Do We Have a Cricket Problem?
It's Sunday. Most shops are closed even though today is not an official sabbath for the majority of Kolkata's dwellers. Perhaps it's a remnant of the Brits (they were here for an awfully long time), and besides, who really wants to turn down a day of rest?
Radios crackle up the street, men gather to gamble noisily, women beat their clothes clean. And everywhere, cricket. Kids playing on sidewalks, young men holding court in parks, crowds gathered in front of appliance stores to watch the World Cup on television. Josh understands more of the intricacies of the game than I do, but neither one of us are big fans. In terms of what India has to offer we'd rather listen to Nikhil Banerejee, read some Tagore, wander around Lake Market, cook up luscious grub with Mala, go to a dance performance, travel to the mountains.
But according to Mr. Shashi Tharoor, a departing under-secretary of the UN, not only are Josh and I missing out on an amazing sporting event, but our lack of passion for cricket indicates many flaws in our character, and those flaws are of a particularly American nature. You can read his op-ed for the NYTimes here
It may be that Mr. Tharoor's op-ed is so tongue-in-cheek that I'm just not picking up what he's putting down. But I have a strong gut feeling that he truly believes not liking a particular sport is a huge indication of character, and a national character at that. What do ya'll out there have to say bout this?
Paz y Amor,
J&J
Radios crackle up the street, men gather to gamble noisily, women beat their clothes clean. And everywhere, cricket. Kids playing on sidewalks, young men holding court in parks, crowds gathered in front of appliance stores to watch the World Cup on television. Josh understands more of the intricacies of the game than I do, but neither one of us are big fans. In terms of what India has to offer we'd rather listen to Nikhil Banerejee, read some Tagore, wander around Lake Market, cook up luscious grub with Mala, go to a dance performance, travel to the mountains.
But according to Mr. Shashi Tharoor, a departing under-secretary of the UN, not only are Josh and I missing out on an amazing sporting event, but our lack of passion for cricket indicates many flaws in our character, and those flaws are of a particularly American nature. You can read his op-ed for the NYTimes here
It may be that Mr. Tharoor's op-ed is so tongue-in-cheek that I'm just not picking up what he's putting down. But I have a strong gut feeling that he truly believes not liking a particular sport is a huge indication of character, and a national character at that. What do ya'll out there have to say bout this?
Paz y Amor,
J&J
posted by Jessica Pierce at 8:37 AM
1 Comments:
My 6 years in South Africa put me intouch with the same comment. "CRICKET....Isn't that like baseball?" Was my response. Then you'd hear crickets(theres a pun) chirping in the room because of the dead silence my blaspemous statement made. However, once I began watching it and understanding it....It is quite possibly the most intriguing game ever. Stick to "Limited" overs instead of "Test" matches....Limited overs game is a shortened version of a test match which can last up to 3 days.....You'll see....quite addicting.
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