tamilweek.com

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FD syndicate
[sarangadh@yahoo.com]

Novjot Sing Sidhu is a popular cricketer turn cricket commentator, and finally became a Member of Parliament in India. He is a popular Cricket commentator as for me, against his orthodox batting performance to his Asian influenced English expressions in cricket commentaries. Sidhu with his political identity and as cricketer turn popular commentator commented on Amnesty International (AI) campaign recently. What convinced Sidhu to make a statement in favor of the Sri Lanka cricket team? Sidhu previously made other statements in relation to Sri Lankan players in a negative note, but this outspoken cricket commentator did some thing different in this time.

He was followed by Ajith Jadeja, another noted cricketer in India. Let us see the reasons for this in the latter part of this piece of writing.

[A cricket fan shows his preference for team Sri Lanka, after the early exit, in the first round, of teams India and Pakistan, while attending the Super 8s match between West Indies and Bangladesh of the Cricket World Cup at the Kensington Oval in Bridgetown, Barbados, Thursday, April 19, 2007. (AP Photo/Andres Leighton)] – Photo Courtesy Via Yahoo! News

The most vibrant orators and anti AI campaigners in Sri Lanka at the moment are JVP, JHU and Government. Why Government and these bandwagon are so vociferous on AI and its campaign which is not a protest over cricket? Why these bandwagons are using a popular sport to achieve their targets and undermine an important issue raised by the international community and local NGOs on Human Rights?

Similar patterns are happening in the other parts of the world, as this is a cover for many governments in the World. Below is a brief explanation:

A sport in the developing world is an instrument for Identity for Identity less people. This doesn’t mean that people clearly understand the sports or know the rules of the game but they like to identify them selves with some thing popular and to which other people in masse are contributing. In many third world countries television plays very important role in this aspect of the poverty stricken rural and urban life. This is a common factor even for the poorest families living in the slums of Brazil. Television is being treated as an essential family commodity in the rural Indian village life. Many who don’t have electricity use batteries to have a television simply to watch their hero playing football or perform in Bollywood drama. They can live without bread but not with football or cinema.

The madness or craziness for these sports or movies not only bring them entertainment but also keep them in the dream for family achievements. They know that if one of their children became a football player or actor it will be a money spin towards the emancipation of entire extended family circle. Therefore these poor communities all over the Latin America and south Asia identify them selves with these heroes and dream of a family success. There are stories of soccer giants such as Maradona who emerged from poor slums. Situation in India does not seem to be different on Bollywood and cricket Idols. Even in the villages without electricity television plays a role of promoter of these two Idol making industries.

Entertainment is a basic need of all human beings and I would like to identify it as Human right as well. For the poor in Indians, Pakistanis and Bangladeshis and Sri Lankans the main entertainment is Bollywood and cricket or television Soap operas. People are not over enthusiastic over the above but they still identify themselves emotionally and identically with these unreal characters. Advent of a television sets change the entire social landscape of small village settings and it influences the villagers and their lifestyles. With or without electricity, a person wants to buy television set as a primary commodity where entertainment plays central role in the family relations.

Televisions not only create new patterns of relationship but also introduce new value systems mixed with patriotism and heroism. Cricket and Bollywood is similar to football for African and Latin American communities. Commonality of these three sub regions is that they are also the world’s poorest geographical areas. Idolism is the opium of world’s poor and Identity building process for people in marginalized communities.

Cricket, football and Bollywood are cleverly filling those spaces.

This “Idolism blended Identities” build patriotism or any other factor to sustain the identity that they newly baptized. When Football world cup or cricket World cup is taking place, television and other media initiate various campaigns to attract people using this newly emerged Identity holders to examine their faithfulness to the game. These commercial activities will push the newly emerged Identity holders to prove their commitment to their new faith by identifying them with the game. Once media achieves its marketing target, politics creep into the social life of these people with various actions; which people don’t seem to bother as they are busy with cricket. This is not the common experience of the developed world. Those communities engage in football or cricket or any entertainment as a mode of entertainment only. Their patriotism won’t march together with them beyond the stadium walls.

In the Sri Lankan context, around fifteen years back when UNP was in government there was popular belief among people that whenever popular cricket is in high gear UNP government uses that opportunity to price for jack ups. Media and people lamented many times that UNP government is over promoting cricket and spending on cricket while there are many soldiers suffering and dying in north and east. They further accused that cricket enthusiasm deviate peoples’ national feelings towards its motherland. Many patriotic elements used to criticize cricket as an unpatriotic behavior then. Surprisingly this time it’s operating in an upside down manner. Patriotic persons seem to be leading characters of the forefront of cricket as they see northern war front is in favor of them and they want people to worry over cricket and protect cricket from enemies, from “white people”. They try to eulogize Cricket as a uniting point as they clearly know there is no other uniting point in Sri Lanka as we are a deeply divided society.

Dr. Martin Kampachen in his writing to Development and Cooperation journal published in Germany suggests that cricket only obtained its present day significance a little more than ten years ago. Cricket was a game for the upper class that had enough spare time to spend several days watching from the edge of the field. He further says that “as a German who grew up without cricket I am inclined to say that “nothing” happens in a cricket match compared to time and speed with soccer but my Indian friends disagree of course.” Important note of his piece of work is his comments on the Identity that people willing to extend when they are not represent in the main focus.

In 2002 Indian viewers initially stood up by the African teams, the under dogs of the World Cup. When these teams were eliminated Indians needed to identity focused on other teams from developing countries. In the End most Indians were infinitely proud that Brazil, a country of a third world – their third world won the cup. It’s now hinting us why Nowjot Sing Sidhu or Ajith Jadeja commented in favour of Sri Lanka amidst the AI campaign.

Extended patriotism is that we are discussing here. Its not an innocent extension but political gimmick. Early elimination of Indian and Pakistani teams focused Sri Lanakns as favorites from the third world and the subcontinent. Unless Indian cricket enthusiasm is addressed positively it will also affect the carefully gained cricket patriotism. Indian nationalistic camp operates in cricket and extended their patriotism towards Sri Lanka; to hold patriotism in cricket as it has side effects to Indian nationalistic politics as well. They extended their patriotism and flavor it with sub regionalism where the new contender is with South Asian, Third world and Pan-Hindu Identity etc.

Secondly the patriotic political notion among the Indian psyche has rich grounds for bashing “white and Christian Europe” as a political enemy. Novjot Sing Sidhu with his ultra nationalistic BJP affiliation consciously sprung up with a statement against AI for two reasons. Reason one is just like Sri Lankan nationalists, BJP politics also does not identify with Human Rights as indigenous or Indian value. Second reason is by this anti AI stance they forecasted that an enemy has been created for future use. Therefore Novjot Sing Sidhu’s statement and his extended patriotism not only gives him a credit in the Sri Lankan nationalistic camp but also gives mileage in Indian politics.

In the subcontinent entertainment cannot exist if it is not flavored with patriotic ownership and social identity. It mainly originated in an Indian context but gradually extended in to other countries as for previously discussed reasons. BJP politics has influenced political behavior in other South Asians countries especially in Sri Lanka Bangladesh and Pakistan. The sphere of influence in other countries is in different shapes and with different features including religion, nationalism and patriotic violence, intolerance and hegemony. They are introduced in their carefully woven propaganda machinery.

Irony is that Sri Lankans think they are not fundamentalists such as Hindus of BJP whom are violent and intolerant but they still deal with the same local issues in Sri Lanka with no difference. For Indians they can extend their patriotism with Sri Lankans while one of the distinct ethnicities of India is a directly victimized minority in Sri Lankan due to Sri Lankan nationalism project. This Indian distinct ethnicity doesn’t hold acceptance in Indian majoritarian politics which is biased to northern mindset.

I do not wonder why Sidhu extended his “patriotism” towards Sri Lanka as both countries experience similar hypocrisy in these culturally diverse societies. Canadian Movie “Water”, discussing an Indian social issue was banned for filming and screening in India; instead it was filmed and later screened in Sri Lanka with much acceptance.
Same theory failed to apply to the Film Aksharaya (Ring of Fire) as its plot was not for the happiness of Sri Lankan nationalistic bloc and they wanted it banned. When we screened “water” in Sri Lanka we laughed at Indians as fundamentalist and we are silent over Aksharaya as it’s unpatriotic. It’s the hippocratic nature of nationalistic politics on applying the two different theories on the same subject.

Its same with cricket; until such time it can be projected as nationalistic. It will be heroic and the moment cricketers lose their memento automatically they will be labels as traitors.

Extended patriotism does not means it is a harmful concept when it operates in a peaceful manner. But when it mixed with political opportunism it will go beyond the limits of extended patriotism and start the search for “enemies”. Extended patriotism can operate within the society; as well the enemy they are looking can be temporally, subject oriented or a common one. It can vary from a Muslim for Indians, Women for Pakistanis and Christians for Sri Lankans as common “enemies” or this can be a temporary measurer until the instigated politics grab and control the power. Once they grab the power then they can do what they want including the opposite what they preached. It happened in India and now it’s happening in Sri Lanka. Nationalists talk good about Mr. Anandasangaree or Minister Devananda as both are threatened by common enemy but once enemy is finished they the alliances will be over and Anandasangaree will become the enemy.

The final segments of this article describe the authoritarianism at work together with sports and how does it abuse sports for its own goals.

In this story its football and we are going back to 1978 world cup period in Argentina. We are playing cricket world cup and it seems that we are over reacting to cricket mixed with patriotism. By this over enthusiasm we give open warrant to authoritarian government to do what they want to do. We forget and show insensitivity over killings and disappearances around us. I cannot recall whether we have celebrated Cricket in ‘87-‘90 when there was insurgency in south. We had very irritating feeling over cricket enthusiasm as there were people dying at our doorstep. But we have forgotten or influenced to forget what is happening around us now. Over 4000 deaths have taken place around us, escalating violence and gang warfare around us rage that are pieces and part of the larger jigsaw puzzle.
Cricket enthusiasm has forbidden NGOs to raise their voices against Human Rights Violation. Colombo NGOs are frightened by the threats from Government s and nationalistic groups and even public. This is purely due to strong unleash of terror against the NGOs on their opposition on Human Rights violations and War.

In 1976 Argentina experienced a coup by a military Junta that led the country towards the Falklands war in1982. In 1978 Argentina was the host country for Football world cup. Even though it is not the same context we live in, we can take many examples from that period.

While we are engaged in Cricket world cup a young female journalist was detained for three months and then released without charges. This is what another young girl testified, about Leopoldo Galtieri, President of Argentina1during 1981-82 who led the Falklands war and part of Junta that led the 1976 coup.

“A young woman testified that after she had been held blindfolded and tortured for months, she and others in her group were allowed to clean themselves, in preparation for a visit to the detention center by General Galtieri, who was then army commander of the local district. Galtieri asked if she knew who he was, and if she understood his absolute power over her. “if I say you live, you live, ” he said, “and if I say you die, you die. As it happens, you have the same Christian name as my daughter, and so you live.” [Nunca Mas, introduction].

Now we read the quote a text again from Development and + Cooperation journal published in Germany titled Dictatorial Propaganda by Sheila Mysorekar.

In Argentina’s history, however, football not only stands for a spirit of rebellion. The 1978 world Cup was held there under the auspices of a brutal military junta, which exploited the event for its own propaganda purposes. The regime had come to power in a coup in 1976. In the following seven years, the regime tortured and murdered some 30,000 people – merely on suspicion of being leftists.

In 1978 the generals used the World Cup to show the world that Argentina as a “pacified” country. Some stadiums were situated in the immediate vicinity of detention centers. Surviving inmates report that they could hear the roars of the crowds as the game was being played. Most of the centers were in secret locations. Unlike during the dictatorship in Chile, people were not openly arrested, but were secretly rounded up from their homes at night. The regime did not want repression to be seen and simply let opponents vanish without a trace. The 30,000 victims are still known as the desaparecidos (“the disappeared”).

The military’s plan in 1978 was largely successful. The international media did not concern themselves with the political situation, but rather showed a tournament which was completely friction-free. The propaganda machine ran smoothly inside the country itself, too. Junta’s approval rating was never higher than during the World Cup. Argentina even won the cup, with Holland coming in second.

However, there were some isolated gestures of protests at the celebrations which followed the title win. The Dutch players refused to shake the hands of the host country’s military, but the rulers were able to shrug that off as the reaction of poor losers. Less easy to dismiss was the refusal of their national coach, Cesar Luis Menotti, to shake dictator Jorge Videla’s hand – in front of millions of TV viewers. This charismatic chain-smoker also made use of his popularity to criticize the dictatorship on other occasions.

Not all the sports people from Europe were prepared to show their opinion openly. The German coach, Helmut Schon, simply said: “We didn’t see any obvious signs of a dictatorship.”

We all can enjoy cricket, as well as we need to document what had been happening in between cricket matches and during the period of the world cup in our society; other wise if we win the World Cup (it’s my dream) we will mark 2007 as world cup year and forget all what happened around us.

I received the popular greeting card of world cup in circulation these days, on “we will win” – which also portraits various “diversities” that players belong. As far as I know Russell Arnold is not a catholic and Sri Lankan census doesn’t count moors any more in their ethnic segregations (totally different topic to discuss why is that). These are clear evidence for ignorance on minority cultures among the majority community and the expectations of majority community that minorities should know about majority cultures.

This is granted Ignorance.