A Cricket-Intoxicated, Superstitious Country

By Sumit Paul, New Age Islam 20 November, 2023 “Call me a traitor, but I am happy that India lost. Had it won; the entire India would have been singing paeans to over-hyped Indian cricketers until the next World Cup!” -------- Finally, a 45-day jamboree came to a tame end with India's drubbing in the Final of World Cup at a narcissist and megalomaniac's stadium in his own fiefdom. The Aussies put India in its place by outsmarting and outclassing all departments. The bubble of fervid and most embarrassing euphoria has burst. This World Cup has yet again confirmed that the Indians are morbidly cricket-crazy and their obsession with the game can go to any extent from fasting to offering blood and tongues to their deities. Sickeningly religious Indians did everything to appease and bribe their bagful of gods to win this World Cup. Alas, all Hom, Yagya, Havan, Aarti failed to help India win. A group of unemployed youth decided to stay hungry and thirsty until India won. They also vowed never to watch cricket if India lost. I hope they adhere to their vow! Ten girls in MP sat at one place without eating, drinking, moving and even answering the call of nature from dawn to dusk reciting Sundar Kaand and Hanuman Chalisa. But Hanuman was reluctant to bestow his grace upon Rohit Sharma and his mates on Sunday. He chose Oz for his divine grace. Jai Sri Ram. Jay Hanuman! A mere cricket match became a national obsession as if there's nothing else in the world. Workers are trapped in a collapsed tunnel in Uttarakhand for more than 170 hours. Nearly fifty percent of people are jobless. But who cares? The government is flying jets before the Final, and people are praying to the gods of their choice but no one seems to be concerned about the fate of the trapped workers in a tunnel as if their lives have no value. This is India. A very large chunk of its population is still insensitive. Over-patriotism and pathological religiosity have devastated the country. Most of the Indians are indolent lotus eaters with nothing worthwhile to do. For them, such carnivals and jamborees are much sought-after pastimes. Call me a traitor, but I'm happy that India lost. Had it won; the entire India would have been singing paeans to over-hyped Indian cricketers until the next World Cup! … A regular columnist for New Age Islam, Sumit Paul is a researcher in comparative religions, with special reference to Islam. He has contributed articles to the world's premier publications in several languages including Persian. ------------- URL: https://newageislam.com/current-affairs/cricket-intoxicated-superstitious-country/d/131145 New Age Islam, Islam Online, Islamic Website, African Muslim News, Arab World News, South Asia News, Indian Muslim News, World Muslim News, Women in Islam, Islamic Feminism, Arab Women, Women In Arab, Islamophobia in America, Muslim Women in West, Islam Women and Feminism