Australian cricketer Gurinder Sandhu (left) is the first player of Indian-origin to play for Australia.
The Indian cricket team is in Australia for a high-profile series. Over its two-month course, the contest will throw light on the Indian view of the country.
A number of Indians see Australia as a nice place, but with racist people. Just as the western world’s concept of India is frequently based on the stereotypes of poverty and exotica, many Indians’ idea of Australia is that it remains a land of boorish ex-convicts. It is equally true that many Indians are boorish and racist themselves.
They commonly use offensive labels to describe ethnicities. And many think nothing of subjecting visiting players to vile abuse. When the Australian spinner Brad Hogg was commentating at the Brabourne stadium in Mumbai a few years ago, a section of the crowd chanted, “Hogg is a b-----d”.
Racism is certainly a concern in Australia. Its Prime Minister, Scott Morrison, is largely conservative and is cutting down on immigration. In August, Australia’s population crossed 25 million, some years earlier than estimated. According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, nearly seven million people in the country are foreign born. The rise in population and discontent has given scope to white supremacist figures, like the Queensland senator Pauline Hanson. On the other hand, Australian writer Max Barry and Indian cricket analyst Harsha Bhogle present a more agreeable view of Australia.
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After the (unnecessary) furore over a Serena Williams cartoon in an Australian newspaper, Barry wrote, “Australia is the nicest racist country you will ever see. It is racist in a blithe, jokey kind of way, where nobody is supposed to take anything too seriously, and nobody is too aware of historical or cultural contexts.”
Bhogle’s experience of Australians has been of a friendly but blunt people who do not talk behind anyone’s back. From the sports viewpoint, it should be noted that Australia has taken high-impact measures towards multiculturalism.
The national cricket team has fielded sons of immigrants. The cynical may view this is as good optics and nothing more, but it can’t entirely be that. Unlike South Africa, which has a racial quota in its team, Australia is not mandated to select players on the basis of race.
In 2011, Islamabad-born Usman Khawaja made his Australia debut a mere five years after moving to the country. He also married a white Australian woman, Rachel McLellan, who later converted to Islam.
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In 2015, Gurinder Sandhu broke barriers by becoming the first Indian-ancestry player to be selected in the Australian one-day team. Sandhu’s parents settled in Australia in the 80s. His debut match was against India.
Arjun Nair is another Indian name in Australian cricket. He plays for New South Wales and Sydney Thunder.
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India is estimated to have around five million immigrants. If one of them were to qualify for selection in the Indian team, are we ready to accept him? In the 86-year history of Indian cricket, no player of foreign origin has played for India, the statistician Mohandas Menon confirms.
The question posed above is worth reflecting over. And we should factor in the cases of Khawaja and Sandhu before we resume our national pastime of calling the kettle black.
From Marc Faber To John Schnatter, Top Bosses Who Were Sacked For Being Racially Offensive
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Recently, several top executives in global companies have had to face the music for being racially offensive.
Here are some who had to pay for their words or actions with their jobs.
(Text: Rashmi Menon)
Recently, several top executives in global companies have had to face the music for being racially offensive.
Here are some who had to pay for their words or actions with their jobs.
(Text: Rashmi ..
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The US pizza tycoon and founder of Papa John’s Pizza, was forced to step down from the company he founded, after he hurled racially offensive slurs and spoke insensitively about violence against minorities while on a conference call with a media agency. While he later apologised for his actions, investors weren’t happy with the bad publicity and asked him to step down. However, just days after he left, Schnatter told a news publication that he had made a “mistake” by stepping down and criticised the board for not doing “proper due diligence”.
(Image: Reuters)
The US pizza tycoon and founder of Papa John’s Pizza, was forced to step down from the company he founded, after he hurled racially offensive slurs and spoke insensitively about violence against min..
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A communication officer is usually adept at handling crisis and negative publicity instead of becoming the cause for it. Netflix’s chief communications officer, however, found himself in such a predicament. Friendland, who joined the company in 2011, was pulled up and fired for using racially offensive language during a meeting with colleagues. In an apology before leaving, Friedland said, “Leaders have to be beyond reproach in the example we set, and unfortunately, I fell short of that standard when I was insensitive in speaking to my team about words that offend in comedy.”
(Image: AP)
A communication officer is usually adept at handling crisis and negative publicity instead of becoming the cause for it. Netflix’s chief communications officer, however, found himself in such a pred..
Read More
At the height of Paris Couture Week, Russian designer Ulyana Sergeenko and entrepreneur Miroslava Duma found themselves in a PR crisis. Sergeenko came under fire for sending a bouquet of flowers to Duma with the handwritten note, “To my n****s in Paris.” Duma shared the note on Instagram adding a heart emoji to show affection for the designer. To make matters worse, that same evening, a 2012 video of Duma started doing the rounds, in which she is seen making homophobic comments about a blogger and transgender model. Duma has since been removed from her position as a board member at The Tot, a baby fashion label.
At the height of Paris Couture Week, Russian designer Ulyana Sergeenko and entrepreneur Miroslava Duma found themselves in a PR crisis. Sergeenko came under fire for sending a bouquet of flowers to ..
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In the October issue of his newsletter last year, the Swiss investor, who resides in Thailand, was widely criticised for writing, “Thank God white people populated America, and not blacks. Otherwise, the US would look like Zimbabwe…” The comment cost him a seat on the board of three companies. Three other companies too booted him out, while international TV channels, who would give him air time for his expert opinion, distanced themselves.
In the October issue of his newsletter last year, the Swiss investor, who resides in Thailand, was widely criticised for writing, “Thank God white people populated America, and not blacks. Otherwise..
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The chief people officer of the global ride-hailing app was asked to leave over how she dealt with racial discrimination complaints within the company. Hornsey stepped down after Reuters contacted Uber for a comment on why no investigation had been carried out regarding accusations against Hornsey. Ironically, Hornsey was the company’s spokesperson on diversity and discrimination. The complainants also stated that Hornsey made derogatory comments and racially tinted language against Bernard Coleman III, the global head of diversity and inclusion and former chief brand officer, Bozoma Saint John.
The chief people officer of the global ride-hailing app was asked to leave over how she dealt with racial discrimination complaints within the company. Hornsey stepped down after Reuters contacted U..
