In his story on Rajasthan Royals winning the IPL, Matt Wade writes,
SHANE WARNE has become an unlikely hero in one of India’s poorest states after he led the unfancied Rajasthan Royals to victory in the final of cricket’s Indian Premier League.
About a quarter of Rajasthan’s 60 million people live in abject poverty, 80 per cent of the women are illiterate and about half the children malnourished.
Forget the fact that statistics cited are probably applicable to almost the whole of India except a couple of Southern states; forget the fact that we are talking about a T20 tournament and not some Australian government funded scheme to improve healthcare; forget that fact that Rajasthan Royals is a city-based franchise, owned by a NRI, captained by an Oz, with players from all over the cricket world, all I want to know is what exactly had recently damaged Rajasthan’s pride that it required resurrection from Shane Warne.? (Notice the title.)
I had followed the Aussie media pretty extensively during India’s tour of Australia and I can safely say that if there is anyone who can match the Indian media in idiocy, jingoism and caricaturization, it is the Aussies. Some of their newspapers are more stupid than the Times of India. Beat that!
P.s They quote Navjot Singh Siddhu who confirms that Rajasthan’s pride has been resurrected. Hey Eshwar, What next? Barkha Dutt explaining why ”we” have not warmed up to Rajasthan Royals because ”they” are not like ”us”.
Filed under: Media/Blog watch
Actually, his numbers on female illiteracy are neither applicable to Rajasthan, nor to the whole of India.
In 2001, the literacy figures (females aged 7 and above) were a bit above 44% and 54% respectively. This is 2008, so the figures are probably higher by now.
Hats off to Siddhu-ji though.. he is one of those people whose wisdom I can never hope to fathom. Kind of like “there is no spoon”..
And Ms Sagarika G will expand peans about the rapturous romance between “Kangaroos loose in the top paddock” and “Tropical Modern Simpletons, enriched with complex life-engagements”. N Ms Burfi (Barkah) will do thesis on “THE CHARM OF UNDERDOGS”
that Siddhu guy, who was convicted in a murder case
is a “rustic, uncouth and miserable JOKE”…does he know the meaning of HONOR? fuck resurrection!
Rajasthan Royals winning the IPL – We love THE UNDERDOGS.
Is this Matt Wade pseudonym of H.E. ?