India, Dec. 28 -- As a 14-year-old involved in team sports at school, what is our first goal? To represent our educational institution, right? To proudly don the school colours, to do battle with fellow 14-year-olds, to earn bragging rights.

At 14, sometimes, if we are lucky, we bask in the glory of an unexpected World Cup victory by our heroes. We are still struggling to break into the school side, but there is a certain pride in being an Indian because our team has just bucked all odds and coveted ultimate glory. We console ourselves at flunking the selection trials by telling us we are too puny (never too not good enough), never mind if our father is the principal. It happens, you know.

And then, there are 14-year-olds who are repres...