Open Letters: Dear Harbhajan Singh

Mainak Dhar is an alumnus of IIM-Ahmedabad whose career in the corporate sector has spanned almost a dozen years across Mumbai, Bangkok and now Singapore. Cubicle dweller by day and writer by night, he has written six books, including the bestselling novel, The Funda of Mix-ology. Learn more about it at www.getthefunda.com.

In this new series, Mainak writes open letters to people in the news, commenting on the state of affairs in the world today. Today’s column is an open letter to the 'angry young man' of Indian Cricket, Harbhajan Singh.

Dear Harbhajan,

I hope you have the time to read my letter since you aren’t going to be busy playing cricket for a few weeks now. While the ban from the IPL and the loss of your match fees may rankle, look at the bright side. We all dream of hitting our co-workers and getting away with it -- in effect you did exactly that and all you get is a couple of weeks of unpaid leave after which you will resume your career. So as you cool your heels, do realise just how lucky you are to be a cricket star in this cricket-crazy nation of ours.

If that, and the prospect of a few weeks off, doesn’t cheer you up, console yourself with the fact that no matter what they say about you, you are a true poster boy for what many have come to believe is the new India.

An India where restraint is something we have long forgotten, and the slightest affront, real or imagined, makes us lash out, with harsh words or worse. Your choicest epithets targeted at Symonds or even the slap on Sreesanth’s cheek pale in comparison versus the riots between communities that accompany seemingly trivial grievances.

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An India where those who have the money and influence believe that they are above the law. Where nothing is really sacrosanct anymore, let alone the traditions that have come to shape us. Cricket is a game, but destroying its proud roots and traditions one slap at a time isn’t much compared to how many of our rich and famous are slowly but surely chipping away at some of the foundations that made us a nation in the first place- seemingly archaic notions like democracy and equality before the law.

An India where the mantle of leadership is worn all too casually and with no regard to the true burdens and responsibilities of leadership. So what if you frittered away and disgraced your captaincy of the Mumbai Indians with the slapping incident? Our leaders do far worse, and seem none the worse for wear for all their venal ways.

An India where faux patriotism and looking out for oneself count for more than the true meaning of being an Indian, with all the responsibility it entails. So what if you just reacted based on your emotions, with no regard to the impact it would have on your team? That is nothing compared to the millions of us who go about life mouthing the usual platitudes about patriotism, but not really giving a damn about the society around us.

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I’m not a shrink and I have no idea what makes you so angry, but as I think of the above, I realize you are but a product of our times. The same times that produce rich brats who run over poor pavement dwellers, harass women on the streets and believe they can buy their way out of anything.

Yes, you are a star, but let’s face it- the fate of one Cricketer will be no more than a minor footnote in the history of our times. So honestly, I really don’t give a damn what happens with you and your tantrums, but as a lover of Cricket and someone who does give more than a damn about what happens with our society, I’m really glad in a way to see your spectacle play out. It holds a mirror up to all of us, reminding us of the dangers of the path we seem to be walking.

And also it gives me hope that no matter how rich or famous you may think you are, you shall not always get away with it. If nothing else, I hope that’s a lesson you internalise during your time off.

Best regards,

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