You gotta love them Sri Lankans - cricket and everything else
It is a shame that Sri Lanka is better known around the world for a meaningless war than for anything else. The war, I believe is the making of one man, who's misdirected talents should have been utilized for some other purpose than destruction and division. Not to say there were no reasons for concern in the social fabric, but nothing that would not have resolved it self over time and by education. Education, after all, was just one of the areas Sri Lankans were way ahead of its regional counterparts.
Sports is another. Comparatively, Sri Lankan excel in sports. The reason that Sri Lanka with 19 million people are able to compete against the cricket crazy neighbor of a billion people is the general attitude towards sports. Sri Lankans, especially parents, don't think of spending time playing a sport is a waste of time. The Sri Lankan youngsters are always encouraged to take a up a sport as much as they are expected to excel in academics. While the politicians have made constant mistakes in policy with regard to language and culture in curriculum, students as well as professionals have always united behind their teams despite their cultural and ethnic backgrounds.
Sri Lankans have also always being a relatively a progressive society. Sri Lankas have enjoyed freedom in most areas that even western countries lagged behind. Sri Lankan democracy took shape in the 30s - still under the British - with universal suffrage. Sri Lanka also set high standards in maintain the rights of minorities, women and children all of which have been now clouded due to years of war. Nevertheless, Sri Lanka remains a sort of society - not counting the war related incidences - that doesn't have a culture of questionable or shocking practices and rituals that are prevalent in other Asian and developing countries.
Internationally, Sri Lanka has maintained neutrality. Member of the non-aligned movement and an active mediator between India and Pakistan. As a result, one thing common between the two nuclear giants is their warm relations with Sri Lanka. This explains the Sri Lanka flags flying high in cities across India and Pakistan and even Bangladesh wishing the Sri Lankan the best of luck for the 2007 Cricket World Cup finals.
Speaking of which, back to the World Cup. If Sri Lanka Cricket is a reflection of the general charactaristics of the people of Sri Lanka; competitiveness, determination, professionalism etc - then the Sri Lankan cricket fans are then its spirit. A commentator recently said "the noise the Sri Lankans make when a their bowler gets wicket is deafening". Patriotic and passionate but equally light hearted and delightful they come in thousands and turn cricket grounds upside down with the cheer, papare music and dance. The Sri Lankans are much loved world over the sports fans across the world are joining the Sri Lankans cheering the dazzling Sri Lankan team at the world cup finals. As Sri Lankan have become the adopted "home" team of the West Indies in the finals, the Sri Lankan's papare band is expected to play in tune with the local steel bands in Barbados this Saturday. There are even reports where come bars in Sydney, London and New York are playing papare music to cheer on the Sri Lankans.
Tamil Tigers too are expected get on the band wagon and observe a ceasefire to watch the finals; and thier leader Prabhakaran, is said to be hoping for a Sri Lankan victory. Ironic then, why the conflict in the first place. After all Sri Lankan cricket is culmination of unity, integration and harmony - all that is absent in the handbook of a seperatist's ideology.
Sports is another. Comparatively, Sri Lankan excel in sports. The reason that Sri Lanka with 19 million people are able to compete against the cricket crazy neighbor of a billion people is the general attitude towards sports. Sri Lankans, especially parents, don't think of spending time playing a sport is a waste of time. The Sri Lankan youngsters are always encouraged to take a up a sport as much as they are expected to excel in academics. While the politicians have made constant mistakes in policy with regard to language and culture in curriculum, students as well as professionals have always united behind their teams despite their cultural and ethnic backgrounds.
Sri Lankans have also always being a relatively a progressive society. Sri Lankas have enjoyed freedom in most areas that even western countries lagged behind. Sri Lankan democracy took shape in the 30s - still under the British - with universal suffrage. Sri Lanka also set high standards in maintain the rights of minorities, women and children all of which have been now clouded due to years of war. Nevertheless, Sri Lanka remains a sort of society - not counting the war related incidences - that doesn't have a culture of questionable or shocking practices and rituals that are prevalent in other Asian and developing countries.
Internationally, Sri Lanka has maintained neutrality. Member of the non-aligned movement and an active mediator between India and Pakistan. As a result, one thing common between the two nuclear giants is their warm relations with Sri Lanka. This explains the Sri Lanka flags flying high in cities across India and Pakistan and even Bangladesh wishing the Sri Lankan the best of luck for the 2007 Cricket World Cup finals.
Speaking of which, back to the World Cup. If Sri Lanka Cricket is a reflection of the general charactaristics of the people of Sri Lanka; competitiveness, determination, professionalism etc - then the Sri Lankan cricket fans are then its spirit. A commentator recently said "the noise the Sri Lankans make when a their bowler gets wicket is deafening". Patriotic and passionate but equally light hearted and delightful they come in thousands and turn cricket grounds upside down with the cheer, papare music and dance. The Sri Lankans are much loved world over the sports fans across the world are joining the Sri Lankans cheering the dazzling Sri Lankan team at the world cup finals. As Sri Lankan have become the adopted "home" team of the West Indies in the finals, the Sri Lankan's papare band is expected to play in tune with the local steel bands in Barbados this Saturday. There are even reports where come bars in Sydney, London and New York are playing papare music to cheer on the Sri Lankans.
Tamil Tigers too are expected get on the band wagon and observe a ceasefire to watch the finals; and thier leader Prabhakaran, is said to be hoping for a Sri Lankan victory. Ironic then, why the conflict in the first place. After all Sri Lankan cricket is culmination of unity, integration and harmony - all that is absent in the handbook of a seperatist's ideology.
posted by Hitch at 4/27/2007 08:50:00 PM
5 Comments:
Sri Lankan Cricket has done Sri Lanka proud. Go Sri Lanka. Best of Luck.
Sooo true. Sri Lanka would have been one of the great countries in the world if not for that selfish jackass.
Go Sri Lanka. Sri Lankan Cricket is the only thing that truely represents the great diversity and energy of the country. Good luck tomorrow.
Our cricket team sucks. mahela should step down as captain! He did not lead the team well. We were lucky!
I agree. Mahela should go.
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