According to the internet, the word Harmanpreet means love from God’s heart. What a beautiful meaning! Yet, in her name the part Kaur is more interesting. Traditionally, Sikh women hold the title Kaur. After a myriad of metamorphosis currently the use is almost exclusive. It has in a sense become the symbol of Sikh women’s self-identity and pride as unlike women of many other sects of India they do not change their surname to that of their husbands.
Harmanpreet Kaur is the torch bearer of that proud tradition, a befitting one. She is the national team captain of the Indian cricket team, the game that is tantamount to religion in India. Harmanpreet Kaur is venerated like a goddess in the country where cricketing heroes are treated as avatars and indeed one of the biggest role models of billion Indian women.
India may boast itself as the biggest democracy in the world but its women still face peril in all facades of life. Extreme discrimination makes them the ‘second gender’ and the ‘inferior’ in many aspects as they are most vulnerable in social, political or religious clashes.
Even, currently, millions of people are agitated with the shambolic acts two Monipuri women faced. Indian women bear the brunt in the private and public life in the most heinous and ignominious manner.
For most of the Indian women, even getting the bare minimum rights, requires immense struggle. And that is a quotidian affair.
As a result, the fight of Harmanpreet is not confined within the boundary but beyond it. It is said Sachin Tendulkar used to carry the burden of a billion people when he used to take the field. Harmanpreet in a sense carries even greater burden.
Let me explain. A famous female scientist once told me, one of her most proud moments occurred when she visited a remote place and a little girl embraced her saying, one day I want to become like you.
When Harmanpreet and her colleagues take the field not only millions of outcast girls, lass with full of desire from tumultuous Kashmir or the urban girls of Kolkata or Mumbai woven their dreams but also the backward girls throughout South Asia get encouraged. Harmanpreet in that sense has greater responsibilities than that of Sachin or Kohli.
What wrong did she commit? Let’s discuss it briefly.
Her much higher ranked side won the T20 series 2-1 with great fight from the girls of Bangladesh. In ODI the minnows shocked the giants although the latter won the next match. And the series deciding match became an arena of drama that unfolded some of the most unwanted scenes in cricket history.
Thanks to the century of Fargana Hoque, the first ever by a Bangladeshi woman in ODI, the hosts posted a good score but the visitors were cruising. However, they lost the plot a little bit.
The dismissal of Harmanpreet put them in peril and she could not withstand the umpire’s decision. She whacked her bat to break the stumps, hurled abusive words to the umpire and the opponents and even showed gestures to crowds. The match ended in a tie as is the series surely the result India could not imagine beforehand.
But the worst was yet to come.
Breaking stumps is a punishable act in cricket but many believe everyone cannot hold the anger. Harmanpreet showed anger after getting run out in a casual way during their T20 World Cup match. She went back to the pavilion showing huge anger. In another incident she became extremely rude and shouted to her batting partner regarding a run-out incident. But many actually hail these attitudes as passionate ‘heat of the moment’ things. Champions like Michael Holding and Shakib al Hasan broke stumps with anger.
So, despite Harmanpreet being penalised with 50 percent of her match fee the incident was not the worst. Even when she uttered objectionable words to umpires during the prize distribution that could be accepted notwithstanding the fact most sports personnel these days take diplomatic stance. For example, just a day before, following the match of Bangladesh and India in the Emerging Asia Cup semi-final, where some umpiring decisions allegedly went against Bangladesh, former Bangladesh skipper Habibul Bashar told the media, you have seen it all, I have nothing more to say about umpiring.
Actually Harmanpreet crossed the limit when she hurled abuse at Bangladeshi players saying the latter must also take photos with umpires as they helped them win. At a stage the abuse was so unbearable Bangladesh skipper Nigar Sultana had to leave the place with her team.
Oh dear Harmanpreet! Whom did you abuse! Nigars envisage you as a role model and get inspiration. They dream of becoming a big player like you one day, earning millions by playing in the global leagues.
Nigar, who after this phenomenal series said, our biggest achievement is that people now know us. In the cricket frenzy nation there is hardly any crowd when girls play, their matches are not televised and even no billboards of advertisement are visible. Surely, Nigar and her girls were dreaming for months for the day when they will play against their ‘Harman Didi’ at Mirpur for the first time.
What about Marufa? The girl from Nilphamari has been creating headlines with her meteoric rise. But her mother does not want her to continue as a player. That is unthinkable for a male national team player. This very incident shows how much obstacles Nigar, Marufa, Fargana and others have to face. By abusing them you actually decimated your stature dear Harman.’
Even at war the norm is to maintain the honour of opponents even when they are vanquished. Dear Harmanpreet, you even lost that basic sense. But, one may understand the reason behind.
Indian rulers portray the telltale of ‘Shining India’ with populism on one side while huge social and economic discrepancy on the other. They keep the people busy with the time immemorial divide and rule through glittering tales of development and cricket is a vital conduit of ruling through bread and circus, a Roman trait.
Indian cricket is not part of politics; it bears the burden of ensuring profit for corporates who invest massively. Cricket is the vehicle of nationalism as George Orwell used to term international games as war without shooting. The players are like hapless pawns. The soldiers are always aggrieved. The killing machine must be invigorated.
As a result people like Harmanpreet lose sense. Unfortunately they cannot see themselves as beyond the pawns of corporate and politics. One of the main reasons for international sport is amity between countries. These days, India and Pakistan cricket teams do not visit each other but the legendary players used to be bosom friends. Sunil Gavaskar and Zaheer Abbas used to share the same hotel room while playing for World XI, Imran Khan invited Navjat Singh Sidhu in his inauguration as prime minister.
Harmanpreet failed to follow that glorious past. She was supposed to be the proudest, happiest one seeing Nigars playing so well. Alas!
In social media it is seen a young Bangladeshi cricketer commented he never treats Indians as friends and thousands of people are giving ‘love’ reaction. What a shame! The people of either side of the frontier are becoming the prey of the trap set by the ruling class who is taking benefit from such hatred.
Harmanpreet provided fuel to that fire. She lost the chance of becoming a role model for billions. Rather than becoming the biggest inspiration she created bad examples for a myriad of young girls.
You did a great harm, dear Harmanpreet!