Cricket isn't a blood sport and Indo-Pak match is no war

Chennai: If there were a competition to find scapegoats, India would be world champions hands down. After India’s crushing loss at the hands of Pakistan in the Champions Trophy cricket final in London on June 18, the knives are out in TV studios. Shrill anchors aver that the enemies are within India.

Almost 15 crores of them. Indian Muslims are obliged to pass the patriotic test every time their country loses a cricket match against Pakistan. They must profess their love for the Tri-colour time and again to prove their Indianness. Social media and news channels have done more damage to the relationship between India and Pakistan than the four wars the   two neighbours have fought since parting ways in 1947. Nuance and reason are the hapless victims in the senseless sensationalist era we are in today. What has added fuel to the fire is the narrow nationalistic and parochial agenda set by the powers that be at the centre.

Although Gautam Gambhir wasn’t part of India’s Champions Trophy roster, he has taken centre stage following his ‘stinging’ rebuke to Hurriyat Conference leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq’s tweet celebrating Pakistan’s win. By wading into the debate, Gambhir has lost in addition to handing victory over to Farooq whose tweet was only intended to provoke such reactions. Just as Farooq isn’t entitled to speak on behalf of all Kashmiris, Gambhir can’t own up the responsibility to represent the whole country. Where was the cricketer when the union government recently introduced a draconian law that affected the food habits of Dalits and Muslims who constitute a third of India’s population? Aren’t Dalits and Muslims Indian enough for Gambhir? It would be foolish to reduce the Kashmir issue into a binary because justice, as it always does, lies somewhere in the middle.

It must, however, be admitted that Gambhir wasn’t as crass as Virender Sehwag who made fun of a martyr’s daughter who advocated peace between India and Pakistan not long ago. Stars like Gambhir and Sehwag must be careful not to fall prey to the prevailing jingoistic mood in the country. The two certainly have the right to speak up provided they also have the guts to question people in power.

Muslims stand accused of bursting crackers all across the country to celebrate Pakistan’s win. It’s a sweeping generalisation that has stymied Indian Muslims all along. There is a lot of smoke. But, where is the fire? Although no one can deny the fact that Muslims all over the world accord utmost importance to their religious identity, what is happening in India right now is nothing more than cynical polarisation. Cricket is a handy stick for right-wing nationalists to beat Indian Muslims with. Sport is always held up as a unifier all over the globe but no tool is noble for fanatics in their efforts to alienate Muslims. From beef to cricket, the agenda is the same: push the Us vs Them narrative. There are concerted efforts to create another division within the country in the name of religion. The onus is on the liberal society to stand up to the devious plan.

In the cacophony that has dominated the post-mortem of India’s loss, it is a pity that the exceptional conduct of cricketers from both sides has been forgotten. Virat Kohli may have come a cropper in the match but he enhanced his reputation as a man with his unqualified praise for the stellar efforts of Pakistan.
There was universal appreciation for his mature attitude. Pakistan players, too, behaved responsibly as they didn’t try to rub it in on the losing team. Cricket can never become the barometer of patriotism because it is not unconstitutional for an Indian to support any other country.  Who is the greatest fast bowler in the history of cricket? Wasim Akram will invariably be the answer even if an Indian had been asked the question. If people with a vested interest are entrusted with the responsibility of defining patriotism and nationalism, India will face an existential crisis.

Some people quibbled that India’s thumping 7-1 win over Pakistan in the World Hockey League on the same day Virat Kohli and Co got a pasting wasn’t celebrated with gusto. The comparison was absurd because the hockey match was neither the final of the Olympics nor the Asian Games. And, hockey is nowhere near cricket in popularity. It’s not cricket’s fault that it is a rage in India. It must also be mentioned that the Indian hockey team created a flutter by wearing black bands for the Pakistan match to condemn “cross-border terrorism.” By the same logic, can somebody accuse the Indian cricket team of being unpatriotic for not wearing a black band in the Champions Trophy final?

Mahatma Gandhi and Rabindranath Tagore, two pivotal figures in Indian history, were unabashed pacifists. The Father of the Nation, a devout Hindu to boot, was dead against alienating Muslims on the basis of their eating habits. The man who wrote our national anthem never got tired of saying that humanity was always more important than nationalism. Gandhi and Tagore ought to be the guiding light of this country to see it through darkness.