Today's newspapers are all agog with the reception that Sania Mirza & Shoaib Malik have received in Pakistan,yesterday, post their marriage in India. Pakistan & Pakistanis at large seem to be in state of great rapture with this union as a contrast to India, where we seem to be sulking!
I can appreciate how the Pakistanis feel! Hemmed in by the Taliban, the United States, India and their own corrupt politicians, this marriage seems to have brought them some cheer............& why should we deny them their moment of happiness!
Some of our more enlightened citizens want to banish Sania from this land & have advised her to play Tennis for Pakistan, being extremely churlish. It must be admitted that the best years of tennis that Sania had to offer are behind her & those years were spent playing for India and getting the world to sit up and take notice of Indian Women's Tennis.Sania's tennis has been in free fall over the last couple of years and I'm afraid this marriage is only going to hasten the decline.
Considering that we live in a democracy, Sania had the freedom & did choose to exercise it in selecting a groom for herself. The couple have said that they would like to live Dubai, while Sania has chosen to retain her Indian citizenship,though eligible to be a citizen of Pakistan.
What is heartening is that, though Sania has a couple of legal cases against her in India, she was allowed to travel abroad. One case being, her insulting the National Anthem, by not standing at attention, when it was being played.
This charge is similar to the one levelled against Infosys Chief Narayanamurthy, a few years ago.I find this quite Quixotic, because, I cannot think of two brand ambassadors other than Sania & Murthy, who have brought greater laurels to this nation. They have helped put India on the international map. Do we need greater proof of their nationalism?
I think, it is time we showed greater maturity as a nation...............and learn to appreciate those individuals that make the extra effort to attain heights that mere mortals do not!
In any case, you do not become taller, by dragging a person into a ditch, do you?
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