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Legends never die, they just come and go!
Michael, you will be remembered as one of the greatest musician, composer, lyricist, dancer to have visited planet earth. You still had lot more to give us but may be God liked you and your work more than us and summoned you up!
We will surely “REMEMBER THE TIME WHEN WE FELL IN LOVE” and cherish it for the rest of our lives. MJ Rocks!
It has just been about 100 days since the white citizens of the world’s biggest super power chose a black man – namely Barack Obama – to head their country, who became the first non-white US Head of State to step into The White House. The world hailed American liberalism in bringing Obama into power and it was undoubtedly one of the biggest steps towards a world free of racial discrimination.
Racism generally stems from the belief that biological characteristics of one group or community are better than another. That’s basically the reason why the words black and white are associated with people. It’s a well-known disgraceful fact that the black-skinned community faces racial slur from some white-skinned bullies.
Obama’s election as the first African-American President was not without a price that was paid by the workers canvassing for him and that largely got unnoticed. They had been chased and faced derogatory remarks to the limit. In a nasty incident, on being requested to vote for Obama by a telecaller, the person on the other side remarked, “Hang that darky from a tree!”
Talking in the Asian context, it’s widely known that the Asian community is one of the most frequent victims of racial discrimination. Students studying in Europe, US and more recently in Australia have time and again reported cases of racial abuse and such episodes fail to cease. The attacks on Indians, especially in Australia, have set the alarm bells ringing to the extent that both governments have got intently involved, though just reassurances won’t bring normalcy to the situation. Figures released by official sources in the Australian police department show there were 1083 reported cases of robbery and assault against Indians in 2007-08 .
Not long ago, Sikh students in France were prohibited from wearing turbans in schools and universities that led to worldwide protests from various Indian organisations demanding the ban to be revoked.
The racial prejudice faced by Indians in particular is the one that needs urgent attention. It became evident once again a few days back when an Air France flight from Paris to Mumbai had to return after taking off due to a technical glitch. The Indian passengers on board complained of racial discrimination and being “ill-treated” by the airlines during their overnight stay at the Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris. While the airline denied such allegations, it later issued a statement apologising for the “ill-treatment meted out to the passengers.”
Even sports no longer carry a clean image when we talk about racism in sports. A recent incident created a stir in South Africa where the much-hyped cricket tournament Indian Premier League (IPL) took place. Ajay Jadeja – the former Indian cricketer – made a startling revelation on one of the news channels about the Kolkata Knight Riders team owned by the film actor Shahrukh Khan. Jadeja revealed about an incident of racial abuse involving an Indian player in the team and a foreign member of the coaching staff. The Indian player – after being called back from the field during a match – asked why he was called back. To this the coach replied, “You Indian, you do as you’re told.” The players in the team themselves informed him of the incident, Jadeja claimed.
The Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) has called for a united front by all football-playing nations against racist incidents in matches in various countries that tarnish the image of football. More recently, the famous football club Juventus was punished and had to play a match behind closed doors. The club suffered on part of a section of the crowd that was involved in racist chanting during a previous match. Later, the club apologised for the incident.
These incidents bring to light the burning issue of racism and the right to equality has again been shown its place which still lies just in the Constitution books, defeating the claim of globalisation by the bureaucrats around the world. When we talk about globalisation, it can’t be achieved just by resurrecting the current economic slowdown. Rather a constellation of efforts is required based on humanitarian grounds and eradication of racism has to be addressed earnestly. After all, globalisation not only means being economically healthy but also having a globally civilised society.
On a Wednesday evening when most of us were having usual dinner-table discussions, some filthy ambitions of a group of armed men were about to unfold. The horror we witnessed between November 26 and November 29, 2008, has left deep wounds, especially for those who were in the middle of Mumbai Attack and those who lost their loved ones. The wounds might heal but the scars left will be irrepairable.
Even we, who watched the terror unfold on television, shed tears. Imagine the condition of those right there and the their anxious families waiting for news of safety! Imagine those who fought so that we don’t have to! Imagine those who became martyrs so that we have a sound sleep, I salute them! Last but not the least, imagine those who have to identify the dead body of their mom, dad, brother, sister, son, daughter and what not.
It’s hard, very hard but its real! It has happened and might happen again if those in power don’t come out of their guise and do something resourceful. It won’t be easy as the time lost in dwelling and playing a blame game has let the perpetrators invade deeper territories. However, it’s not impossible given we come together as one, not only the politicians but the public too. It’s not the time to find who should do it; rather it’s time to say, “let’s do it.” Enough of snooze-button tactics! It’s time to wake up now!
The process starts now, at this very moment. A handful of ill-minds can’t defeat the world’s largest democracy. Get up and do something!
The Bigg Boss inmate count is shrinking – now down to six – and anxiety level of the survivors is increasing ad infinitum. It’s surprising why the female count dies earlier than the male count; however, some ladies have themselves to blame for their ouster, with Sambhavna being leader of the pack.
Anyway, rather than dwelling on those who are out, let’s concentrate on those who are in and try to predict the winner. All of us might have personal choices with their respective reasons but for once put your choices in the backpack and predict the winner on rational thinking considering present situation in the house. I have tried to do an autopsy of four characters and what can take them through to win the fat cheque. Check this out!
ZULFI SYED: Seems to have come in with Rahul Roy – the first Bigg Boss winner – as his idol. Striking similarities between how he is vying for the crown to what Rahul Roy did. Very seldom gets nominated. Way to go man!
RAHUL MAHAJAN: A real TRP man. He or Raja goes off and the Colors channel might become black and white. Became kind of a Casanova of late. Might lose on female votes for that but still going strong. Will be hard to beat!
RAJA CHAUDHARY: Another TRP generator, though for different reasons than Rahul Mahajan. A real prankster, hides his reasons very well. Known for his panic attacks and can go haywire with his language but still loved by the public, may be for his deceptive looks. Won’t give it up easily!
DIANA HAYDEN: Gorgeous looks with a sense of what to wear. Late entry might be her weakest point but has won hearts in the house, especially Ashutosh. Hard thought to digest though. Can lead the women brigade.
The honorable Speaker of the Lok Sabha – Somnath Chatterjee – questioned the circumstances surrounding Ganguly’s decision to retire after the current series. “I don’t see any cricketing reasons for Ganguly’s retirement,” he quoted.
You won’t find the politicians getting overly involved in cricket anywhere else other than India. There is lot else for them to concentrate on and I don’t think this remark came because he is a cricket enthusiast or a Ganguly fan. Interestingly, this remark came on heels of the news that Mr. Chatterjee has canceled his trip to London after being told that he will not be exempted from frisking. So its quite possible that his ego was hurt and he used this naive comment as an outlet for the steam building inside him. Quite kiddish!
Question: Do you think politicians should question a player’s decision or add fuel to the fire at a time when the player is on national duty?
JS on Cricket 
