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Cricket Catharsis

By Imran Khan

19 April, 2016
Countercurrents.org

If Kashmiries don’t celebrate India’s win, then the smart Indian should give his thought processes a kick and at least try to understand “why?” and “what does it mean?” Kashmiries have used cricket matches to give vent their feelings on many occasions. Be it 1983, when a one day International cricket match between India and West Indies was held in Srinagar or when Afridi hit two sixes to Ashwin in the final over to win a match in Asia cup 2014 or now the recent T20 world cup defeat of India at the hands of west Indies. These are just the few which came to limelight; otherwise it has been the same show all along. In 1983 the event went so embarrassing for India that it never dared to hold any second international match here. Rather than being remembered as the first international cricket match to be held in the Valley, this event is remembered for its display of anti India sentiment. Similarly in 2014 at Meerut University 67 Kashmiri students cheered for Pakistan, received a sedition charge and were later expelled. And the recent defeat of India at the hands of West Indies resulted in NIT-Srinagar controversy.

In Kashmir one mostly finds hoarding of Pakistani players in and around sports shops. People in Kashmir even name their loved ones after Pakistani players. Very rarely one finds a local team wearing a jersey resembling Indian Cricket team’s jersey. Even one can find Kashmiri songs cherishing Pakistani cricketers and their win over India and other teams. Now if all this is not the vent which Kashmiries give to their feeling, then what else?

Non local Students in NIT must have been shocked by Kashmiries’ celebrations of Indian loss and they reacted to it, I understand and empathize with them. Their shocking reaction should also not be a surprise to Kashmiries. Because all their lives, the truth about Kashmir has been concealed to them. Be it by their elders, by their teachers, by their media or by their government. Truth may be bitter, but it is far better than sweet lies.

The Indian students and the rest of India need to understand the realities with regard to Kashmir, the promises made to Kashmiries not only by Indian government, but also by international community. The rest of India needs to know and understand the pain simmering in the hearts of Kashmiries. Before unfurling tri colour in NIT, the non local students need to know the number of deaths, disappearances, rapes and damage to property at the hands of security forces in Kashmir. They need to know about the history of Kashmir. Denial, anger, contradiction and conflict will take them nowhere but correct information and understanding will enlighten them.

All non locals who come to Kashmir for a visit or work or for studies are our guests. But they should also understand our sentiments. NIT students are here for studies, and not to conquer Kashmir, they should focus on their studies and I wish them luck for that. A desire to triumph with their nationalism in Kashmir is beyond their scope. Their government and troops are already devoted obsessively to the task. There is no need for them to jump in the stream of “forced nationalism”.

Interesting neither India media nor politicians or Indian civil society made any hue and cry when Kashmiries were expelled from different universities of India for celebrating other teams win. No debate, discussion or anguish was shown when the same lathis were used against Kashmiries from time to time. Neither Home minister nor HRD ministry gave any statements when Kashmiri students were beaten and harassed in different states of India. The HRD ministry should not act funny by suppressing the student activism in JNU while supporting the NIT-Srinagar conflict to its advantage. What is quite humorous is that the same J&K Police which was earlier receiving medals of appreciation for their counter protest and counter insurgency activities are now labelled as Pakistani Agents on news channels. Now what can also be expected from a nation where even a cricket commentator is sacked for praising players of opposite teams?

Thought sports can be a means to build peace but for Kashmiries Cricket has become a means to show their anguish, anger and hatred towards India. Any team playing against India gets Kashmiri support. This can be understood by the fact that when recently Bangladesh Cricket Team Captain met few Kashmiri boys in Kashmir, the first question he received was why they lost the recent T20 match against India. Now such a situation in Kashmir needs understanding and not forced nationalism.

Dear NIT Indian guests, our budding cricketers are killed in broad daylight and you expect us to celebrate your win. You expect us to get integrated with rest of India when Kashmiri students receive all the alien treatment in Indian universities for cherishing other teams. Our women are raped by your Army and you want us to be patriotic. Your intelligence agencies even count the number of breaths a single Kashmiri takes and you want us to enjoy freedom. Your media gives full coverage to NIT lathi charge, but remains mute when unarmed protesters are killed. Your balded cartoons raise questions over the marks obtained by a son whose father was hanged without informing him just to satisfy the collective conscience of a country. The same person comes here to unfurl tricolour in the backdrop of NIT controversy but then suddenly gets disappeared in some “Hair Saloon” when Kashmiries youths are at the receiving end. Your problem and the biggest irony is that you are not able to read between lines, you are not able to accept what Kashmiries convey via cricket or the fact may be that you don’t want to accept reality and continue your hegemony.

But the fact remains the same that by force, hearts cannot be won. The more forced nationalism, the more cricket catharsis. The sooner it is understood, the better.

Imran Khan is Presently working in Education Department, Previously worked as Psychologist with Action Aid International, Medecins sans Frontieres and J&K Police Drug De-addiction Services




 



 

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