Ind vs Pak today!

I’ve been restraining myself from writing anything about the touchy topic of the ICC Cricket World Cup for last few days. I know that most of the people in this world have a hard time respecting other people’s opinions if they don’t match up with their own. They sincerely try to ‘convert’ the others by arguing to the point where the other gives in and accepts their own opinion. I know that everyone is entitled to their own opinion. Opinions are just that, they can’t be right or wrong. So let me say at the outset that whatever your opinions are about what I’m going to write today, I completely respect them as long as they’re your own and you stand for them!

That said, let me explain the title of this post. It is definitely going to be about today’s match between India and Pakistan but it is going to be about much more. I’m using this title as a good marketing gimmick to attract maximum readers because that’s what the world is about these days, marketing gimmicks. The post is going to have a lot more questions in it than answers. Because it is going to mirror what’s been going out in my mind in last few days. I haven’t been following the media too much (thank God?) but FB does a perfectly good job at showing us what goes on in the world and in people’s minds. Also, since my father’s closely involved in the preparations for the final on Wankhede, unfortunately, I’m privy to a bit more info than others regarding the same. All this input has triggered many questions, some anxiety and a bit of sadness in me today. So I felt the need to express myself and hence the end of self-imposed moratorium. For the most part, I’m writing this post for my own sake and so, if the marketing gimmick of the attractive title fails to get this post any readers, so be it! Enough said, to the main points now.

Today there’s a match between India and Pakistan. Yes, it is a match. It is not THE match, a war, a jihad, a question of anyone’s life and death, or at least it should not be, in my opinion. Of course, the media has made sure it is made to feel like all of the above and we, the people, are more than happy to feel so. Every time there is a cricket match between these 2 countries, what I call ‘the negative definition patriotism’ of Indians (and may be Pakistanis, I don’t know) pours forth with all the gusto. Let me explain the term. It means “Its not that we love our country or anything, but we sure hate those bastards to the core!” In last few days, I’ve seen all the wiseass, cynical comments about the Pakistan team on FB, people calling our neighbours Fuckistan and all that jazz! Today I saw that MaNaSe (it’s a political party in Maharashtra) has built a podium in a street and is going to have a huge screen put up to show the match live in the street. Yes, I know this is done in many other countries, especially for football/soccer matches. What I find objectionable is, why wasn’t this done for all the matches or at least all the matches India played? Aren’t we ourselves giving the so called ‘most hated country’ a special status by doing this? This is sort of like one of the aspects of feminism to me. By imitating the haircuts and attires of men, aren’t women increasing their importance and implying they are imitable? How is that supposed to work to boost women’s self-esteem? Similarly, if we hate Pakistan so much, why do we want to watch them on big screen? “Well, dummy, because we want to watch India crush them!” I hear you say. But then we didn’t have so much enthusiasm in seeing any other country being crushed? Notice that the enthusiasm, in this case, is about watching Pakistan lose than watching India win! You know that’s true! That’s what I call ‘the negative definition of patriotism’.

So that was about the cricket. Now let me come to the social aspect. You may or may not know how many security personnel of all sorts have been arriving in Mumbai in last few days. There’s the local police, the RAF (Rapid Action Force) and thousands of them. There are 184 CCTVs installed. There are security drills going on every day. The personnel concerned with managing the event, the ground staff, the officials, everyone got their fingerprints taken and photos of their eyes (irises) taken yesterday. They’re being issued an ID card only after that. They are to arrive at MCA the day before and stay their overnight for security purpose. So no coming to the venue on the day of the match for those who have access to ‘sensitive’ areas. It feels like a freakin’ warzone! Or an emergency! Or at least, it definitely doesn’t feel like a sporting event! What kind of a city, country and world are we living in? We need thousands of army men so that we can enjoy (?) a game? Of course, I’m sure we will enjoy it and call it the invincible spirit of Mumbai. Does Mumbai even have any spirit left in her? Do we have any spirits and sensitivity left in us? Do I even want to go to Wankhede through this entire circus to watch the match?

May be India will win the World Cup, Indians will get ever more involved in Cricket, the sponsors will mint ever more money via these ever more addicted consumers, and we will get ever more distracted from things that are called life. Because cricket is our life, we bleed blue and we’re proud of it!