Together in Sorrow

WE CELEBRATE IPL as an example of India’s soft power. The league has millions of viewers worldwide, is valued at billions and has captured the imagination of the nation. It was only fitting that IPL would step up in solidarity with the victims of Pahalgam.

It had to be told to the world that the situation is not normal. That not everything is okay and that India is grieving. While the show has to go on, it was essential that we used the IPL platform to make the larger point.

People involved with sport are not expected to go to Kashmir and fight the terrorists. But that does not mean sport doesn’t have a role. Sport has always been a means to protest and raise awareness. Given its mass appeal and viewership, it is a tool to make the point and push it through.

For me, personally, Pahalgam hit real close. Bitan Adhikary, a regular viewer of the company that I founded, was in Kashmir with his family for a holiday. Bitan lived in Florida and worked in the software industry in the US. He had come to India on April 3 and went to Kashmir on April 16. The terrorists shot him at point-blank range and left his wife and three-year-old son to mourn his death.

A dear friend messaged me on the night of the incident and asked if I remembered Bitan. For a minute I couldn’t place him. Then she pointed out to me that during the T20 World Cup in the US, he had helped our reporters and used to watch and comment on every show of ours. That was when it hit me. She went on to say that he is no more and I was left shell-shocked. It could have been me. It could have been my wife and our daughter. This could have been any one of us. That’s why each one of us has a role to play.

One of the most enduring sporting images is that of Tommie Smith and John Carlos giv­ing the black salute from the Olympic podi­um. It was a statement about what sport can do. When Muhammad Ali lit the ceremonial flame in Atlanta in 1996 to throw the Olympic Games open, it was a strong statement against racial discrimination.

Some years ago, it was Michael Holding and the Black Lives Matter movement. In an interview with me soon after speaking out against racism, Holding had said: “All I want to say to everyone is ‘don’t give up hope’. Do not let anyone tell you that you cannot achieve your dreams. One day, we will be better off. I don’t mean you and I, because this is going to take time, we as humans will be better off. Our parents worked hard to make things better for their kids. We have to work hard to make things better for our kids and so the lineage continues.”

He then went on to say: “Each genera­tion is working hard for the next. If you only want to make things better for yourself, you are being selfish. We have to plan long term, do not think just of yourself. If my parents only thought about themselves, I would not achieve what I did. Let us think for the next generations and make things better for them.”

That’s what it is all about. The fight against terror is not going to end in a day. But that does not mean we leave it all to the govern­ment and the agencies. It is on each one of us to be a part of the movement and make our voices heard.

When the players entered the field in the match between Sunrisers Hyderabad and Mumbai Indians with black armbands, a statement was made. Sport isn’t immune to what is going on. It is part of the story. The images of players with black armbands were beamed around the world.

Sport has always raised its voice against terrorism. Rewind to the suicide bombing attack at Ariana Grande’s concert in Manchester in May 2017. The entire football community came forward. It was a city united.

We talk about counterterrorism. But terrorist strikes still happen all over the world. “The challenge is to continue to integrate layers of security that will be effective against this kind of threat,” Bennet Waters, a counterterrorism expert at the Chertoff Group, told TIME magazine after the Manchester Arena bombing. “We can’t have all the security all the time.”

Sport cannot live in isolation. It is part of society. It is good to see Indian athletes raise their voice and condemn the Pahalgam terror attack. Gautam Gambhir, the head coach of the Indian cricket team, wrote on X: “Praying for the families of the deceased. Those responsible for this will pay. India will strike.”

Sachin Tendulkar penned: “Shocked and deeply saddened by the tragic attack on innocent people in Pahalgam. The affected families must be going through an unimagi­nable ordeal—India and the world stand united with them at this dark hour, as we mourn the loss of lives and pray for justice.”

Olympic bronze-medal winning boxer Vijender Singh, too, has called for firm action. “Our brave soldiers will definitely give a befit­ting reply to this cowardly attack in the com­ing times. In the presence of the brave sons of Mother India, the plans of those who want to disturb the peace in Jammu and Kashmir will never succeed,” he posted.

“Heartbroken by the tragic attack in Jammu & Kashmir. Prayers for the victims and their families,” said Neeraj Chopra. Another Olympic gold medallist, Abhinav Bindra, added: “Heartbroken by the horrific terrorist attack in Pahalgam. My thoughts are with the victims and their fami­lies. Terror has no place in our world, we must stand united against hatred and violence.”

India is grieving and angry, and everyone is now aware of it. In this fight against terror, we are all one. While some will fight for us in Kashmir, for the rest of us, normal citizens, it is our duty to stand in solidarity. IPL has done that. Every other sport should do the same.

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