Will Kiwis listen to Bob Simpson’s cricketing tips ??

It was sorry to watch Kiwis getting defeated finally by the

Should I take his advice seriously ?

Aussies on Day 5 at Wellington, even as their wicket keeper Brandon Mucclum was going hammer and tongs on Day 4 of the game. The heroics of captain Daniel Vettori and useful contribution made by Tuffy (47 Not out) could not deny the visitors’ victory, but it could not thwart home team’s defeat.

One found it strange to read in Kiwi newspapers that NZ fight back in the second innings had given some anxious moments to rekindle the memories of Kolkata Test of 2001, when Aussies were defeated by India, even as the Kangaroos had asked the India to follow on.

How many times, the Kiwis would go on loosing against their Trans – Tasman rival? Do they come under pressure while facing Kangaroos? Is there are any psychological barrier, while taking them on? These are the many questions, that ponder my mind (as a Kiwi supporter), while watching matches live in Mumbai, India.

Well, those of who watched ‘live’ the interview of veteran Aussie cricketer, captain, coach and great think Bob Simpson on Day 4 when the weather was playing havoc at Basin Reserve, at 130 Km/hrs, should consider ourselves lucky. Simpson harped on only single factor, ‘Go the basics’, this is where the Kiwis terribly lag behind, though Simpson did not explicitly say so. Simpson observed that Kiwi batsmen do not watch the ball at the point or time of release, but on the other hand, they watch the ‘spot’, where the red cherry will probably land, which makes them play slightly late while hitting the delivery.

One wonders, when the domestic circuit in NZ is so well knit, why can’t NZ team should always find 3rd from the bottom in Test and ODI rankings just little ahead of Bangladesh and Zimbabwe.

When NZ have produced great cricketers like Sir Richard Hadlee, Glenn Turner, John Wright, Martin Crow, Stephen Flemming, Daniel Vettori, why can’t it be a good bunch of 11 good cricketers with a good ‘fighting spirit’.? One feels that the mindset of Kiwis while playing Kangaroos is akin to the mindset of Indians, while playing against Pakistan during Imran Khan’s era. Zero confidence level.

While new bunch of cricketers in the Kiwi side are quite promising, why can’t they form a good cohesive unit? Hope,

Black Caps would take Bob Simpson’s advice very seriously and retrospect and would give us some moments to cheer in the 2nd and final Test that would be played on 27th at Hamilton !

MF Husain saga depicts the duplicity of pseudo secularists !

Defiance unabated

Ever since the celebrated painter Mr.

Husain's nude Bharatmata

Makbool Fida Husain declared his intention to settle down at Doha, Qatar and accept her citizenship, the media in India has virtually gone crazy.

Series of articles, debates, public views, edits are being scribbled down and published day after day in news papers by many, mostly blaming the Government of India over its failure to ‘protect the world renowned painter’. !

Electronic media too is also not far behind. In fact, there seem to be a stiff competition between Pranab Roy’s NDTV 24 X 7 and Rajdeep Sardesai’s CNN IBN (both known for their perennial left leanings) in outsmarting each other in airing the special reports, programmes, debates, surveys, opinion polls, talks, etc. in which the entire emphasis is on the bashing up Hindu organizations like RSS, VHP, Bajrang Dal, etc. for being primarily responsible for hounding the painter hailing from Lord Viththal’s holy place of Pandharpur in the Solapur in the Western Maharashtra State of India.

On the TV shows, the likes of Anjali Ela Menons (has she taken Husain’s vakalatnama?) have been blatantly attacking Hindu organizations for being solely responsible for Husain’s exist from India.

Times Now which has undoubtedly maintained its credibility by not aligning with any one on any issue, ever since it was launched three years ago, has consistently maintained through its ebullient anchor Arnab Goswami that MF Husain has gone record by saying that it were the commercial considerations that have influenced him more in accepting Qatari citizenship, as he is involved in a multi million project kicked up by first lady of Kingdom of Qatar.

On his part, the RSS Chief Mr. Mohan Bhagwat has categorically gone on record by saying that his organization was never and is not averse to MF Husain in staying back India, as he is the citizen by birth and there was no danger to his life from anyone in India.

However, other Hindu outfits like VHP and Bajrang Dal have consistently maintained that bare footed painter must apologize to the whole nation as he has denigrated Goddess Saraswati and Bharatmata by depicting them in nude in the past and exhibiting in the public gallery. It’s not a first instance of these Hindu outfits seeking an apology from the controversial painter! These have been demanding it ever since Husain ventured into these mischievous acts few years ago!

After the news of Husain securing Qatari nationality broke out in the last week, Shiv Sena Chief Mr. Bal Thackeray, true to his own style and character lambasted the painter in his typical ‘Thakri’ language through an edit of Samana in its edition dated 2nd February and have gone to the extent of accusing MF Husain as treacherous for having ditched his own motherland which have given him name and fame. In fact Samana in the same issue carried a front page interview of Husain’s maternal brother Kutubuddin Bohri, who too has flayed his brother painter for ditching India and fleeing to a foreign land.

 It’s not a coincidence that until Bal Thackeray wrote on him, Husain had not opened up his mouth on the whole affair. But barely within twenty four hours after Samana carried an editorial on him, Husain gave his maiden interview to Gulf edition of Malayalam Manorama and tried to clear off the air. But sadly, his defence is totally unconvincing and he still seems to be defiant in his attitude and has not expressed any remorse or regret for hurting the sentiments of the majority of the Indians with his over zealous caricatures.

While the BJP reacted on the same lines, as its parent body RSS did, Congress, as is its wont has been taking some what an ambivalent stand on this episode. Though home minister Mr. P. Chimdambaram attempted to assure Husain that his government would do all it can to protect the nonagenarian painter, should he returns to India. Apart from PC, Congress is not coming out firmly on this issue. Can it be seen that the Congress is bit cautious now, as the UP assembly elections are not far away, as any attempt to stoutly defend Husain from Congress platform might cause any dent on its Hindu votes from UP ?

The moot question that arises in this matter, is why the pseudo secularists are not condemning Husain’s act of depicting the Hindu characters, Saraswati and Bharatmata and , etc. in a denigrating manner? Their entire lobby, both in the media and also in the society is turning a Nelson’s eye to it under the garb of ‘freedom of expression’ of the painter? Till this date, one has yet to see even an isolated condemnation of Mr. Husain from any so called ‘liberal’!

Even when Husain was confronted with on numerous TV shows in the past, before he fled to Europe in 2007, whether he will dare to depict any female character of other religions (apart from Hindu) on the canvas, he was virtually dumb founded and skipped the poser.

The secularist and those who are clamoring for Husain’s ‘freedom of expression’ are conveniently forgetting that when a Danish cartoonist had drawn a caricature of Prophet Mohammad, none of them had spoken of freedom of expression of Copenhagen cartoonist ! In fact, none could afford to say so, as Islam does not permit the depiction of Prophet Mohammad by any manner and by any means and any attempt to draw his picture or caricature is treated as a ‘blasphemy’!

 If Islam prohibits the depiction of any caricature of Prophet Mohammad, then the sentiments of Muslims on that score needs to be respected all over the world. There can’t be any dispute or any debate on that. One has to accept this reality, whether you like it or not.

In nutshell, if the sentiments of Muslim community can be hurt by a Danish painter’s misadventure, then why not the Hindus have the same right to vent their feelings or an outrage over MF Husain’s grossly erroneous act?

One must appreciate that even after Husain’s mischievous act came to the fore, Hindus did not vandalize any gallery or personal property of Husain or there was not even a slightest thought (leave alone attempt) to touch Husain’s person ! Also no one issued any award to those, who can harm the painter. Therefore the tolerance level of Hindus needs to be appreciated and all that which they did was to take a legal recourse and knock the court doors and bring him to the book!

Why the pseudo secularist are having double standards in measuring an outcry over the Danish cartoon and Hindu’s reaction over Husain’s mischievous acts and deeds? It’s all hypocrisy!

The saddest truth is that Husain’s perversity while depicting the Hindu goddess Saraswati and Bharatmata has indirectly got a universal acclamation, under the garb of ‘freedom of expression’ and which is blown up out of proportion by the section of the media, with scant regard to the sentiments of Hindu community. Can the sentiments be the monopoly of any single community?

Mr. Husain has been facing hundreds of criminal cases all over the county under section 295 – A of Indian Penal Code (which is cognizable, non bailable and having punishment of three years and it is warrant triable before the Magistrate). It is pertinent to note that practically all the magisterial courts in the country have ‘taken cognizance’ of Husain’s ‘deliberate and malicious act’ of hurting the sentiments of Hindu community.

 Wherever the criminal cases were filed against him, neither any of such Magisterial court has discharged him u/s. 239 of Criminal Procedure Code. (no the sufficient evidence exists to proceed with the trial) and no High Court in the country or even an Apex Court has ‘quashed’ the FIR filed against him or stayed any such trial faced by Mr. Husain. This is sufficient to construe that there is a sufficient material and a definite case to prosecute him.

The moot question now, is what would be fate of the criminal cases which have been filed and pending against him all over the country? Well, if one were to talk in legal parlance, should he remain absent (which is bound to being away from India), first a bailable warrant, then a non – bailable warrant and then a proclamation. This would be sequence of things to happen in case of Mr. Husain who is barely five years away from completing a century of his life.

Husain is so wise, that to save himself from prosecution back home in India, he has taken a citizenship of such a country which is rather a Kingdom in first place and where the ‘word’ democracy does not exist? Also, India and Qatar have no extradition treaty! This is sufficient to conclude that all the criminal cases pending against him would turn out redundant in the matter of time and incumbent government would not make any effort to bring him back to face the trials, even if they are compounded and placed for the hearing in any single court.

All in all, the Husain saga has depicted the duplicity of pseudo secularist in the country, who has different standards in measuring the religious sentiment of the different communities at different times.

Can there not be a single non – Hindu citizen in this gigantic country called India having a population of 1.25 Bn, who can come forward and strongly condemn Husain’s’ mischievous acts of denigrating Hindu Goddess  Saraswati and Bharatmata?

The truth is there is none. That’s the tragedy of Bhratmata!