By: Gowhar Geelani
In the words of American athlete, Jesse Owens: “It was the summer of 1936. The Olympic Games were being held in Berlin. Adolf Hitler childishly insisted that his performers were members of a “master race,” nationalistic feelings were at an all-time high.” …. I was in for a surprise. When the time came for the long-jump trials, I was startled to see a tall boy hitting the pit at almost 26 feet (7.9 metres) on his practise leaps! He turned out to be a German named Luz Long.” …. I guessed that if Long won, it would add some new support to the Nazis' Aryan-superiority theory. After all, I am a Negro. A little hot under the collar about Hitler's ways, I determined to go out there and really show Der Führer and his master race who was superior and who wasn't.”
Owens then went on to win four gold medals in Berlin Olympics.
This is how it happened:
“Walking a few metres from the pit, I kicked disgustedly at the ground. Suddenly I felt a hand on my shoulder. I turned to look into the friendly blue eyes of the tall German long jumper. He had easily qualified for the finals on his first attempt. He offered me a firm handshake,” Owens wrote.
The conversation between the two amazing athletes:
''Jesse Owens, I'm Luz Long. I don't think we've met.'' He spoke English well, though with a German twist to it.
''Glad to meet you,'' I said. Then, trying to hide my nervousness, I added, ''How are you?''
''I'm fine. The question is: How are you?''
''What do you mean?'' I asked.
''Something must be eating you,'' he said – proud the way foreigners are when they've mastered a bit of American slang. ''You should be able to qualify with your eyes closed.''
''Believe me, I know it,'' I told him – and it felt good to say that to someone.
Leaving the long jump aside, let’s inspect the cricket turf when the traditional arch-rivals, India and Pakistan clash with each other.
'WAR MINUS THE SHOOTING'
Cricket is a sport. Sport is politics. Politics is sport. Cricket is politics. You can’t separate the two. If you think you can, you’re simply deceitful. Those who proudly claim to have graduated to another level and learnt the art of detaching cricket from the debate of “freedom/Azadi” are simply lying. Beware of them!
“I am always amazed when I hear people saying that sport creates goodwill between the nations, and that if only the common peoples of the world could meet one another at football or cricket, they would have no inclination to meet on the battlefield,” George Orwell wrote in his famous essay “The Sporting Spirit”.
When India defeated Pakistan in the semi-finals of the coveted cricket World Cup 2011, many Kashmiris were dejected and felt defeated too. India celebrated. Kashmir mourned.
India and Pakistan recently met in the Asia Cup 2012. India won. Kashmir’s streets, I’m told by some of my friends there, wore a deserted look. India celebrated. Kashmir felt a pang in heart.
When Pakistan were finally crowned as Asian Champions 2012, Kashmiris were joyous; they celebrated, they had their ‘Diwali’, they had their ‘Eid’, they burst fire-crackers. This is normal. This happens everytime Pakistan wins, everytime India loses. Or when India’s early exit from any big tournament is guaranteed.
India-Pakistan encounter in the middle of that 22-yard cricket strip is a “war minus the shooting”.
Kashmiris – more often than not – find some sound rationale to “politicize” this game of glorious uncertainties. A journalist friend argues: “When Indian media sells influx of tourists in Kashmir as an “indicator of normalcy” and a “good bye to freedom struggle”, why shouldn’t Kashmiris want India to lose a cricket match even if playing a minnow like Ireland?”
Why this passionate and unconditional love for team Pakistan?
“Simple: hatred for India,” feels another friend who works in the United Arab Emirates and is a cricket connoisseur. “This is how I’ve grown up, supporting Pakistan team. Their players entertain me, Miandad’s sixer at Sharjah, well, how can one forget that historic moment,” he adds.
In his late twenties, Faheem Jeelani, who’s trained as an engineer, feels proud of his “bond with Green”. Jeelani’s unconditional love for Pakistan cricket has a history.
“Nothing unites Kashmiri nation more than a Pakistan victory in cricket,” he writes in his blog. During the ’71 war, my father and his friend would stand atop the terrace in Jammu and shout slogans with Green flags waving, when a Pakistani Jet flew by – unmindful of the wrath from neighbours belonging to other faith,” he adds. The love and affection for Pakistan comes naturally to us [Kashmiris], we are fed upon it. Our stories are entwined with it – and the Stoics wouldn’t know why!”, he concludes.
'MIXING UP'
Kashmiris are in love with Pakistan cricket. Not because they see a political future of Kashmir with that country. It seems it is not because of religious reason either. Because then Kashmiris would have easily supported teams of Bangladesh and Afghanistan too. It appears that it is because they know favouring Pakistan would hurt India more. They shower praises on Pakistan team to injure India’s “ego” and make her realize that how much it hurts when she and her hawkish media “wickedly” mix up the issues of routine administration and matters of day-to-day governance with the larger and external dynamics of Kashmir dispute, by selling tourism, winter sports, and civic polls in Kashmir as an alternative to the promised “plebiscite”.
During cricket matches, especially when India and Pakistan play or India are defeated by England, Australia and South Africa, or even Bangladesh, a passionate activity is witnessed in the online debates. Social networking sites are abuzz with arguments and counter arguments.
There is passion. There is provocation. Points are made. Points are scored. There are arguments of history. There are arguments of statistics. There is power of argument. Yes, I tell you there is everything.
If an Indian fan boasts about Little Master’s world record of 100 international tons, a Kashmiri supporting Pakistan cricket argues about the fastest ball being bowled by ‘Rawalpindi Express’, quickest hundred scored by ‘Boom Boom’ Afridi in 37 balls, Wasim and Waqar being the all-time second and third highest-wicket takers respectively in limited overs’ cricket history.
An India fan reminds Kashmiris about Pakistan’s defeats at the hands of India in the world cup quarter-finals (1996), world cup semis (2011), and T20 final (2007), Kashmiris brag about the overall edge that Pakistan holds against India by winning 69 out of 121 ODIs played between the arch-rivals. Kashmiris also remind Indian fans about Javed Miandad’s famous sixer off Chetan Sharma’s last ball at Sharjah, Shoaib Akhtar disturbing the furniture of Dravid and Tendulkar in two successive deliveries at Eden Gardens, Saeed Anwar’s mammoth score of 194 against India in Chennai (1997), and famous victories in the Chennai test and Aaqib Javed’s hat-trick and seven wicket haul against India at Sharjah.
The arguments keep coming. So do the counter arguments. There’s no stopping.
Even some senior police officers stationed in Jammu and Kashmir update their Facebook status with “provocative” messages, sometimes only for fun though, in relation to Indo-Pak cricket, and otherwise too, with an attempt perhaps to either “seek attention” or “survey the Kashmiri minds”, or may be both.
When India recently chased down an improbable target of 330 against Pakistan in the Asia Cup 2012 league match, a senior police officer in Kashmir posted, “silence”, on a popular online group that debates cricket. Then he went on to write this on his own page: “Congrats team India. Well played. You have done it again”. The day Tendulkar scored his 100th international ton, the same police officer wrote:
“I wonder what people have to say now. Sachin has silenced all the critics. Congrats.” This is the response he got:
“Scoring your 100th century against Bangladesh in 147 balls is like trying to get laid with Victoria’s secret models for years and finally bedding Rakhi Sawant.” Oops!
On the 22nd of March, the day when Pakistan were crowned as Asian Champions 2012, Inspector General Kashmir range S M Sahai chose to updates his Facebook status writing this “cheeky” message: “Sometimes Pakistan also should be happy.” Cricket isn’t apolitical as such in Kashmir. IG Kashmir, Mr Sahai got some befitting replies in the shape of comments on the thread that followed.
“I am the 1992 world cup winner. I am the 2009 T20 world champion. I am the last ball sixer at Sharjah. I ended the career of Kris Srikanth with that ferocious bouncer. I am the ‘Sultan of Swing’. I invented the reverse swing and the ‘Doosra’. I mastered the multiple hat-tricks. I am the ‘Cornered Tiger’. I am the fastest ball, the quickest hundred, the longest six, the shattered stumps at Eden Gardens, the highest individual score of 194 at Chennai, the 40-ball century at Kanpur. Now I am the Asian Champion 2012. I am the aggression. I am the passion. I am the unpredictable. I am Pakistan.”
'SYMBOL OF RESISTANCE'
Jesse Owens concluded his piece “My Greatest Olympic Prize” on a friendly note: “You can melt down all the gold medals and cups I have, and they wouldn't be a plating on the 24-carat friendship I felt for Luz Long at that moment. I realised then, too, that Luz was the epitome of what Pierre de Coubertin, founder of the modern Olympic Games, must have had in mind when he said,
''The important thing in the Olympic Games is not winning but taking part. The essential thing in life is not conquering but fighting well.'' Owens appreciated Luz Long’s friendship and held his newly-found German friend in high esteem, the debate in Kashmir, albeit, isn’t that uncomplicated.
And even if no such reasons ever existed, they will still be cheering for Pakistan cricket.
Kashmiris say they detest “arrogance”. They are fond of “humility”.
Cricket may be a religion in India. In Kashmir, cricket is one of the many symbols of showing resentment towards India. It is one of the many symbols of resistance. Cricket is a sport in Kashmir. Cricket is politics in Kashmir.. It gives Kashmir a reason to hit back at India in whatever little way!
This is another matter two of my cousins are staunch supporters of Indian cricket team, as they have been out from Kashmir for more than a decade now when they were in their teens. But all my cousins refer to the duo as “mukhbirs” [informers], “renegades” and “traitors” in a friendly banter!
Gowhar Geelani is a Kashmiri journalist with international and national experience of more than a decade.
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