Thank God, my name is not Khan

I am writing this column even before the finals begin, so my apologies for not congratulating all DNA readers on India’s victory (that’s how bullish I am in assuming we will win).

Now let me make your Sunday coffee a little bitter. All of us told you and showed you how several Muslims were praying for India before the India-Pakistan semi-final match in Mohali. Plenty of us must be happy to read that, see those images.

Well, I was a little sad. Didn’t I like Muslims praying for India against arch-rivals Pakistan? What’s wrong with that, you might ask? But ponder over this... did you see Indian Christians praying for India while playing against England or Australia? They didn’t have to do that. This is not to say they didn’t pray or they didn’t want India to win. Of course, they did. But we want Indian Muslims to wear their patriotism on their sleeves. And for the record, the British plundered our nation and yet we don’t hold that against the England or English team.

One of my former sports journalist colleagues had once told me how Azhar used to be tense during an India-Pakistan match, especially during the World Cup. Despite being one of the best fielders of his time, Azhar always feared he would spill a catch and further fear how it will be viewed by the media and even more, the fans (fan is short for fanatical, if I am right).

It reminds me of a great scene in the Shah Rukh Khan-starred Chak De India. SRK’s friend is urging him to forget the past (when he missed scoring off a penalty stroke against Pakistan in a hockey match and was labelled a traitor ever since). He tells SRK, “Ek galti toh sabhi ko maaf hoti hai...” SRK, who play the role of Kabeer Khan in the film, turns to him with pain in his eyes and asks with a stunning pause, “Sabhi ko?”

Maybe Azhar always feared he won’t be pardoned if he made this ‘ek galti’ against Pakistan. For the last two decades or so, a large section of the vocal majority views Muslims in India as silent Pakistani supporters. Muslims are asked why their leaders did not condemn Godhra. To ensure that the entire community is not branded, community leaders now quickly issue condemnations and that helps cool tempers. And they offer prayers before the India-Pakistan match. Why are we placing the proverbial chip on their shoulders?

It is heartening to see both MS Dhoni and Shahid Afridi showing remarkable poise before and after the match. Both were superbly restrained and Afridi’s appeal to fans in Pakistan applies to us in India as well. He asked them to see the India-Pakistan match as a game and not a war. Afridi has matured. When will we?