At least some of the previous generation
cricketers stood by Shami. This seems indicative of the fact that the present
generation, be it in cricket or otherwise, is very afraid of being personally
targeted themselves, so would rather keep silent and not take a stand on any
issue,be it political or socio- religious. Ethics, morality & individual
responsibility is sacrificed at the altar of “petty personal gains”.
Prof.(Dr.) Sushila Sawant Mendes, Dept. of
History, Govt.College of Arts,Sc , & Commerce, Quepem.
It’s not the first time India has lost against
Pakistan, and every time it is one or the other, players or captain or this or
their coordination, but never anyone understands the pressure and
tolerance behind playing because we haven’t been there trolling Shami,
for his performance, what did all judge him with, his past performance, he
situations in a country where anything can be trolled, personal spaces are made
exclusive, even funerals are not allowed to moaned but made sensational, who
has time and the heart to understand that what’s going through other people.
Stand up for Shami!
Vinay Vijay, Graphic Designer, Goa
We can just say that it was a bad day for India.
Younger generation of cricketers must have not thought that giving a statement
or tweeting in support of Mohammad Shami would make a great difference. But I
do believe that they must have approached him personally in his difficult times
when people trolled him without looking at their own capabilities. I stand in
support of Mohammad Shami for his performance throughout the world Cup.
-Steven Vaz, Artist Chicalim
It is difficult to enter into a volley of abusive
environment. It has become the norm to openly abuse without consequences
or reproach, one sees so much wrong going on now, especially the levels to
which netizens have fallen. There are enough real personal issues to deal with
, rather than enter into a slanging match with these troll elements
(paid/unpaid), who seem to have a lot of time and mental space.
Positivity and brotherhood focus is the need of the hour.
Dr Jennifer Lewis E Kamat, Consultant, Vasco
In my personal opinion, none of the other
cricketers wish to get into someone else’s issues and create controversy, lest
they too get pulled into it. India Pak cricket matches have always been a very
sensitive issue for the Indian public. So everyone wishes to steer clear!
𝓝𝓪𝓶𝓲𝓽𝓪 𝓝𝓾𝓷𝓭,
Communication Consultant, Dabolim
The current generation of cricketers believe it’s
every man for himself God for all, so naturally the team is patiently waiting
for God to stand up for Shami bhai
Colin D’Cruz, Musician, Sangolda
It is very sad to see such things still happen, I
would honestly have expected to see the team support Mohammad Shami because
they are a team, cricket is a team sport, they should have some manner of
brotherhood…..Also, we Indian fans need to calm down a bit before singling
out one player and trolling him and just support the team through their ups and
downs.
Aaron Souza, Student, Margao
Let alone someone else, people in India today are
afraid to even stand up for themselves and their values. Celebrities have
particularly been pliable because submission to establishment is clearly
rewarding and not complying can take away more than just their career from
them.
Shruti Chaturvedi, Media Entrepreneur, Panjim
As a society I believe that we’re raised to
always think what others will say if we do/say something so, our automatic
response is silence. This fear of being judged or attacked if we speak up is
what most often than not puts us in the shadows when something unjust happens.
In the case of Shami, religion and politics played a huge role in everyone’s
silence and it took awhile even for other cricketers to come to his aid and
defense. It’s high time we start calling a spade a spade and standing up for
what is right. Religious intolerance and violence shouldn’t have the space it
has in our society. We need to move forward and do better as a country.
Megan Amanda, Student, St. Joseph’s College,
Bengaluru / PR Executive, Anjuna (Goa)
It is sad, no doubt, that India had to face the
kind of defeat they did against Pakistan, but, at the end of the day let us not
forget that it’s a sport and victory and loss is a part of the game!
As far as trolling a single player is concerned,
it’s absurd, as the entire team performed rather poorly and Shami was singled
out when it came to being the target. However, in contrast, there have
been people who came out in his support as well. All in all, everyone is
entitled to their opinion so let’s hope better sense prevails!
Ameya Nayak , Asst Professor, V M Salgaocar
College of Law, Miramar.
Trolling has become an obsession for all and
sundry, who are now , due to the digital interface, see themselves
as some sort of warriors of causes that actually are not life
altering events. Not even for the trollers. Unfortunately, bigots are let loose
by the same sense of anonymity and false bravado. Such bigots openly
troll and abuse any one, who expresses thoughts beyond or contradictory, to their
ideations. Such delusional ideas mostly connect any relevant or irrelevant
event to their obsession with religion, region or person. Where cricket lovers
saw a good game, the ones with delusions saw a sports man, his religion and a
region. Others do not want to comment or make public statements for this
same reason. There is no control on illegal abuse on the digital platforms for
a common man. Cricket is a game. You win some , you lose some. Legends
have walked out on a duck. No one cares.
Dr. Meenacshi Martins, Psychiatrist , Salvador do Mundo
