The events in world cricket this past week have been bizarre to say the least. The game has been known to be a gentleman's game, with rules being followed scrupulously, the game generally played in good spirit and intense rivalry between nations on the field is matched with almost equal camaraderie and bonhomie off the pitch, which is always gratifying. No wonder, during the Cold War, an Australian MP said: "it is a pity US and USSR dont play cricket- if they did, there would be no need for summit talks." From those lofty standards of ethics, neutrality and friendship, the game has sunk into depths of despair, intrigue and acrimony thanks to obstinacy of one single man- Darrell Hair.
This umpire, of Australian origin, currently living in England, has been time and again accused of bad decisions, and worse, bas decisions based on race- typically tends to rule against the teams from the Indian sub-continent. This has gone on for at least ten decades with the game's governing body not willing to listen to any of the complaints. Matters came to a head when, last Sunday, in an England- Pakistan game where Pakistan clearly had the upper hand for the first time in the series, ruled that the Pakistani bowlered had illegally tampered with the ball and awarded penalty runs to England. Mind you, this was the fourth test, Pakistan had comprehensively been outplayed in the first three, and the ball apparently has not been tampered. This time, in the second innings that too, with Pakistan closing in on victory, Darrell Hair played his 'racist' card under the cloak of neutral umpiring. The pakistani team walked off in utter disgust, the crowd was perplexed, Pakistan eventually returned but Darrell Hair refused to umpire and then, in a bizarre twist, awarded the game to England- the first time in the history of 129 years of international cricket that such an event has ever happened.
Even as the game's governing body, ICC, sought to punish Pakistan for walking off the field, a letter was leaked to the press that revealed that given his incredibly bad record in the past and his credibility under serious doubt, Hair was willing to step off the umpiring panel as long as the ICC paid him half a million dollars to compensate for his potential earnings in the future. The umpire is not just racist, it turns out he is also a mercenary. How a man of such questionable integrity can ever umpire a gentleman's game beats me.
What the ICC needs to do is quickly address the issue- remove Hair from the international umpiring panel, fine Pakistan a small sum for leaving the field and ensure that the future umpires are chosen with integrity and care. This absolutely disgusting incident soils the reputation of one of the finest, and fairest games in the world. People like Hair are a blot on the game and the sooner they are removed from the cricketing, the better it will be for all of us- cricket followers around the world deserve integrity and transparency around officiating, not to be at the mercy of a racist, prejudiced mercenary, who is clearly a relic of the colonial past.
God save the game- and quick!
Saturday, August 26, 2006
Sunday, August 20, 2006
The Boston Brahmin
As I mentioned in my last post, the birth of our son has turned our life topsy-topsy, in a good way and just the other day, it occured to me that he would be a brahmin who was born in Boston, so would it qualify him to called a Boston brahmin? That made me think about where exactly did the term originate.
Apparently, the term was coined by physician and writer Dr. Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr. (father of the famous Supreme Court justice). Dr. Holmes used it both in a novel and in an 1860 Atlantic Monthly article called "The Brahmin Caste of New England" to describe the region's upper crust. The words caste and Brahmin indicate where Holmes got the idea. Of course, the origin of the term comes from India where Brahmins made up the highest caste that prided itself in priestly duties and high educational standards. By applying the term to his native Boston, Holmes was describing a more secular but equally powerful group—the city's entrenched WASP elite, or what he called its "harmless, inoffensive, untitled aristocracy."
Holmes counted himself a Boston Brahmin. In large part, he used the term to refer to families who produced generation after generation of scholars at institutions like Harvard. (He contrasted this "race of scholars," whose aptitude for learning was "congenital and hereditary," with what he called "the common country boy, whose race has been bred to bodily labor." However, Holmes also thought there was room in elite circles for hearty country boys who had gained an education—their better health could be useful in certain cases: "A man's breathing and digestive apparatus [one is tempted to add muscular] are just as important to him on the floor of the Senate as his thinking organs.")
The term Boston Brahmin quickly came to connote great wealth, political influence, old New England roots, and often all of the above. These Brahmins frequently intermarried, founded and patronized Boston cultural institutions, and had some connection with nearby Harvard. Dr. Holmes himself was dean of the Harvard Medical School.
"A Boston Toast," the famous poem by John Collins Bossidy, neatly sums up the Brahmin culture:
And this is good old Boston,
The home of the bean and the cod,
Where the Lowells talk only to Cabots
And the Cabots talk only to God.
Personally, I was born a Brahmin, married a non-brahmin, have seldom indulged in traditional priestly class activities, but have prided myself in a strong work ethic, strong commitment to values, excellence in academics and that is what I would interpret the secular notion of the term brahmin to mean. The traditional brahmin has a certain social exclusivity that is neither desired nor wanted in the modern inclusive world.
Being in Boston has indeed made me revisit the notion of being a brahmin and I am sure the views will continue to evolve over time. The birth of our son has indeed made me think a little differently!!
Apparently, the term was coined by physician and writer Dr. Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr. (father of the famous Supreme Court justice). Dr. Holmes used it both in a novel and in an 1860 Atlantic Monthly article called "The Brahmin Caste of New England" to describe the region's upper crust. The words caste and Brahmin indicate where Holmes got the idea. Of course, the origin of the term comes from India where Brahmins made up the highest caste that prided itself in priestly duties and high educational standards. By applying the term to his native Boston, Holmes was describing a more secular but equally powerful group—the city's entrenched WASP elite, or what he called its "harmless, inoffensive, untitled aristocracy."
Holmes counted himself a Boston Brahmin. In large part, he used the term to refer to families who produced generation after generation of scholars at institutions like Harvard. (He contrasted this "race of scholars," whose aptitude for learning was "congenital and hereditary," with what he called "the common country boy, whose race has been bred to bodily labor." However, Holmes also thought there was room in elite circles for hearty country boys who had gained an education—their better health could be useful in certain cases: "A man's breathing and digestive apparatus [one is tempted to add muscular] are just as important to him on the floor of the Senate as his thinking organs.")
The term Boston Brahmin quickly came to connote great wealth, political influence, old New England roots, and often all of the above. These Brahmins frequently intermarried, founded and patronized Boston cultural institutions, and had some connection with nearby Harvard. Dr. Holmes himself was dean of the Harvard Medical School.
"A Boston Toast," the famous poem by John Collins Bossidy, neatly sums up the Brahmin culture:
And this is good old Boston,
The home of the bean and the cod,
Where the Lowells talk only to Cabots
And the Cabots talk only to God.
Personally, I was born a Brahmin, married a non-brahmin, have seldom indulged in traditional priestly class activities, but have prided myself in a strong work ethic, strong commitment to values, excellence in academics and that is what I would interpret the secular notion of the term brahmin to mean. The traditional brahmin has a certain social exclusivity that is neither desired nor wanted in the modern inclusive world.
Being in Boston has indeed made me revisit the notion of being a brahmin and I am sure the views will continue to evolve over time. The birth of our son has indeed made me think a little differently!!
Sunday, August 06, 2006
A new life-Sanjay Misra
Some weekends are to be cherished. The weekend of July 28 was one such for me and Rica.
We became parents!!!!!
Sanjay, our son, was born on Friday evening at 7:38pm in Boston. The nine months of pregnancy, the 12 hours of labor- all seemed worth it in a single instant as we looked at our son. The realization that we brought a new life into the world was overwhelming. It has been a week since, and we haven't slept much, but we are already beginning to see why people consider becoming parents as one of the most defining moments of their lives. Nothing, absolutely nothing is the same- how we plan our day, where we go, what we shop, even the way we drive- has changed! I have visited babycenter.com much more than either cnn or google. I have read two father-to-be books. Am half way through "What to Expect in the First Year". Our most exciting outing was not the first show of the latest movie in town but the first visit to the pediatrician!
There is a heightened sensitivity to simple pleasures- of seeing him just look at us and what we think is either a yawn or a smile gives us reason to smile. Rica has never felt so tired, yet so incredibly joyful. I cook new dishes to feed the mom, who in turn feeds the baby. Am loving this tripartite partnership.
I realize that though we've been anxiously awaiting his arrival, nothing could have prepared us for the event. It just feels different and we are reacting differently. We feel tired, we feel unsure, we feel ecstatic but above all, we feel blessed. Its the one time I can say that sleep deprivation is worth it!
Hopefully, it will be a great ride!!
We became parents!!!!!
Sanjay, our son, was born on Friday evening at 7:38pm in Boston. The nine months of pregnancy, the 12 hours of labor- all seemed worth it in a single instant as we looked at our son. The realization that we brought a new life into the world was overwhelming. It has been a week since, and we haven't slept much, but we are already beginning to see why people consider becoming parents as one of the most defining moments of their lives. Nothing, absolutely nothing is the same- how we plan our day, where we go, what we shop, even the way we drive- has changed! I have visited babycenter.com much more than either cnn or google. I have read two father-to-be books. Am half way through "What to Expect in the First Year". Our most exciting outing was not the first show of the latest movie in town but the first visit to the pediatrician!
There is a heightened sensitivity to simple pleasures- of seeing him just look at us and what we think is either a yawn or a smile gives us reason to smile. Rica has never felt so tired, yet so incredibly joyful. I cook new dishes to feed the mom, who in turn feeds the baby. Am loving this tripartite partnership.
I realize that though we've been anxiously awaiting his arrival, nothing could have prepared us for the event. It just feels different and we are reacting differently. We feel tired, we feel unsure, we feel ecstatic but above all, we feel blessed. Its the one time I can say that sleep deprivation is worth it!
Hopefully, it will be a great ride!!
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)