full member
countries. Anand, therefore, overcame massive competition (and with no support
infrastructure) to achieve all his career milestones.
·
In terms of accomplishments, Viswanathan
Anand has won the World Chess Championship title five times in his career.
Sachin Tendulkar has been in six ICC ODI World Cups and was a part of the
winning team only once (in 2011).
·
Since Anand has been largely
responsible for the popularity of chess as a sport in India, emerging players
like Koneru Humpy and P. Harikrishna often see him as their inspiration. While
Tendulkar has often been considered one of the greatest cricketers ever, his
role in mentoring/encouraging youngsters has been limited, especially as
cricket has been the most popular sport in India even before Tendulkar became
well known.
· NO: In this, you are disagreeing with
the statement and calling Tendulkar a better ambassador.
·
As cricket has been popular
nationwide, Tendulkar had to deal with a lot of pressure. Cricket pundits and
media have often said that when he walked into the field, he carried one
billion hopes on his shoulders. On several occasions when India lost a cricket
match, fans burnt effigies of players or stoned cricketers’ homes and even took
to riots, like in Jamshedpur (against West Indies in 2002).
·
Anand, on the other hand, never
had any such pressure. He settled in Spain and moved away from the limelight.
Even though he is an inspiration for many, due to low chess coverage, he did
not have to worry about meeting the expectations of an entire country.
·
A number of cricketers have
been involved in sledging, including Indians like Virat Kohli and Harbhajan
Singh. Amidst all this, Tendulkar has always maintained dignity. Even when the
opponents tried to provoke him, he kept his cool and has set a great example of
integrity and gentlemanly behaviour for many aspiring youngsters.
· Both views: You can also present a mix
of points both for and against the topic and then arrive at your conclusion.
· Conclusion: Based on what arguments you
present, a logical and rational conclusion should follow. Summarise the
contributions by both in 1-2 lines each, and then in the last two lines,
conclude why Anand or Tendulkar is a better ambassador, thus justifying your
choice.
The next topic is – “The world is in social, economic and political turmoil. Any
suggestions to improve.” (IIM Bangalore, 2013)
To access the whole series of our WAT articles, you can start here:
In the comments section of this article, you can find the link to the next article and so on.
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