Wednesday, March 5, 2008

Monkey Business!


India Victorious! The much hyped or lets say controversial series of cricket has just got its much awaited due, this time for a change it’s the Indian team who drank the champagne. This series was at the headlines of all news channels and papers for more than two months now for all good and wrong reason which happened on both off the field and on the field.

It all started when Indian team got more than half a dozen wrong decisions from the umpire Steve Bucknor and co in the Sydney test The so called team of underdogs – the Indians – took it as a challenge and looked as if they were just waiting to be irked by the madness of Aussies. They might have just saved the test series, but they couldn’t survive the onslaught of the revived and youthful Indian team when it mattered in the one day series. This was just a bit more than what can be chewed for the mighty Aussie ego!

What makes this victory even sweeter than chocolate fudge is that the less experienced team could brush aside all the controversies lurking around them – big enough to bring down their morale and self-esteem to the lowest barriers. It was rather interesting to see both Aussie media and the senior most players in their team trying to target certain players in Indian team – who they thought would post the biggest threat to their throne. The last such incident being Hayden calling Harbhajan as a “weed”. Where it all did start? Is it the Indians only to be blamed for this entire hullabaloo? If we just try to recollect a bit, it was the Aussie bowler Glen Macgrath who asked the West Indies player Chanderpol how did the dick of Lara tastes! He got the answer he deserved as he returned the favor saying “You better go ask your wife about it” Some one please tell me, does this meet the criterion of being an international athlete by any standards?

Aussies team by no means was considered the best behaved or well mannered both on and off the field. This became more visible and evident ever since Ponting took the charge as the captain of the team. He has just managed to bring the team to a level where they would do just about anything to win a match and now its their newspapers who crib that its just a game not a war. What a shame!. The sight of Symonds trying to get a hurt batsman out while the later was literally gasping for air lying on the floor wouldn’t leave a good impression for any cricket enthusiast – unless it’s an Aussie

Australia has mastered the trick of sledging and eventually pulling the other players into controversies and on the eyes of the mighty ICC. Most of the times the initiator gets away and the one answers had to drink the sore wine. It is same with the case of Harbhajan calling Symonds a “Monkey”. If the powerful BCC of India hadn’t intervened, the poor soul would’ve come under the hammer of ICC. My view on this is that if the Aussies are complaining of being ill treated – whether its players or the spectators – it’s because they started this trend. If a non-Aussie player is retaliating, 99% of the times it would’ve been initiated by an Aussie player.

What it does is to spoil the spirit of this game which is more like a religion to an average Indian and the sponsors makes the profit out of all these clamor because of publicity it brings. It will all just become a silly monkey business!

Monday, March 3, 2008

Eve did it!


When eve lured Adam to eat the forbidden fruit in Eden garden, little did she know that she was committing a big mistake which would change the fate of the entire female gender! Accused of tempting the “poor Adam” to eat the remaining of the fruit, she was at the receiving of God’s fury. Bible says “Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee.”

My intention is not to debate over whether it was from then that woman started suffering from men. But seems like the Christian religion still would love to believe that story. In one of my previous blog I had explained my feeling towards the sexual discrimination in Muslim society and being unbiased, I believe that I shall highlight similar story in my religion as well.

First question, when was the last time a nun was considered as a Pop? The very word Pop itself is genderized that one can’t even imagine a lady Pop! Forget Pop, how bout a lady bishop or lets say a lady priest? None to my knowledge, if there is one, let me know, I will be happy to believe that! So from Eden till now, the power resides in the hand of men, not woman in Christian religion

I hail from a village where 95% of the people are Christian and till date it remains the same way as well. So during my primary education in my native, many nuns had taught me and till sometime I was under the assumption that nuns are made to be teach us onlyJ Occasional visits to hospital also meant that I also recognized nursing as one of their expertise. As I grew up I realized they run many institutes for poor and suffering as well.

How many priest have u seen attending to the poor and sick till date? Very few, infact u can count them in your fingers. It’s such a rare sight that if any priests have done that would’ve become a saint! So my point is, male priests enjoy the very basic human rights such as freedom to choose, freedom to speak etc… where in the lives of these sisters are often spent in hospital wards, drab convent rooms or within the gates of a school. I won’t argue it’s the same everywhere, but it’s the story in Kerala atleast.

They are not supposed to spend a night outside their convent, they are not supposed to keep cash with them and they are not even allowed to attend celebrations such as marriage. They are supposed to cover their hair with scarf and their entire attire though would look holy, must be really uncomfortable. But for heaven sake, Why? We often talk about Father and his Son – where is the mother?

Why they are not allowed to administer a holy mass? If priests have committed their life, so does them! Proclaim me guilty of blasphemy, but tell me – If it was the disobedience of Eve which expelled us from Eden, isn’t it because of Mother Mary’s acceptance which gave us Jesus? Or will u still point your finger and shout – Eve did it!!