So TMK It Was After All

The racism charges against Harbhajan were found to be unfounded by Justice John Hansen hearing the appeals.

He however found Harbhajan guilty of using abusive language, to which charge, Harbhajan pleaded guilty. So it was the TMK phrase after all. I guess all those who jumped the gun, Symonds, Hayden, Ponting, Australian media, Mike Proctor, forummers, including the foul spammer visiting here (whose two comments I have been deleting for their religiously inflammatory nature...he also posts on some of the blogs I visit) should come forward and apologize for calling Harbhajan, Indians and BCCI all sorts of things.

One did suggest that there could have been a misunderstanding of the language earlier, but the whole thing was so good to latch on to that reason went out of the window.

Of course the Australian media tried its best till the last moment to continue with its warped, manipulative set-up which began ever since Australia lost the T20 match, and included planting words into people's mouths, selective and out-of-context projection of events, baiting of an entire population (I mean the poor Australian cricket-loving public who were made to swallow what they might not have in a saner frame of mind, besides some Indians who fell for it hook, line and sinker). The Australian media, who were making pots of money out of creating something out of thin air, and putting their hired article writer, Symonds, at the forefront of the elaborate drama since the T20, also tried to introduce some so-called stump mike converstaion transcripts in some very suspicious circumstances. I mean there wasn't any evidence according to all earlier...then on that day the stump mike feed is removed from telecast going to India so we cannot judge for ourselves, and lo and behold, the drama is enacted on the field! And they didn't anticipate an appeal after the kangaroo court of Mike Proctor (time action was taken against this person who has proved to be actually a very tiny one...he has lost my respect for him as a cricketer too), so the "transcripts" weren't "avialable" then. But when the appeal did come about and India didn't roll over and die, some bright idi@t in that set-up scheme decided a "transcript" could be created and "introduced."

As with all illegal activities, no matter how meticulously planned, some loose ends are left which give it all away. As it was here...shame!

I had been urging people to consider the possibility of misunderstanding a Punjabi abuse phrase which Harbhajan uses so frequently. We have heard him use it on stump mike and seen the lip-synch on cameras. Maybe the people involved in raising this bogey were actuially aware of its true meaning and yet went ahead because it was too good to be true! Here was a Punjabi abuse phrase which sounded like "monkey" and here was an Indian player prone to use it in his sleep....why not target him and provoke him to use it and cry foul!

I remember how the Australian and Indian media went to town when the Australians were in India...and there were any number of Indians too who believed that and went ahead according to script and landed themselves in trouble without reflecting on the game being played. They actually believed it was monkey and obliged the Australia media plants in the crowd by making apes of themselves. They deserved to have their unthinking butts hauled to whichever lock-up they were hauled into.


"TMK" in Punjabi is about as offensive as "Lucky B" in Australian. It depends upon the individuals concerned. And is used as frequently as Luck B is in Australia and in the same contexts as well. If you choose to look at Luck B as an abuse, you may also look at TMK as an abuse. I have mentioned in forums before (the ones listed on this site) that I have actually heard TMK even used as a terms of endearment between a couple in the old hard-core, "theth" Punjabi areas of Karol Bagh and Dev Nagar in Delhi. I merely suggested everywhere that this could be a case of misunderstanding, without once defending or discounting the racist charge! I did say, if found guilty, punish the B, but consider that such could have also been the case. Be fair in how you judge.

My one post, "Lucky B Symonds" to illustrate the power of words in riling up, using the words brought to us by Bradd Hogg (I don't get offended easily by such language anyway...I understand what it means and context of use and I'm not a bigger fool than I already am to jump around beating my chest because of the B in it.) was enough to get the goat...at least of a first-time commentator here who went ahead and abused my religion in two posts which I have deleted. (I am having to modify comments since...my apologies). I have no use for posts such as those.

I didn't mention anyone's religion or race in my post! I used only words given to us by Bradd Hogg. So why does that incognito person have to abuse my religion?

Such was the role played by the Australian media there and Indian media here. They used simple words to agitate normally sane people.

It is with such unthinking bandwagonists that the atmosphere is vitiated and conspirators prosper. A simple reflection and giving some unbiased ear to what something is suggested in a debate as a possibility, might have made all this unnecessary.

Now we can get on with cricket and hopefully Symonds will apply more thought before making an ass of himself in future. Drat! I've done it now...I've called him an ass! I hope I'm not racist...but I'm just using the common English usage of the phrase "making an ass of oneself." And let us not now hear that BCCI has so much influence that it can hold a New Zealand Judge by the ear! The next we'll hear is BCCI has enough influence to make the sun rise from the west! They have some, but again, vesteted interests have blow it out of proportions to suit their scheme of things.

I sincerely hope all this nonsense is behind us now.