My comment on "India at the receiving end of racist comments "-By-Kamlesh Bahukhandi as flashed on the f.b. on Nov.8.2010.

India at the receiving end of racist comments -By-Kamlesh Bahukhandi


Last night ( I mean early of this morning at about 4 am ) when sleep was away from my eyes I took out a book from my bag and started reading , it was the autobiography of South African cricketer, Herschelle Gibbs, where he had made sensational revelations in it "To the Point". Scandals make news and Gibbs, one reads has become the man in the news everywhere in SA and in newspapers, radio shows and television channels now days . In his book, he writes that the Delhi police commissioner was a hard-arsed and says he had to apologise for that. There is a lot of India in the book, considering that Gibbs was also involved in Hansiegate, the biggest match-fixing scandal that rocked international cricket. While 'hard-arsed' may not be racist, Gibbs revealed that the commissioner was displeased with that comment. Recently though, India seems to be at the receiving end of several racist comments whether it a New Zealand radio show host mispronouncing Sheila ( Dixit) Dikshit's name with the accent on Dik and Shit or an NZ TV host who called the Fiji governor of Indian origin a fat Indian man who has not moved away from the table or something to that effect. The devious laughs, the taunts and mocking at the Whites are as distasteful as racist comments by Whites about Indians.The comments, never mind all those explaining them as light-hearted, were racist to the extreme. There were also a number of people commenting that Indians are racist too, in a way implying that Indians somehow 'deserve' this. Yet, there is something called 'reverse racism' too. One has heard comments by Asians routinely calling whites as bloody goras. The devious laughs, the taunts and mocking at the Whites who have done nothing to invite it, are as disgusting as racist comments by whites about Indians. Sometimes, Whites are so careful to be politically correct that they would desist pointing out a wrongdoing by a person of a darker colour because they might be termed racist.Few years ago, when the Indian cricket board was looking for a foreign coach for the Indian team, certain Indian cricketers in the reckoning had raised the racism sceptre. One of them had stated, he would apply 'fair and lovely' to be considered for the post of a cricket coach. Here, too there should have been no mention of skin colour, just the best man for the job.
Racism isn't always about the 'minority' or the allegedly 'inferior' suppressing the 'perceived superior'. Sometimes, the suppressed or oppressed use it for an unfair advantage or scream racism even when they have provoked the insult, or have simply not been good enough for the job. Racism is a great leveller. It hurts the victim to the same degree whether its colour black, brown or white. Be ready to be at receiving end because it bounces back maybe more often go unnoticed
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Bishwa Nath Singh :
Whether it is racism, casteism & nationalism ,if we analyze them very thoroughly ,certainly we will arrive at the conclusion that all are very bad and unhealthy in taste. One must be beware of them. It has caused enormous loss to our societies and will continue to do so unless they are ward off. Kamlesh Ji has given a beautiful account of racism as how it has adversely affected to our sports world.

Anupama Pathak :nice note about racism and gr8 observation when u say...

"It hurts the victim to the same degree whether its colour black, brown or white"

skin colour should never hv been the basis of discrimination, but it is sad that it is subtly practiced.......

adverse effects cannot be denied!
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f.b.
Nov.8,2010.