Cricket is close to a religion in India. But what happens when religion gets inter-mixed with the nation’s favourite sport? The end result is often not pretty, as netizens in Hyderabad found out.
In Hyderabad, a local tournament gained attention as it had a highly controversial cut-off for players. And no, it wasn’t age categories, but rather caste categories, quickly inviting the ire of the public, as the tournament’s poster began to do the rounds on social media.
According to DNA, this poster was put up in public spaces advertising a brahmin only cricket tournament.
Some of the rules mentioned beggared belief, as the poster stated.
The tournament was scheduled for 25th and 26th December, and according to DNA and local sources, it went ahead with permission from local authorities, following all Covid-19 restrictions at Hyderabad’s BSR cricket ground in Nagole. This notably had netizens outraged.
Every player was supposed to carry their ID proof compulsorily, and players from no other caste were allowed.
The tournament was scheduled for 25th and 26th December, and according to DNA and local sources, it went ahead with permission from local authorities, following all Covid-19 restrictions at Hyderabad’s BSR cricket ground in Nagole. This notably had netizens outraged. Check out some of the best and more acerbic reactions from Twitter.
Even though the nation marches on, whenever caste rears its ugly head like a serpent, it serves as a severe reminder to all of us about how deeply entrenched the prejudices and values of the caste system are, even as we welcome 2021. Just as this article goes to publishing, the tournament’s organizers have come out to say that they could not see the fault, wondering where the problem was.
Perhaps that’s the perfect way to sum up all of it.