Indians and Racism: Who's to Blame?

I know I'm venturing into an issue that is of extremely sensitive nature. However I feel that we as Indians quite often misinterpret the true meaning of the term "racism". Multiple definitions of the term exists as per individual interpretations, however in simplistic terms it means 'a form of discrimination based on race, color or origin .' The discrimination ranges from verbal abuse (direct) to favoritism toward individuals of the same race (indirect).

Lets take a recent classic case of the incident that transpired on the hit British reality show 'Big Brother', where the Indian actress Shilpa Shetty was pelted with some verbal invectives. Thousands of British Indians saw that on national television and condemned it and to a certain extent they were justified in expressing their disapproval of such thoughts. A lot of fuss was made about the specific comments regarding the way she behaved and the way she spoke. I agree the manner of putting those comments may not have been appropriate, but surely comments made on an individual by no means completely reflect racist behavior.

Such comments are taken far too seriously by Indians. If such an opinion is indeed racist then I'm afraid we Indians are the biggest racists of 'em all. When we talk about people of foreign origin, we refer to them as 'goras' meaning 'white people'. We refer to African Americans as 'kallus'. Don't we at times make fun of the way these individuals behave? Why are we so distrustful of 'Blacks' or 'Hispanics'? I am dumbfounded by this question in same way as millions of us are. Forget the indifferent attitude towards these people, we Indians do not even spare our own. Discrimination within different regions, religions and sub-sects of these religions is not uncommon amongst us. Mind you, I'm not generalizing but the truth is out there. Deep within us we all know that every individual has his or her own set of ideas and beliefs which at some point or the other has compelled us to behave in a racist manner.

These questions are difficult to answer, but I'm not searching for the answers. All I'm trying to say is that we should all be a little more considerate. Pointing fingers on individuals who make potentially racist comments is easy, but it is very difficult to refrain one self from acting in a similar manner. Whether its spoken about or not racism is here to stay, so be courageous enough to face it.

Karthik: Grit Personified

If ever there was a need more desperate than the one against the Windies, to put up your hand and justify your selection, Dinesh Karthik did it and proved his mettle all over again. Having India with their back against the wall, the carribean army was marching along nicely, despite the absence of their commander-in-chief (Sir) Brian Lara, towards another dismal display by the Indian batsmen. At 90 odd for the loss of 7 wickets, the Indians must have felt that the ghosts of South Africa had come to haunt them all over again. A score of even 150 seemed a distant dream.

But not for Karthik. Just as he did in the 3rd test against the Proteas, where he was asked to stand in as an opener, Karthik proved what a determined cricketer he is. Given the match situation, the nature of the pitch and India's recent one-day record this was probably one of the best, if not the best, innings he has ever played. The shot selection, the composure and the determination were evident to all. Of-course Ajit Agarkar(40) played a pivotal role by accompanying Karthik and not throwing his wicket away like some of his senior and more experienced players did. He hung in there allowing Karthik to play some heart-warming strokes on his way to a masterful 63.

Another reason why this innings was critical is the selection of the final squad for the upcoming World Cup will be decided soon. Where players like Joginder Sharma and Ramesh Powar failed to show their talent with the bat, Karthik grabbed the opportunity by showing a lot of maturity on this slow and sluggish pitch. Powar however made up for the blip with the bat by bowling a mesmerizing spell of 3 for 42 off his alloted quota of overs. Tendulkar and Harbhajan chipped in with tight spells to keep the Windies in check and despite another fighting knock from Shivnaraine Chanderpaul the Windies were left to gasp at missed opportunities. Perhaps a little more aggression, that Chanderpaul lacked, would have taken them home.

The interesting question now is, what the composition of the Indian team for the remaining two matches will be. With the possibility of Anil Kumble coming back to the side, the most likely candidate to make way seems Joginder Sharma. Considering the fact that there are just 4 games before the final squad for the World Cup is announced, today's performance might put the brakes on his run toward the selection in the final 14. With Yuvraj still recovering from his injury, Pathan trying to get his bearings right again and Sehwag woefully out of form, Dravid's task to find a suitable all-rounded seems cut out. Hopefully the Indian think-tank will come up with some suitable backup or pray for one of these 3 player to get back to their glory days.