It was a dark and stormy night. That’s a lie. It was a mild and unseasonably warm night and I was almost asleep, lulled away by Heidi Klum’s and Niki Taylor’s voiceovers on Bravo.
Then, something insane happened; I received a reality-bending email. But first, some unnecessary prattle back story.
From age 0-3.5, I had a much-adored stuffed bear, like most children my age. Unlike most children, my bear was named Babu, which totally proves that kids born here in the early to mid seventies might as well have been popped out “back home”. Anyway, Babu was wonderful as a confidante, hugging partner and drool-catcher…until we moved to San Francisco. Somewhere between Southern California and Northern, Babu disappeared, never to be seen again.
Last night, dazed and confused by exhaustion, I checked my email one final time…and did a sleepy double-take. There, in my inbox…Babu. The only justification I can offer for thinking what comes next is, um, Benadryl. “My Babu reached out to me from beyond!”, I gasped, and he did so via GMail no less:
Hi Anna,
It’s the biggest story happening in Indian Cricket and you are not covering it….that’s not right 🙂
Feed your cricket hunger with the story. I’m not sure if you are aware of the suspension of an Indian cricket player over racial abuse. This has created a cricket war between India and Australia. and YOU should write about it.
It has high drama, fight for honor, millions of dollars at stake and the big Indian ego Vs Australian. Australian media is supporting India as well 🙂
Link, link, link and link.
Well, I didn’t wanna vote in News tab and wait….hehe.. 😀
~Babu
Babu, after absorbing tears, snot and Lord knows what else, this is the least I can do.
All right people.
The cricket post I have received eleven requests for (not counting the above-pasted, impassioned plea from my bear) is up next.
India’s cricket team stayed in its hotel in protest Monday after one of its players was penalized for allegedly using a racial slur during a match against Australia.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India plans to challenge the “the unfair decision” by the International Cricket Council to suspend Harbhajan Singh for three matches because it said he made racist remarks to Australia’s only black player. The Indian board said it will “suspend its operation until the appeal is disposed of.” [IHT]
What the hell is going on, you might be asking. No? Well, I was asking…this is a lot of story for a blogger of little cricket brain. Apparently Indian cricket player Harbhajan Singh called Australian player Andrew Symonds a monkey. Symonds is black.
Admittedly, “monkey” would not qualify in the top hundred racist insults. Ian Botham used to revel in the nickname “Guy The Gorilla”. When all is said and done, we are all simian primates. But the word “monkey” had form, as everybody knew that Symonds had supposedly suffered such insults last year from Indian crowds. So case proven, the Indian spinner was guilty as charged. The Indian board should stop its posturing, accept what must be a galling reminder that it is the International Cricket Council that still runs the game, and get on with the tour.
Do not delude yourself, though, that in punishing Harbhajan cricket is punishing a sinner. It is punishing a victim. It is punishing a player who, it might be concluded, mentally disintegrated. Remember mental disintegration? It is Australia’s nauseatingly self-congratulatory phrase for sledging. And it worked. It worked so well that Harbhajan cracked and Australia have not stopped bleating about their shoddy little victory ever since. [Guardian]
Sledging is a cricket term for undermining players by talking a lot o’ tatti. Insult someone enough and they crack, not that I would know a damned thing about that.
Match referee Mike Proctor held a four-hour hearing at the Sydney Cricket Ground after Australia’s 122-run victory and ruled that the case against the India spinner was proved.
“I am satisfied beyond a reasonable doubt that Harbhajan Singh directed that word at Andrew Symonds and also that he meant it to offend on the basis of Symonds’ race or ethnic origin,” Proctor said. [IHT]
Beyond a reasonable doubt, eh?
“Unfair allegation of racism against our Indian player is wholly unacceptable,” said board president Sharad Pawar, who is also a senior government minister, in a statement. “The game of cricket is paramount but so too is the honor of India’s cricket team and every Indian.” [IHT]
Warning: cricket neophyte about to type.
The second test match of the tour = drama. Captain Kumble (that’s fun to say!) called the Aussies out on being dirty bastards while his team rolled their eyes the fifth time the umpires made a stupid and unfair decision.
The most blatant was an appeal that would have put Symonds out after just 30 runs in the first innings.
Symonds has freely admitted he should have been out. He went on to score 162 runs not out and was later named man of the match. [IHT]
We’re not alone in our hot tub of displeasure:
Several Australian newspapers agreed Monday that India should have won the second test, and criticized the behavior of Australian players during the test. [IHT]
I think what is pissing so many people off is the double-standard which is so evident in this unfortunate situation, the hypocrisy.
The problem is that Australia’s dividing line is not a reliable division between the morally upstanding and the indefensible. Australia’s dividing line is repugnant, enabling the condemnation of the likes of Harbhajan whilst legitimising obnoxious behaviour that cricket should have had the bravery to root out a generation ago.
Racism cannot be countenanced. But it is a rum old world that bans a man for three Tests for calling someone a monkey, yet allows the sort of boorish behaviour that allows first slip to drone to a batsman that he is shagging his wife, or that convinces any fast bowler with half a brain that personal insults every time a batsman plays and misses are essential for any cricketer of spirit. As long as you are careful not to refer to the colour of his skin.
It needs to be remembered that Harbhajan’s assault did not come without provocation. Before he was abused as a monkey, Symonds had been indulging in a phrase or two out of the corner of his mouth. Australia and Harbhajan have been at each other for years. But Australia have been obsessed with “reverse racism” ever since Darren Lehmann, their batsman, became the first international player to be banned for the racial abuse of Sri Lankan players five years ago. They have been intent upon revenge and now they have gained it. [Guardian]
What I found interesting is how Harbhajan Singh’s outburst might have been overlooked (vs. becoming the subject of 5,000 blog posts and news articles) had Aussie captain Ponting not whined about it to the umpires, thus drawing attention to it. That’s classy.
Well, Ponting may have won this pathetic, wee, jeer-worthy (no! sledging-worthy) battle but after everything I’ve read online, he has lost far more, most notably respect and credibility because of it. Well-played. Idiot (note: must be pronounced the way Naseeruddin Shah did in Monsoon Wedding, kthx bai).
mate, I think you meant to say ‘non-Anglo’ players. If my memory serves me right, only two players of non-Anglo Saxon heritage have played for Australia in last two decades 1) Di Venuto 2) Kasparowicz And one aboriginal – Jason Gillespie.
Australians of European heritage dont play cricket which is strange given that they so eagerly take to Australian Footy. For the last 3 years, Australians have complaining about the lack of competition. A decent competitior comes along and it is too hot to handle.
Lal bandar, pink monkey.
My grandparents (and even my parents) assumed all Black people were criminals (thank you Hollywood and the age old prejudice against dark skin in India). Growing up in India I knew that couldn’t be true but the comments seemed part of all the other derogatory comments we unfortunately make based on appearance (motu, kalu, taklu – you name it). It is like the childhood ditty (Eenie meenie miney moe) – I learnt a rather racist version of it. It was only after I moved here that the seriousness of those words and comments started to make sense to me. That being said, in this day and age, it is hard to imagine that people don’t appreciate the implication of using the word monkey in relation to a black person.
However, the issue here is the Aussies choosing to accept one players word over that of another without evidence to support the allegation. In my book that just isn’t cricket ;-
meanwhile Indian media discovers there is something called racism. So CNN-IBN invites experts to discuss, invitees include Manindar Singh (a former cricketer turned drug addict), Andrew Miller (cricinfo editor) and a certain Kancha Ilaiah, who lets this gem on racial basis in India:
[link]
98 · Rahul said
It’s only gay, if they’re originally from Massachusetts. Not that there’s anything wrong with that.
Poor winners as well. I am tired of bellicose browns on the web. I enjoy the banter on sports threads, sort of modern day version of BSing at neighbourhood tea stall. Lately rah-rah browns are taking all the fun out of it.
Whatchoo got aginst me, Willis?
Kram pls explain “Lal bandar” (i.e. pink monkey), how is this used ? Is it just for Euro yoga students who are not studious about learning asanas ?
Kancha Ilaiah is part of the non-Indian black/Indian dalit nexus that is working to undermine Hinduism in the name of caste and equal rights in India.
That statement above is totally assanine. If you read his/her other writings, they are filled with other similar assaninery.
It is not ok in polite company. But it is not a big deal. I have been called a ‘black curry muncher’ several times – does not bother me coz it is the truth. I am not white and I munch curry. Racism is a big deal for the Western world – tis not a big deal for India. If you look at the video, Symonds starts off the whole confrontation. There is another explanation going around – Bhajji meant to say ‘maine ki kya’ – meaning in Punjabi – how does it matter to me. Someone familiar with punjabi can explain. these words sound very similar to ‘monkey’. Kambli deserved abuse if only for a waste of talent.
That statement has shades of racism, since asses (the non human body part kind) are gray.
Hilarious. I’ve always been told its because it is Yama’s mount. But who knows, maybe the association with death is because of its black color
Aren’t Rama or Krishna supposed to be super dark skinned?
What to speak of Kali Ma, worshipped by millions of Indians….
Krishna (or krsna) in Sanskrit means black and he is always described as black. Not sure about Rama, I have seen him depicted “blue” as well as “Punjabi off white”.
Green like grass. Ramayana.
I thought you were haha brown.
Is it racist if Hanuman calls Krishna a monkey? (assuming they meet in a crossover Law and Order episode).
I believe that is the new healthy skin shade preferred in matrimonial columns – veat grass.
Classic.
I find this discussion to be a little bit displaced. The point is the Indian team always buckles under the ‘sledging’ (and if you want to play with the big boys, then you should bite your tongue and let your bat do the talking).
IF you want to be treated with respect, then you have to beat these guys–and not at 20/20 or Cricket Lite.
How do Australians treat minorities and the issue of racism? Mostly, as invisible. You will not find a non-white contestant on any of their televised game shows. At Sydney’s Central Railway station, a Chinese tourist was beaten so severely in an attack he was hospitalized in a coma state–half his head bashed in.
I’ve written before about a candelight vigil for a slain Punjabi taxi driver in Melbourne. Passing whites jeered and heckled (because if minorities are invisible, they should not be agitating for ‘rights’?).
In the western Sydney suburb of Paramatta, robberies of young Indian males became such a problem (cell phones, notebooks, etc.), that finally the INDIAN CONSULATE had to step in to get action from local authorities.
The video I posted earlier was not a “White supremacist video”. It was a glimpse into a mindset which creates mobs of 10,000+ people ‘protecting Australia’.
Oz is a wonderful country, beautiful environment, and bogun people 🙁
Ohh yeah, a particular fascination they have is the featuring of the ‘unclean’ cooking conditions at ‘ethnic restaurants’. This story alone keeps at least one or two of their tabloid journalism tv shows in production.
Melbourne Desi will rubber-stamp everything I have to say 🙂
BTW, MD, how is Leyton “Come On” Hewitt going to do at the Aussie Open?
precisely because Proctor is a South African he cant talk about racism. He was a supporter of the apartheid regime. he played his last test match in 1970. Now would you have pro-apartheid person judging a race comment. Sort of like having Trent Lott being the judge in a racial discrimination case.
melbourne desi: Are there any Australian team members with Aboriginal ancestry (significant enough where they don’t “pass”)? If so how are they received by local spectators ?
Do you have any basis to believe that he supported apartheid, apart from some sense of collective blame? Saying that he can’t talk about racism because he’s South African is as arbitrary as his claim that he can talk about racism because he is South African.
Has anyone seen a photo of the Australian player Andrew Symonds? I was mildly shocked at the fairness of his lips. This fairness cream should be a big seller in India.
I don’t know if this was mentioned earlier, The Hindustan Times is reporting: that the ICC has caved and Bucknor has been removed as umpire. Further, Bhajji will be allowed to play, if picked, pending the appeal.
JJ, it’s on cricinfo too, which is a reliable and generally prompt source of cricket news.
Thanks Rahul for the site. It does have better info.
The unfortunate twist to this story is that Bucknor gets sidelined without a trial (similiat to Harbhajan) – and I’m sure noone will cry for him. The Indians certainly won’t – and the ICC will pat itself on the back for pulling up a perfect scapegoat and conveniently ignoring the real issue – that it has no sense of justice, direction or leadership. While I’d be the first one to admit that some of those decisions by Bucknor were appalling, I don’t think he deserves this. I remember him being a very good umpire some years ago. If you want to go after an umpire, what about the third umpire (Aussie) who declared Symonds not out when he was clearly stumped? He had the benefit of numerous replays from various angles, Bucknor didn’t.
Krish** – Saar – Stamped.
There is even a separate channel – SBS for multicultural stuff. Non-whites are hardly ever seen on mainstream TV.
None at the moment. In fact there has been only one Aboriginal player in the last 20 years – Jason Gillespie. He is not on the contract list now. He was often mocked about ‘his caravan’. Cricket in Australia is an Anglo Saxon game – a narrower definition than White. I have not seen a single ‘non-white’ person play cricket even for a State side in Australia. It cant be due to lack of sporting ability. All races (including desis) are represented in AFL – a game where pretty much everything used to go- includign breaking your opponents ribs.
In other news, this fiasco now has a new name : Bollyline which is an obvious reference to Bodyline (the last time cricket world was hit by such a scandal)
I guess it’s ok for Indians to call black Australians monkeys since there are no Vietnamese guys on Australian Big Brother. Cristal Clear! “Somehow, he forgot to mention how racist the Aussie team is given the limited, if at all, aboriginal presence, and non-existent presence of any non native Aussie origin players
mate, I think you meant to say ‘non-Anglo’ players. If my memory serves me right, only two players of non-Anglo Saxon heritage have played for Australia in last two decades 1) Di Venuto 2) Kasparowicz And one aboriginal – Jason Gillespie.”
Cricket is a pretty tiny sport and the third or fourth choice of sport in most countries that are Indias rivals.
England – Soccer and Rugby Australia – Aussie Footy, Rugby and Basketball South Africa – Soccer and Rugby
No where just talking team sports. Add individual sports as well and Tennis, Swimming etc tops Cricket.
Did he travel on a South African passport. Did he vote in South AFrican elections. Did he fight against apartheid. Did he play in the ‘rebel tours’.
Answers to these questions will tell you whether he supported Apartheid or not.
hurrah, Sepia blogs about the cricket fracas!
this has truly degenerated into a disgraceful, tawdry affair, totally out of hand. If Singh called Symonds ‘monkey,’ and I think it is outrageously disingenuous of the Indian spokespeople to suggest the remark was innocent (if he did), then he should be banned, no questions asked. This hypocrisy beggars belief. Surely, if the situation had been reversed, we would be baying for Symonds’ blood by now. By the same token, Ponting should be called out for his tactics and antics, once and for all. But forgive me, I can’t see the point of abandoning the tour over it, and the response of both sides seems ridiculously immature and unprofesssional. What seems to be happening is the massive conflation of many different issues – the appalling umpiring, the sledging and unsportsman-like behaviour of the Australians generally, the inability of Australia (and Australians) take it though they dish it, and the general complex that us subcontinentals have about cricket. But it shouldn’t get in the way of a just outcome for the allegation, and it shouldn’t result in the cancellation of the tour.
Shodan (#19), I’m with you on this one.
Krish, your posts are hardly worth addressing, but I’ll thank you not to invoke the total irrelevance of Cronulla to this issue and the stupid, racist YouTube video made in reponse to Anti-whaling efforts by Australia. But then, you’re hardly likely to let logic get the better of you.
Rahul, you are a source of joy forever.
Karm – dont know where you got your stats from but they are skewed. Rugby and Footy are winter games while cricket is a summer game. Btw there are two codes of rugby – union and rules. which one are you talking about ? Cricket is the biggest in terms of endorsement coz of nationwide appeal – unlike AFL /NRL which is rather state centric. Basketball a major sport in australia – you must be joking
A good test of the popularity of the sport is to check the number of times Politicians show up. Cricket picks up the largest number of pollies.
For the record, can I just say that it is nice to finally see some criticism of Ponting (and Australia) coming out in the Aussie press? There are calls for his resignation, which is unprecedented in this country, oh-so-precious about their cricketers. Kev bringeth the rain, and he bringeth decency to all walks of Aussie life, wot?
I didn’t hear about the Latif incident, and given the history posted above, his judgement is suspect.
fly girl – why is it irrelevant. Cows can be killed but not whales …… India should go home – no point playing with crooks. Ricky Ponting and his monkeys can play amongst themselves or maybe invite the English over and give them a hiding all the while lamenting the lack of competition.
WRT to #137, I meant Mike Proctor. How did a former apartheid supporter get this gig?
Krish, I didn’t see you most recent post – but you’re doing the conflation thing.
melbourne desi, yeah, that’s right, SBS was created so that they could partition the minority TV faces (/sarcasm). however, you’re right, there are hardly any “ethnic” faces on television. Channel 9 has a well document history of sexism and racism.
I meant Rugby Union, but I’ve seen that Rugby League has a pretty popular domestic league, which by the way says more about the sport than the number of politicians showing up. If we are just talking about the national teams, most Australians would probably pick participation i the Soccer World Cup over winning the Cricket World Cup. I was in Melbourne 1997 when they played Iran, you would never get that kind of fanaticsm in a Cricket game outsid South Asia.
Hewitt was constantly carping about the surface at the Australian Open. I dont think he will do well – Bec has distracted him
melbourne desi, I dont see why it is necessary to bring out every racist incident of recent years into the judgment of a cricketing issue. The record between India and Symonds is relevant. But what has Cronulla got to do with this? By all means talk about what pathetic losers the Aussie team is…are..whatever, but the Japanese youtube video? And last time I checked, whales are an endangered species, and in any case the Japanese were planning to hunt in Australian waters.
I remember in the 90’s that alot of Aussies used to watch Bball, But maybe that was just a fad.
141, thank gawd.
No one has really answered my question, what is the nature of the insult “monkey” in India ? Putting aside its usage as a term of endearment for children, we have reports that whites are also called “lal bandar” or pink monkey. We also hear that Symonds, as opposed to other people with African heritage, seems to be the target. I reject Karm’s suggestion that the Indian fans who use this term are just provoked by some unknown factors into releasing the racism that they normally withhold for other people of African origin. If someone is racist enough to say it in public, their trigger won’t require anything but the presence of the target race. This isn’t a bar fight. I am not saying this is not racist, I just feel that something is missing from the analysis that leads to the racism conclusion. Tell me that the monkey slurs are an import from European racist fans and has just been picked up in India as of late due to an increase in TV consumption and I will be closer to accepting the “racism” angle. Note that I am a person who agrees wholeheartedly that in India racism towards Africans is openly expressed on the street at disturbing levels so I am not trying to save face by asking these questions
louiecypher, I think it is disingenous, or at least poorly presented argument. Given the history between Symonds and Indian fans, they could have addressed it better. Is “lal bandar” supposed to be inoffensive? I ask out of curiosity.
I agree with the ban if they are endangered. How about banning all beef export in retaliation for this whale or are the whales not so important. Further, the Japanese are hunting in open seas – not in Australian waters. Krish was referring to a pattern – Australians are seen as racist. I dont agree with that. I believe that Aussies are rude bullies and the only way to deal with a bully is to be a bigger bully.
louiecypher
I really don’t get your point. Saying something racist doesn’t mean you are advocating racial supremacy, it’s just an unacceptable form of banter. Maybe with Barak Obama we will grow out of that mindset, but until then race is off limits.
http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,23024902-5000117,00.html this is interesting
MD, last post on the topic since it is highly irrelevant, surely you know that not even whales are important int he face of a key export market, as human rights are as nothing in the face of the Mighty Chinese market. 😉 Oh, and part of the waters in the Southern Ocean/Antarctic are Australian, hence ~