Caption This

The Washington Redskins’ cheerleaders recently performed in Hyderabad Bangalore, during an Indian Premier League cricket match. A Washington Post reporter took the following photo:

redskins cheerleaders india.jpg

(Click on the photo to see the faces of the men a bit more clearly.)

There is also a detailed Washington Post article about the event here. Also, we wrote about the rival Twenty20 cricket league, the ICL, here; cheerleaders seemed to be a part of the mix there as well.

276 thoughts on “Caption This

  1. Oh my god! You used the F-word! It seems you prefer the single entendre yourself. Is the double entendre against your cultural values and tradition?

    LMAO!

    I have to add finally that the poster ‘Very Scary‘, on the other hand, does sound like PG. That’s all from me…

  2. Rob, cheering these sleazebags on lowers the quality of discussion in this place.

    They are so cute together, hai na? Arrey sunti ho, ab in dono ki shaadi kar dalo, nahin to ye sex-wex karne lagenge un Amreekion ki tarah.

  3. Samir

    @ jyotsana If you get your rosy ideas about the civility of non Indian judicial systems from Law & Order or CSI can’t help you there. In an adversarial system (used in India, USA, UK, AUS,NZ) the truth is not important, its the evidence that matters.

    No it depends upon what sort of non-evidentiary claims are allowed to pass. Trial is many parts evidence and a few parts theatre. Indian judges have delivered some bizarre judgements such as one where the convicted defendant was offered a reduced sentence if he married his victim! The big screen and small screen throw up all sorts of rosy as well as non-rosy scenarios, as in “A time to kill” where the expert witness testifying for the defence is thrown out of court for having raped a minor; disregarding the fact that he subsequently married her and continues to take care of her through a terminal illness.

  4. Not too long ago the Mathur rape case was there.

    Logic used in defense during trial: the girl had a boyfriend so she must’ve been used to it.

    Anyway, different things are problematic in different countries due to different cultures.

    Unless you live for long periods of time in a place, it’s difficult to understand alot of things.

  5. 204 · Floridian said

    They are so cute together, hai na? Arrey sunti ho, ab in dono ki shaadi kar dalo, nahin to ye sex-wex karne lagenge un Amreekion ki tarah.

    Best Post on this thread!

  6. 193 · Samir said

    The defence is not “she was asking for it”, with DNA technology you can prove beyond reasonable doubt that the victim and the accused had sex, what is left to be dealt with is, “was there consent”. This is where most defence lawyers focus on.

    Samir, DNA testing for criminal justice is in its infancy in India, and the parliament has only now drafted a DNA Profiling Act, which will could be approved this year. There are only a few government crime labs in India (the most notable one is in Hyderabad) and they have long processing times. I culled this excerpt from this article on law enforcement and DNA evidence:

    The Indian experience has been mixed. In a few sensational cases, the police, especially the Central Bureau of Investigation, have no doubt resorted to DNA evidence and have also succeeded. The problem is one of expanding laboratory facilities and training forensic personnel in the collection and forwarding of samples without damage to assigned laboratories. The Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB), Hyderabad, is the principal laboratory that has built a credible record for accuracy and professionalism. The Central Forensic Laboratory (CFL) in Delhi and a few State laboratories are fast catching up. But they have a long way to go. What is more important is the provision of a legal framework to build a national database and administer it in conformity with international standards.

    As far as I know, Indian judicial proceedings in rape cases rarely involve DNA profiling (if someone has information to the contrary please post here — I am genuinely curious about this). Some basic sleuthing on google led me to only one instance where DNA evidence was used in a rape case.

  7. Arrey sunti ho, ab in dono ki shaadi kar dalo, nahin to ye sex-wex karne lagenge un Amreekion ki tarah.

    What does this mean? (I tried googling it, but no luck)

  8. I was just listening to a conversation between 3 ladies here (jury duty, yep they got a cyber cafe here).

    One was saying how her daughter is an attorney and she relayed a case where the accused rapist got of by stating that he had a ring around his penis which gave all the women he was with alot of pleasure. They asked the victim, or the plaintiff, if she felt the ring during her attack and she said “no”. That got him off! And in America!

    The same women was saying that back in the day when her mother was in nurses training (probably 1940s, 50s or early 60s) that some of the doctors used to put their hands down their shirts (in those days the uniform showed some cleavage I guess) at random times to cop feels. She said her mom said there was nothing you could do. The fear was that if you complained you would lose your job.

    WTF?

    Then another woman (a cop) said she had to tolerate hearing all kinds of rude conversations in the beginning of her career as a policewoman from the other male cops. Their conversations were gross but later they chilled out.

    Well, if people are getting together and conversing amongst themselves I don’t know if that is a case for complaint (unless they are talking about you).

    But I know alot of cases do come forth regarding racial slurs in conversations so then why not gender slurs?

  9. Apparently, cheerleading accounts for half the head and spine injuries that girl athletes suffer!

    What accounts for the other half?

  10. Also, in India, when a woman dresses and dances around like that, alot of people do take it that she is available for sex with anyone who wants. That is not an uncommon view there. Nevermind that some of these women may be married, in committed relationships and have kids with someone else. The very fact that they are showing so much skin is “evidence” in the minds of many that they want sex from someone – anyone.

    Then, as with porn and movies where white women are having sex, Indian men assume all white women in India are looking for it at anytime random time with any Chintu or Munnu as well.

    Not all Indian men, but alot think like this. I have heard them talk like this many times.

    Baba I’m telling you — this has ramifications. I wish someone would have briefed these women on the social and gender issues of India before they made fools of themselves in the name of Amrikan Football or Indian Krikit.

    The sexual is political. The sexual is political. The sexual is political.

    Haven’t we learned anything from the 60s and 70s?

    Sisterhood is Powerful!

  11. 192 · too_much_filth said

    Rahul and portmanteau, please STFU and get a room already. I for one am sick and tired of all your sleazy double entendres.

    dear grinch who stole xxx-mas, i don’t know if you’re a disgruntled dilli police officer who harasses amorous couple at lodhi gardens or an over-zealous junior member of the bajrang dal cyber squad or an unemployed bollywood villain, but you just made my day. today in the long and illustrious list of thwarted lovers: romeo and juliet; tristan-isolde; petrarch and laura; heer-ranjha; laila-majnu; sohni-mahiwal; jack-ennis; salim-anarkali…we have another entry…rahul and port.

    besides, we would get a room, but mom and dad told us to wait until we were lawfully wedded. online sleaziness is how we expend all those pent-up, uh, feelings.

    [ps: if TMF’s opinion is widely shared among the sepia community — i’ll respectfully stop posting.] [pps: TMF, i’m surprised that on a messageboard that had more than a couple instances of misogynistic insults, your delicate sensibilities were hurt only by consensual conversation.]

  12. I was just listening to a conversation between 3 ladies here (jury duty, yep they got a cyber cafe here).

    that was a sad post. also hurtful for some personal reasons.

  13. rob, thank you for your warm gesture — i really appreciate it. praise be for the many kindnesses of strangers.

    204 · Floridian said

    They are so cute together, hai na? Arrey sunti ho, ab in dono ki shaadi kar dalo, nahin to ye sex-wex karne lagenge un Amreekion ki tarah.

    floridian uncle, his people will be calling my people if i have anything to do with it 😉 you’re nice.

  14. Chachaji in #155, Thanks for that compliment. As I have commented earlier (and others also), your comments are one of the finest written comments I have read. You have writing skills … you should write a book !!

  15. 209 · HMF said

    Arrey sunti ho, ab in dono ki shaadi kar dalo, nahin to ye sex-wex karne lagenge un Amreekion ki tarah.

    are you listening (a common idiomatic way of referring to your spouse, especially back in the day people did not refer to each other by name), get these two married; otherwise, they’ll start to fornicate (lit. translation; “do $ex) like those americans.

    the style in which the post was written will seem slightly old-fashioned [and hence, quite amusing] to those who are fluent hindi-speakers.

  16. I was just listening to a conversation between 3 ladies here (jury duty, yep they got a cyber cafe here).
    that was a sad post. also hurtful for some personal reasons.

    Khoofia, I was also depressed hearing these women talk.

  17. Arrey sunti ho, ab in dono ki shaadi kar dalo, nahin to ye sex-wex karne lagenge un Amreekion ki tarah.
    are you listening (a common idiomatic way of referring to your spouse, especially back in the day people did not refer to each other by name), get these two married; otherwise, they’ll start to fornicate (lit. translation; “do $ex) like those americans.

    It was the wife who did not take her husbands name. Still this is a common practice. Heard that it was thought that if a wife was so “disrespectful” as to take the name of her pati-parameshwar, that his life would be shortened each time she did it.

    Brainwashing. And not in Texas.

  18. Port, regarding your post #217, what exactly in your opinion made Floridian’s Hindi seem old fashioned? I ask out of curiosity, because most of the sentence seemed pretty much like the Hindi you or I or anybody would speak. I should like to point out that I am non native Hindi speaker though, so I might be mistaken. 🙂

  19. Ah, I see the ‘arrey sunti ho’ bit might be construed as old fashioned…Or would it be the ‘sex-wex’ bit? 🙂

  20. nahin to ye sex-wex karne

    Is that like “shopping-whopping” you always hear the aunties say en route to this or that _____(fill in the blank) – nagar?

    Shexy. Even.

  21. 217 · portmanteau

    the style in which the post was written will seem slightly old-fashioned [and hence, quite amusing] to those who are fluent hindi-speakers.

    I am 56. What did you expect?

  22. Yeah Mr.Wise, sounds like regular Hindi to me too. Especially U.P. style.

    sex-wex shopping-whopping school phool roti foti

    they do that all the time.

    This also reminds me of Hooters trying to make it’s way into India a few years ago. I think the plan was cancelled wasn’t it? Probably could not find enough Indian women willing to be waitresses in such a scenario. But the Russians would’ve done it. Any update on that? I googled but can’t find any new news.

    The waitresses in the ISKCON Delhi temple are Russians.

    One Indian friend of mine asked why they have women waitresses in a “religious” restaurant.

  23. 191 · HMF said

    That’s a rip from Tommorow Never Dies. Is it de-mencia ?

    HMF, ‘cunning linguist’ is not a xeroxed pun as much as it is a common honorific for loved loving ones [:)] whose copyright protection has long worn-off.

  24. 223 · Floridian said

    I am 56. What did you expect?

    Floridian, that was not intended as a dig at your age, but an honest (and evidently, failed) attempt to explain why that comment would be so hilarious to those who understand hindi.

  25. 219 · Very Scary said

    It was the wife who did not take her husbands name.

    Yes, that restriction was more applicable to wives. But it was also quite common to address the wife not by her name, but as “arrey bhaag(ya)van,” “babloo ki maa,” or “arrey sunti ho.” Several traditional families also did not call the ‘bahu’ (daughter-in-law) by her name as well — instead using place of origin as the identifier to convey respect. Hence, we have ‘kalkatte-waali’ or ‘dilli-waali’ — ‘the lady from calcutta,’ or the ‘the lady from delhi.’ upper-class muslims also used ‘begum‘ as a respectful appellation for wife.

  26. 226 · portmanteau 223 · Floridian said I am 56. What did you expect?
    226 · portmanteau Floridian, that was not intended as a dig at your age, but an honest (and evidently, failed) attempt to explain why that comment would be so hilarious to those who understand hindi.

    Achha beti, tujhe maaf kiya. Lekin tu Rahul se bach kar rahna. Wo ladka mujhe to bilkul pasand nahin.

  27. 227 · portmanteau said

    But it was also quite common to address the wife not by her name

    I remember reading an article on this, not sure if it is by shobha de. According to the author, this practice tends to curb the very identity of wife as a person, and she is referred always as “bunty’s mom” etc

  28. Chachaji@155: Thanks! I may be the punster, but you’re the pundit!

    Port:

    But it was also quite common to address the wife not by her name

    There used to be an older practice among some families where the son’s family used to decide that they liked a certain prospective girl as their son’s bride, but her (first) name was not suitable, for reasons ranging from numerology to a blatant “I have the ability to change my daughter-in-law’s name” power play. Since the custom was for the bride’s last name (or initial) to change anyway, her entire name would change. I personally have an older cousin who went through that – her “official” name on the birth certificate and in school was A, but within the family and extended family, she was called B (which was not a derivative of A), and her husband’s family called her C. It was almost like a recipe for creating an identity crisis.

  29. Who came up with the new marketing idea (I bet it was the Americans!)? I don’t think cricket will ever go out of fashion with the new tactic! 😛

  30. another aption – Nach Mayuri tumhe paisa milega. Wasn’t that some bollywood song ?

  31. 230 · pingpong said

    but her (first) name was not suitable, for reasons ranging from numerology to a blatant “I have the ability to change my daughter-in-law’s name” power play.

    this change of name was ubiquitous in sindhi families, and is not uncommon now either. during the marriage ceremony, after the kanyadaan, the woman is said to have been reborn to new parents (ie the parents-in-law). as in the hindu naming ceremony for newborns, the pandits pick out an auspicious letter and ask the father-in-law to softly whisper a new name in the bride’s ear. it did not happen in my father’s family in my mum’s generation, although the older ones among his sisters and many of the women in my extended family go by one name in their husband’s family, and their birth names in their parents’ family. i thought this was an incredibly annoying practice, but it doesn’t seem to bother the women who underwent the name change (and the vast majority of them did not have the option to approve the name, although a few did).

  32. this reminds me of my semester abroad in jaipur, i was the only desi in the group and the rest of the American girls seemed an irresistible lure to the local men. i remember going with three of the girls to a dhandiya for navratri on this big, cleared off field with two dancing areas penned off. we turn around mid-thwack and the entire half-circle closest to us was filled with men with their cell phone cameras pointed straight at us. looks kinda similar…

  33. 110 · Preeti said

    Rahul S and Topcat, Leave me alone. I shan’t be posting on Sepia any more. It appears to have become a forum where men like you with no desire to understand another point of view get to substitute debate with slander. I don’t wish to be harassed online — I get enough of it in real life.

    I dont think you are upset about the cheer girls but the cheer girls being white. You have elaborated that in your post #68. I would have supported you if you spoke against obscenity in general. But you categorically turned this thread into socalled “oppressed Indian women”-“empowered white woman” arguement. We all have problems but we should learn to laugh once in a while.

  34. Bridget Jones another aption – Nach Mayuri tumhe paisa milega. Wasn’t that some bollywood song ?

    Actually its “Nach meri bulbul, tujhe paisa milega” from the Rajesh Khanna classic Roti.

  35. HMF, ‘cunning linguist’ is not a xeroxed pun as much as it is a common honorific for loved loving ones [:)] whose copyright protection has long worn-off.

    Alright, it’s not a mystery where your loyalties will lay, nor would I ever make an effort to change them. But somehow I don’t think the esteemed readers knew the multiple usages.

    Many thanks for Hindi decryption.

  36. 237 · HMF said

    ut somehow I don’t think the esteemed readers knew the multiple usages.

    no shit, sherlock! the game is afoot!

    i knew you probably got hit on the head with a big rock, which explains your addled brain function, but i didn’t realize all the time you were living under it too. remember, google is your friend.

  37. no shit, sherlock! the game is afoot!

    so the writers of Tommorrow Never Dies and/or Mrs. Doubtfire were your campaign strategizers?

  38. 228 · Floridian said

    Achha beti, tujhe maaf kiya. Lekin tu Rahul se bach kar rahna. Wo ladka mujhe to bilkul pasand nahin.

    Ram Ram Floridian kaka! Maine aapko kya samjha, aur aap kya nikle? Main gareeb hoon naa, isliye aap yeh baatein kar rahe hain. Haan, aaj aapke paas paisa hai, bangla hai, gaadi hai, mere paas toh sirf mera pyaar, our mera sleaziness hai. magar ek din mein bhi bahut bada business typhoon banoonga, aur sara shahar floridian constructions nahin, rahul ka naam pukaarega.

    … crashing tablas … and.. scene!

  39. Arrey beta, ub tera dard mujhse dekha nahin jata. Jab se tu ghar chor kar gaya hai, teri kaaki ne ek kaur khana nahin khaya. Saare din teri tasveer or teri Eliot wali kitaab ko dekhti rahnti hain. Ub ghar laut aah. Main khud hi ladki wallon ke paas jaoonga teri shaadi ki baat pakki karne. Thik hai, agar tu ne BA me char bar fail kiya hai to kya? Tu ek din jaroor bada aadmi banega.

  40. Spectators: ” Vee gut zpirit, yes vee dooo, vee gut zpirit, how butt you ??? ” cheerleaders: “Like, Oh my gawd,Once you go brown, you can’t turn around.”

  41. 241 · Floridian said

    Arrey beta, ub tera dard mujhse dekha nahin jata. Jab se tu ghar chor kar gaya hai, teri kaaki ne ek kaur khana nahin khaya. Saare din teri tasveer or teri Eliot wali kitaab ko dekhti rahnti hain. Ub ghar laut aah. Main khud hi ladki wallon ke paas jaoonga teri shaadi ki baat pakki karne. Thik hai, agar tu ne BA me char bar fail kiya hai to kya? Tu ek din jaroor bada aadmi banega.

    Floridian kaka, aapne theek bola. Aur sahi vakt par bhi. Kyun ki portmanteau mere bachche ki maa banne vaali hai.

    (Alright that’s the last of it from me, in order to avoid being unfriendly to all the mutineers who don’t understand Hindi.)

  42. Thik hai, agar tu ne BA me char bar fail kiya hai to kya?

    Does this line have anything to do with BA Barracus?

  43. For those who don’t speak Hindi, a translation:

    Floridian: Achha beti, tujhe maaf kiya. Lekin tu Rahul se bach kar rahna. Wo ladka mujhe to bilkul pasand nahin. Rahul: Ram Ram Floridian kaka! Maine aapko kya samjha, aur aap kya nikle? Main gareeb hoon naa, isliye aap yeh baatein kar rahe hain. Haan, aaj aapke paas paisa hai, bangla hai, gaadi hai, mere paas toh sirf mera pyaar, our mera sleaziness hai. magar ek din mein bhi bahut bada business typhoon banoonga, aur sara shahar floridian constructions nahin, rahul ka naam pukaarega. … crashing tablas … and.. scene! Floridian: Arrey beta, ub tera dard mujhse dekha nahin jata. Jab se tu ghar chor kar gaya hai, teri kaaki ne ek kaur khana nahin khaya. Saare din teri tasveer or teri Eliot wali kitaab ko dekhti rahnti hain. Ub ghar laut aah. Main khud hi ladki wallon ke paas jaoonga teri shaadi ki baat pakki karne. Thik hai, agar tu ne BA me char bar fail kiya hai to kya? Tu ek din jaroor bada aadmi banega. Rahul: Floridian kaka, aapne theek bola. Aur sahi vakt par bhi. Kyun ki portmanteau mere bachche ki maa banne vaali hai.

    F: Beti, I forgive you. But stay away from the Rahul. I really dislike that boy. R: Ram, Ram Floridian kaka (uncle)! You’ve turned out to be very different from what I thought you were initially. I’m a poor man, that’s why you’re saying these things about me. It’s true that today you have a big bungalow, a car. But I’ve only got this love and my sleaziness. But one day, you’ll see, I’ll be a big business typhoon [sic], — the whole world won’t be speaking of Floridian Constructions, but calling Rahul’s name. [crashing tablas] F: Oh beta, I can’t see you so tormented anymore. Since you’ve left the house your kaaki hasn’t eaten a morsel. All day she looks at your picture or stares at your Eliot book. Come back home! I will personally go to the girl’s family, to set the date for your wedding. So what if you failed your BA four times? I’m sure that you will become a great man someday. R: Floridian Kaka, you’re right. In fact, you’re also right on time. Because portmanteau is actually bearing my child.

    nice, big house in India. Also this line is a riff on a very famous scene from the movie that is said to have sealed Amitabh Bachchan’s fate as Bollywood God, Deewar. ** big theme in 1970s movies, where the rich (bad) guy used to be a builder, and the hero would either be setting up a rival real estate business, or wanting rich guy’s daughter’s hand in marriage or both. See Trishul. ** Hindi movie cliché. This line is a source of endless amusement to folks in the desh.

    This whole dialog would be funny to Hindi speakers because it imitates Bollywood melodrama, and the style is quite overwrought. I hate being not in on the joke myself, so it’s my attempt at including those who care. And it’s a classic example of humor in the desh, a lot of which exploits Bollywood cliche.

  44. I’m reposting because of formating glitches. SM intern, could you delete the last comment.

    For those who don’t speak Hindi, a translation:

    Floridian: Achha beti, tujhe maaf kiya. Lekin tu Rahul se bach kar rahna. Wo ladka mujhe to bilkul pasand nahin. Rahul: Ram Ram Floridian kaka! Maine aapko kya samjha, aur aap kya nikle? Main gareeb hoon naa, isliye aap yeh baatein kar rahe hain. Haan, aaj aapke paas paisa hai, bangla hai, gaadi hai, mere paas toh sirf mera pyaar, our mera sleaziness hai. magar ek din mein bhi bahut bada business typhoon banoonga, aur sara shahar floridian constructions nahin, rahul ka naam pukaarega. … crashing tablas … and.. scene! Floridian: Arrey beta, ub tera dard mujhse dekha nahin jata. Jab se tu ghar chor kar gaya hai, teri kaaki ne ek kaur khana nahin khaya. Saare din teri tasveer or teri Eliot wali kitaab ko dekhti rahnti hain. Ub ghar laut aah. Main khud hi ladki wallon ke paas jaoonga teri shaadi ki baat pakki karne. Thik hai, agar tu ne BA me char bar fail kiya hai to kya? Tu ek din jaroor bada aadmi banega. Rahul: Floridian kaka, aapne theek bola. Aur sahi vakt par bhi. Kyun ki portmanteau mere bachche ki maa banne vaali hai.

    F: Beti, I forgive you. But stay away from the Rahul. I really dislike that boy. R: Ram, Ram Floridian kaka (uncle)! You’ve turned out to be very different from what I thought you were initially. I’m a poor man, that’s why you’re saying these things about me. It’s true that today you have a big bungalow, a car. But I’ve only got this love and my sleaziness. But one day, you’ll see, I’ll be a big business typhoon [sic], — the whole world won’t be speaking of Floridian Constructions, but calling Rahul’s name. [crashing tablas] F: Oh beta, I can’t see you so tormented anymore. Since you’ve left the house your kaaki hasn’t eaten a morsel. All day she looks at your picture or stares at your Eliot book. Come back home! I will personally go to the girl’s family, to set the date for your wedding. So what if you failed your BA four times? I’m sure that you will become a great man someday. R: Floridian Kaka, you’re right. In fact, you’re also right on time. Because portmanteau is actually bearing my child.

    nice, big house in India. Also this line is a riff on a very famous scene from the movie that is said to have sealed Amitabh Bachchan’s fate as Bollywood God, Deewar. ** big theme in 1970s movies, where the rich (bad) guy used to be a builder, and the hero would either be setting up a rival real estate business, or wanting rich guy’s daughter’s hand in marriage or both. See Trishul. ** Hindi movie cliche. This line is a source of endless amusement to folks in the desh.

    This whole dialog would be funny to Hindi speakers because it imitates Bollywood melodrama, and the style is quite overwrought. I hate being not in on the joke myself, so it’s my attempt at including those who care. And it’s a classic example of humor in the desh, a lot of which exploits Bollywood cliche.

  45. Rahul:

    Floridian kaka, aapne theek bola. Aur sahi vakt par bhi. Kyun ki portmanteau mere bachche ki maa banne vaali hai.

    Don’t worry Rahul, I’m pro-choice. Or would you rather my papa didn’t preach?