The recent death of a black man, George Floyd, at the hands of a white police officer in the US kickstarted a string of protests around the world against racial discrimination. It has made its presence in the world of sports, too, with athletes across disciplines voicing their support to the protests against racism.
In cricket, too, it led to debates, especially when former West Indies skipper Darren Sammy revealed that he was referred to as 'Kalu' (a derogatory Hindi word for dark-skinned people) in the past by his Sunrisers Hyderabad teammates during IPL. His teammates Chris Gayle and Dwayne Bravo, too, had come out in support of the twice-T20 World Cup winning former skipper.
Sammy's revelations exposed the 'casual racism' that is prevalent in the country not just in sports but also in every walk of life. Recently, former India pacer Lakshmipathy Balaji, joining the discussion on racism in cricket, said it is part of a larger problem with mindsets which are ingrained in us from homes and schools.
“At all levels, be it school, college, or any industry, there is a tendency among some people to target someone’s perceived weakness,” Balaji said in a chat show Homerun with AV with sports commentator Arun Venugopal.
“This culture starts from our homes where elders use fat-shaming nicknames to address the child. If a kid is on the heavier side, it’s not the kid’s problem. I have seen many such instances even within my own circle. They think such nicknames are endearments, but they don’t understand how it affects the child,” said Balaji.
“A bully goes after easy targets. There are plenty of rules and regulations that seek to prevent that.
“Unless people of different classes, races, and nationalities recognise the seriousness of the problem, like they have in the case of COVID-19 pandemic, this can’t be solved. The fear for our lives has led to greater emphasis on social hygiene. However, which mask can hide the virus [of racism and discrimination] that is affecting our minds?
“Traditionally, we aren’t encouraged to speak up about problems like these. Now, a lot more people have begun to come forward and speak more openly about these issues. But, the spark caused by such outrage dies down soon and we move on with our lives,” said Balaji.
He also shared his own experience in school. “I was 12-13 when I was failed in class seven. If you ask me, repeating a class at a certain age can be incredibly humiliating. I felt it acutely because of social pressures and the realisation that I had let down my parents. That particular phase affected me a lot psychologically.
“Luckily, my parents were able to accept the situation and handle it well. Otherwise, such social stigma and humiliation at such a young age could even lead to children taking extreme steps. I survived the phase thanks to my parents’ awareness, but not all parents have such awareness. So, please don’t discriminate anyone—be it children or adults—on any grounds.
“I don’t think failing someone in class seven is the right thing to do. To watch my parents suffer humiliation because of it was truly difficult. It has been 25-26 years, but the scar hasn’t healed. Overcoming such humiliation, however, equipped me to cope with the different challenges in my career and life.”