Never one to stick my feet too deep into politics, I found myself feeling proud today–not really of my country, but of the way in which people everywhere–be they Indians, Pakistanis, Canadians, or South Africans–so wholeheartedly give of themselves to wherever they feel they belong.
Born in a generation often accused of apathy, I was happy to wake up to Facebook updates and Tweets and messages and emails that expressed a sense of belonging–and I was even more happy because none of those words hinted at any sense of conflict, competition, or resentment (even though they spoke of countries with a rocky, and often painful, history).
It brought to mind an article I wrote just under a year ago for South Asian Concern, and I’ve reposted it here in the hopes that the essence of it still holds true.
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“Where no South Asian thought to look…”
All bad news is the same. It carries with it that sense of despair, the “oh great, not again,” and a fear factor that prevents us from sharing that cover story with our children at the breakfast table.
But good news—albeit less apparent, is hiding in stories everywhere. As we face a week of flood devastation in Pakistan simultaneous to ridiculous intentions of burning Qurans, I’ve managed to focus my lens on a prettier picture.
Imagine this: Indian sports fans with Pakistani flags painted on their faces. And Pakistani enthusiasts waving the Indian flag.
True story. At the US Open doubles final on Friday.
Rohan Bopanna and Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi (lovingly called the Indo-Pak Express) are an Indian and Pakistani doubles tennis team.
As their fans merged political boundaries for sporting success, they set off a ripple of hope.
The team wore sportswear with the slogan “Stop War, Start Tennis”. And one of their dreams is to play a tennis match together at the Wagah border crossing between India and Pakistan.
Here was a sign of progress in an arena where no South Asian thought to look.
In the same way, we have often ignored many non-mainstream realms: sport, art, theatre; the list goes on.
Sometimes it’s not about the images and reports thrown at you in newspapers, on TV, in magazines. Sometimes it’s about where you look.
And your ability to discover, and share, the victories against division—be they political, spiritual, or social.
As an Indian, I feel a sense of warmth towards my Pakistani neighbor. As a South Asian, I feel inclined to explore different avenues of integration. As a parent, I feel inspired to seek out the good as much as I have been fed the bad. And as a child, I just feel.
