Tuesday 24 January 2012

The Fanatic Verses


It was extremely unfortunate to learn that acclaimed writer, Sir Salman Rushdie, cancelled his trip to the Jaipur Literature Festival, due to security concerns. His book, The Satanic Verses, has long been banned in our country for its alleged blasphemous contents. I have not read the book, and so am not in a position to comment whether the book really hurt Muslim sentiments or if it was just a group of fundamentalists, with their narrow-mindedness, who just need an excuse to accuse someone of profanity.

But what I certainly feel is that writing is an art form, and freedom of speech, a part of our Constitution. Banning a book to appease a section of people is regressive. I am not against Islam, or for that matter, any community. But banning a literary piece of work cannot be a part of democracy; least of all, in a country, which is slowly climbing up the steps of progress. If you have a problem with the book, don't read it. Simple. No one can be forced to read the book, and similarly, no one can be forced to not read the book, if he or she wants to.

What has made me aghast is that this Booker Prize winner is not allowed to come to his own country. We have had such incidents in the past, when the late M.F.Hussain lived his latter part of life in exile, away from his motherland. And we missed the presence of a talented painter amongst us. Though Salman has been acquitted by the courts, he fears for his life, and rightly so. The supreme ex-leader of Republic of Iran, Ayatollah Khomeini, after the release of the book, had issued a fatwa that Rushdie should be killed for making a mockery of Islam, and the killer would be awarded handsomely too. Rushdie has still managed to stay alive, but a few authors who translated his book into other languages have been laid to rest. The fatwa can be taken back only by the person who issued it in the first place, and Khomeini has long been dead.

Differences of opinions are common. Getting hurt by somebody's comments is also not exceptional. Protests are fine. In fact, they are an integral part of our democracy. But threatening someone with his life is not acceptable and justifiable. No one would have the courage then to talk or write or paint what he or she feels like. We all will talk what others would not mind listening. And we call ourselves the world's largest democracy.

By not coming to India, Salman has inadvertently become the star of the festival. Even in absentia, he has been the most-talked person here. The government should have done something to assure him about his security. This has been a huge slap on the face for the administration. This is not a triumph of anyone. Pen is mightier than the sword; not in India. I don't support Salman Rushdie's book, nor am I a huge fan of his writing. But this incident has exposed our incompetent democratic nature.

So, will Rushdie forever stay under the knife of threat and not return to his place of birth? Or will the government step in and take sterner steps next time around so that such an abject incident does not happen in future? Only time will tell, but for now, this has become a matter of national shame and embarassment.

Friday 20 January 2012

Baichung Bhutia - Indian Football's Favorite Child


Football in India does not quite create a hysteria. It is still a sport that, though followed by many on television and played by children on streets, has not been able to pick up in India. Very few football fans in India follow the I-League, India's own version of professional soccer league; although this is a better situation than a few years back, when people did not even know that India had a national team too. In came Baichung Bhutia, in the mid 1990s, and altered the face of Indian football.

India has had a glorious history in football. The decade of 1950-1960 was, unarguably the best period in our soccer history. We played in the Olympics, predominantly barefooted, and put up a spirited performance. We even managed to qualify for the FIFA World Cup, though did not play due to certain reasons. We were considered the best team in Asia at that time. Later, the downhill started. Today, India is no where close to that Golden Era. But, in Baichung Bhutia, Indian football had got, what is the most important thing in any sport, a role model.

Baichung, which means 'Little Brother', hails from Sikkim, a small state in the north-eastern region of India. At 19, he scored in his very first match for India, becoming the youngest scorer for India at that time. From a sleepy hamlet in Sikkim, he rose to play for the biggest Indian clubs and also, a short stint in professional league in Europe, becoming the first Indian to do so. Not only was he an inspiration for the people of Northeast India, he managed to inspire quite a few people in this cricket-obsessed nation. 'The Sikkimese Sniper', as he was fondly called, became the face of Indian football, for the past 15 years. Yes, there were other talented players that came up in India during his time; Yes, there were some genuine strikers who too deserved a chance to play in foreign leagues. But Bhutia, had the determination and the character, to achieve something that was unheard in Indian football.

A few years back, when I saw some Indian in a talk show after the FIFA World Cup matches, I was, honestly, surprised. It was unexpected. Later on, I came to know that he is Baichung Bhutia, Indian football national team skipper. This spurred me to know more about him and more importantly, Indian football. And this is what he has done to many youngsters in this country - he has made them take notice of this sport, which is one of the biggest outdoor games abroad, but fails to make it big here.

Baichung Bhutia has played most number of matches for India, and has also captained India for a long time. He has also dabbled in dance and television, winning the reality show 'Jhalak Dikhlaa Jaa'. He has played for the big Indian clubs Mohun Bagan and East Bengal. He has also founded a club 'United Sikkim', in his native state. With Nike, he has planned to open a football academy in India, thus providing much-needed impetus to the game.

Bhutia, recently played his last match in national colors, when All India Footbal Federation (AIFF) organised a farewell match for him against German giants, FC Bayern Munich, which had top class footballers like Thomas Muller, Mario Gomez, Philip Lahm and Arjen Robben. The huge gap between the two teams notwithstanding, it was a gesture, befitting for a player of Bhutia's calibre. Though India surrendered 0-4 to the top German club, it was Bhutia who stole the show. The entire Jawaharlal Nehru stadium roared, when Bhutia had the ball. A nice swansong for Bhutia, if not the perfect one.

Maybe Bhutia's absence from the national team might not plummet the team to lower heights, but we will definitly miss the services of an athlete who raised the profile of the sport in the country, almost single-handedly. Who carries forward the legacy of Bhutia is still unknown - maybe Sunil Chettri or maybe Jeje Lalpekhlua. But, this Arjuna awardee, atleast deserves a round of applause, to have unfailingly been the torch bearer for a not-so-prominent sport in India, for the past 15 years.