“
It’s cricket, gentleman” used to be a way of reprimanding a person to be fair
in any sphere. The “Test” of fairness was dealt a bodyblow in an Anglo Aussie
series which in itself was considered a blot on the fair name of the
gentleman’s game. The innovation in the form of one dayers and whetting up the
appetite of blitzkrieg seekers by twenty twenty has ensured that the game is no
more gentleman’s forte but more of a gladiators’ game watched by the mirthful
spectators. It’s therefore not a wonder that the people have reduced them to be
on par with the horses on a racetrack or pieces in a game of dice. Irony is
that the cricketers instead of expressing anguish or ire at being treated as
gladiators or racehorses have ventured to be part of the betting syndrome with
a vengeance to rake in the moolah for the gross reduction in their human
stature.
Money
is a mere instrument of transaction created by man. Should the creator of the
instrument become a slave of the instrument? Should not we distinguish
ourselves from the primal instinct to treat fellow humans as objects of
pleasure? Is this not an act that would compare with the bestial pleasure of
prostitution or the beastly act of two gladiators contesting for the pleasure
of the cowardly spectators or a gladiator battling a rogue beast as a matador
battles a bull? Whither is the evolution
of man as a human being?
The
sport being reduced to a vice of gambling on the honour of a fellow human
indicates the nadir of ethical values to which humans have unabashedly reached.
It is time to redeem ourselves and free ourselves from the vice of gambling for
a few pieces of currency. It is an undoubted fact that the money that we gather
accumulates foes and fetches envy while the goodwill of a person remains intact
and grows with time. This fact was reinforced in me at the funeral of a senior
citizen who remained the eternal gentleman to his last days. The man was a
genial father to his children and a warm uncle to their friends. He had the
generosity to part with the bare minimum savings a small sum as pocket money
for the school trips even for these friends. He literally walked the earth and a
distance of 5 to 6 miles was walkable for this affable gentleman. He ensured
that the guests to his home were well entertained and took the right mode of
conveyance for their return. The Walker’s last breath was accosted by persons
from his early friends to latest acquaintances taunting death for having
befriended this man. The best tribute came from his own brother who without
batting an eyelid said, “ Here goes a true gentleman.” He had indeed been a
true gentleman who had ensured that his grieving family received the solace
from teeming numbers.
It
was indeed a wakeup call to ensure that one starts treating money with the
respect it deserves, nothing more or nothing less. Respect to fellow human
beings is a virtue that needs to be cultivated to save the society from
degenerating further and reach the bottomless pit. Gen Y can do it but let us
at least begin instilling these values in Gen Z as a token contribution to
atone the sins of degenerating thus. Are the Sreesanths possible without us?
Can bookies exist without punters? Let us heed to this danger signal before it
is too late. The entrails have been infested and it is time to start the healing
process by reverting to the ethical ways of life.
