BCCI & PCB agreed to renew cricketing ties and play couple of tests and ODI’s in the UAE this December. This declaration was out in media a couple of days back, and it heralded angry reactions from many Indians including me. This series is touted to be the most awaited between the arch rivals India and Pakistan. Now, who says it’s eagerly awaited except for the BCCI and few other enterprises who are eyeing on the moolah that it will generate? More than the BCCI, it’s PCB who wants this series to happen to fill in their coffers which are drying up like a water body in a desert. BCCI for long has conducted itself like a dictator not bothering about the sentiments of the people. BCCI and its mandarins are like a filthy rich father whose only motive is to earn money no matter from where and how it comes. No wonder, BCCI is the richest cricket board in the world capable of financing a country if required. Renewing cricketing ties with Pakistan is an ominous proposition, who for long has been at loggerheads with India, supporting and waging a proxy war on India. Why BCCI wants to push for this series is obvious, but it is not required, for it is not going to hurt them financially and they can earn abound through other sources. More importantly they need to pay heed to sentiments of millions of Indians who are against this cricketing ties.
Compassion Please !!!
Many learned people (????) in India are supporting this series to happen by saying politics and sport should be kept aside. To them I would like to say let the bullets sponsored by Pak backed terrorist scr..w their families and then I would like to know their reaction. You can’t engage with someone who is creating disharmony and distress in your family by saying sport is above all and we should continue playing with them no matter if they are screwing my family. This is plain b…shit. Pakistan in spite of our helping hand has shown its true colors by indulging in transgressions against India. No matter how soft you go on them, they will bite the same helping hand, and we want to play cricket with them? The same country on whose insistence hundreds of innocent Indian civilians are massacred daily. Our armed forces jawans who endure the extreme weather to protect us, fall prey to the bullets coming from Pakistan, and you still want to say sports should go on with them? This is like rubbing salt on the wounds of the Indians. BCCI should show some compassion towards Indians who have suffered at the hands of Pak sponsored terrorism, and not worry about its finances, which are already hale and hearty.
The Bad and the Ugly
The other day a senior advocate named Sanjay Hegde gave a bizarre justification to support the series. For him seeing Indian batsmen thrash the Pak bowlers gives him a high and sense of victory. How preposterous the thinking can get. He can satisfy this urge by inviting some Pakistanis to his home to play in his backyard and then thrashing them at will. The other learned gentleman said playing cricket with them will improve the bonhomie and will facilitate peace between the two nations. Either this person is living in fool’s paradise or he has gone horribly insane. No matter how much India extends a helping hand towards Pakistan, Pakistan will not let go its old guard. On one hand it will favor the cricketing ties for it benefits them immensely, on the other hand it will continue to provide safe haven to culprits waging war against India. This has been their nature for long time. This audacity of Pak is fuelled by comments made by some of our stalwarts. One of the respected cricketers of India, Dilip Vengsarkar, and the other day said, Wasim Akram should take over the reins of Indian cricket team as a coach. Was Mr. Vengsarkar joking or has he gone mad? Even Rahul Dravid is in support of this renewal of cricketing ties. With all due respect to these idols I think they have made a wrong decision. For them and alike, it might be only a sport, but for most Indians it is an insult, tantamount to flaming the wounds inflicted by Pakistan.
Pak-Pak No Way
Why do we entertain people from this belligerent nation, in India, always baffles me. We invite many Pakistani artists in Hindi film industry with open arms, be it actors, musicians. The cash rich IPL also sees many Pakistani cricketers enjoying our hospitality, be it coaching or commentating. They all make merry and earn hefty amounts on Indian soil, thanks to some of the large hearted(???) Indian personalities. Are we bereft of talent that we have to import it from Pakistan? No, I don’t think so, then why do we have to pledge support to them like a big forgiving brother? Personally and many Indians don’t have an issue with Pakistanis participating unless their government stops perpetrating heinous activities against we Indians. I am afraid we cannot continue this candy floss bonhomie if our counterpart continues its nefarious activities. Our government should stop entertaining any Pakistani wishing to earn and reside in India until their government comes good. This in turn will force many artists, sportsmen from Pakistan to put pressure back home to stop its belligerent ways, for it may affect their careers, life in India. We Indians take our mantra of "Athithi Devo Bhava" too seriously, I think. It should be only for those who echo our sentiments of peace and brotherhood. For others it should be Tit for Tat. I hope better sense will prevail and BCCI and Indian government calls off the renewal of cricketing ties with Pakistan as of now, until our neighbor behaves like a good boy.