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Correspondent

21 August 2024 at 3:50:16 pm

Paper Towers

The collapse of the Delhi hostel which has left six people dead and several more injured brings into sharp relief the dangerous disconnect between what is sanctioned and what is actually built in Indian cities. The structure was reportedly sanctioned only up to ground-plus-one, yet had grown to five storeys and was being used as a densely occupied student hostel. While the investigation will establish whether the basement alterations, weakened pillars, waterlogging or some other structural...

Paper Towers

The collapse of the Delhi hostel which has left six people dead and several more injured brings into sharp relief the dangerous disconnect between what is sanctioned and what is actually built in Indian cities. The structure was reportedly sanctioned only up to ground-plus-one, yet had grown to five storeys and was being used as a densely occupied student hostel. While the investigation will establish whether the basement alterations, weakened pillars, waterlogging or some other structural failure caused the building to give way, the circumstances already raise a more uncomfortable question: how does a building apparently approved for two floors become a five-storey hostel without the system noticing? Delhi’s student neighbourhoods have developed a voracious market for cheap accommodation, and where demand rises faster than regulated housing, buildings acquire floors, rooms and tenants with remarkable speed. A residential property becomes a paying guest facility; a basement becomes usable space; another floor appears; more beds are squeezed in. The paperwork, if it exists at all, struggles to keep pace with the construction. There is no reason to assume that this is uniquely Delhi’s problem. Pune’s student districts, Bengaluru’s rental corridors, Mumbai’s crowded suburbs and other education and employment hubs face the same pressures. Wherever land is scarce, rents are high and demand for accommodation is relentless, the temptation to build beyond what was sanctioned is immense. The danger is obvious. A building designed for one purpose and a particular structural load cannot indefinitely be treated as a piece of elastic real estate. Adding floors, altering columns, excavating beneath an existing structure or cramming dozens of occupants into a building designed for far fewer people is not renovation. It is gambling with lives. Yet India’s municipal systems too often seem to discover illegal construction only after something has collapsed. The response is then predictable: an FIR, inspections, sealing drives and promises that officials found negligent will be punished. Delhi has already ordered inspections of nearby paying guest accommodations and buildings with fifth floors. Such action is welcome. It is also painfully late. The real test is not how efficiently the authorities clear the rubble. It is whether they can prevent the next building from becoming rubble. The country needs more than inspection drives. It needs municipal bodies capable of knowing what is being built in their jurisdictions, enforcing sanctioned plans before violations become permanent and making officials answerable when obvious breaches are ignored. A city’s housing shortage cannot be solved by allowing unsafe buildings to multiply. Nor can affordable accommodation be secured by making students the unwitting occupants of structural experiments. Satya Niketan has exposed a dangerous gap between the buildings cities need and the buildings their regulations can safely accommodate. If that gap is not closed, the next collapse may simply have a different pin code.

A Legacy Beyond the Trophy

Cristiano Ronaldo’s relationship with the FIFA World Cup is one of football’s most compelling stories—a tale of extraordinary achievement, relentless ambition, and an unfulfilled dream. While his glittering career is decorated with league titles, UEFA Champions League triumphs, European Championship glory, and countless individual awards, the FIFA World Cup remained the one prize that always seemed just beyond his reach. Yet, it is perhaps this very incompleteness that makes Ronaldo’s World Cup journey so profoundly inspirational.


Ronaldo made his FIFA World Cup debut in Germany in 2006 as a fearless 21-year-old bursting with talent. Portugal reached the semi-finals, their best finish in decades, and the young winger announced himself on the biggest stage. Although Portugal fell short against France and later lost the third-place playoff, Ronaldo’s performances hinted that he would become one of football’s defining figures.


Over the next sixteen years, Ronaldo represented Portugal in five World Cups—2006, 2010, 2014, 2018, and 2022. In doing so, he became one of the few players in history to feature in five editions of the tournament. Even more remarkably, he became the first male footballer to score in five different FIFA World Cups, a feat that underlined his remarkable longevity, consistency, and ability to adapt across generations of football.


His World Cup statistics are impressive. Ronaldo scored eight goals across his World Cup appearances, including memorable strikes against Iran, Spain, Ghana, and Morocco. His stunning hat-trick against Spain in the 2018 FIFA World Cup remains one of the tournament’s greatest individual performances. Facing a Spanish side filled with world-class talent, Ronaldo almost single-handedly rescued Portugal with a dramatic late free-kick that completed his hat-trick and secured a thrilling 3-3 draw. It was a reminder that the brightest lights often brought out the very best in him.


Beyond the numbers, Ronaldo carried the hopes of an entire nation. Portugal is a football-loving country, but unlike traditional powerhouses such as Brazil, Germany, or Argentina, it has historically possessed a smaller talent pool. For nearly two decades, Ronaldo shouldered immense expectations every time Portugal stepped onto the World Cup stage. His leadership, professionalism, and unmatched work ethic inspired teammates and millions of supporters around the world.


Yet, every great career also has its disappointments. Despite his brilliance, Ronaldo never managed to lift the FIFA World Cup trophy. Portugal were eliminated in the Round of 16 in 2010, exited in the group stage in 2014, reached only the Round of 16 in 2018, and suffered a heartbreaking quarter-final defeat to Morocco in 2022. The 2022 tournament was especially emotional. Having started the competition as captain, Ronaldo found himself on the bench during the knockout rounds as Portugal’s manager opted for tactical changes. When Morocco defeated Portugal 1-0, television cameras captured Ronaldo leaving the field in tears—an image that symbolized the end of what was almost certainly his final World Cup campaign.


Team Sport

Many critics view the absence of a World Cup title as the one missing chapter in Ronaldo’s otherwise extraordinary career. Comparisons with football legends often revolve around this omission. However, greatness cannot always be measured solely by trophies. Football is the ultimate team sport, where individual brilliance alone cannot guarantee ultimate success. Some of the game’s finest players—including Johan Cruyff, George Best, Paolo Maldini, and Ferenc Puskás—also retired without winning a FIFA World Cup.


Ronaldo’s greatest achievement may not be the medals he collected but the standards he established. He transformed himself through relentless discipline, physical conditioning, and an unwavering belief that improvement never stops. From a gifted teenager in Madeira to one of football’s most prolific goal scorers, his journey is proof that talent flourishes only when matched by dedication.


His World Cup career teaches an equally valuable lesson. Success is not always about reaching the final destination; it is about the courage to continue chasing the dream despite setbacks. Every tournament brought fresh hope. Every defeat became motivation to return stronger. Even in his late thirties, Ronaldo remained committed to representing Portugal with pride, refusing to let age define his ambitions. For young athletes, Ronaldo’s story offers an enduring message. There will always be goals that remain unfulfilled, obstacles that seem unfair, and moments of heartbreak that test one’s resolve. What matters is not whether every dream comes true, but whether one continues striving with passion, integrity, and resilience.


(The writer is a senior journalist based in Mumbai. Views personal.)

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