Boys Know Their Business

An open letter to the Indian Cricket Team Captain

15/09/1999

Dear Saurav, Sachin or Azhar,

A very good Cricket Season to all of you. Your exploits on and off the cricket field fill the void in my life and provide me, like most other Indians bored of politicians, an occasional reason to be proud of our great country. However, there is something in your press statements that pain me.

The statements - "The boys know their business" or "The boys are improvising" or "The boys failed to deliver" reflect a funny mindset with the following characteristics:

Superiority complex
The use of the word "boys" in your language seems to tell that you are different, matured and incomparable from the people whom you lead. You suddenly assume a father figure, a person who has made his kingdom and is now ready to live on his past exploits. This tendency may cause your performance to deteriorate and is of a great harm to the chances of any Indian victory.

Slave Mentality
My grandfather used to say that "Angrej have left but not without leaving Angreji". (The Englishman has left but not English.) The word "boys" seem me to remind our continued craving to learn not the good but the bad from the western culture. Why do we have to prove our character and lack of humor, if not of originality, by copying a language, which is alien to us. We are born in the land, which is proud of speaking "I" and "We" ­ words that are always a better replacement than an impersonal, pride-filled "boys".

Running away from responsibility
The use of the word "boys" is also an excuse to run away from responsibility. It avoids the mention of personal faults (I) or team’s failures (we) and provides a possible remorse-free backdoor exit. O! Captain, I feel like saying, commit yourself to be part of the wrong and assume no divine attitude.

Besides the above reasons against the use of the word "boys" what disturbs me in its continued usage is the sheer inhumanity to the addressee. To understand how it feels it is important to ask how you must have felt when addressed as "boys" while serving some other "boss". To me the idea of being addressed as a "boy" is revolting. It would make me feel like a hotel waiter or a "chotu" or "sheru" at a roadside dhaba. (Please note that I am against using adjectives to name people.)

I do not think any of you, as most of us, who are victims of using a terminology not ours have intended to mean in a way in which our words assume. Its time for all of us to adore the power of the word "we"? We should not let pressure or press make us part with compulsive remarks that demean our best friends ­ people for whom we serve.

Sorry for being harsh in my tone. Dettol, I know always hurts.

Wish you all the best, all the way to the next World Cup.

An obedient spectator.