God Bless
Cricket
By Pervaiz Alvi
US
Ms Bapsi Sidhwa is a ‘Citizen
of the World’, or at least that is what
she tells us (Pakistan Link, April 29, 2005).
Why not. If Bertrand Russell could be a citizen
of the world then why not she. After all she has
written four novels about socio-politico life
in South Asia and unlike most Pakistani Americans
she has lived in India as well. That alone should
qualify any one of us to be the citizen of the
world.
She treasures the ‘fluidity’ of her
‘multiple citizenship’. Why can’t
all Pakistanis be like her? Why are they so rigid
and nationalistic? Look at her; whenever she applies
for a visa to India she fills out the column marked
‘city and country of birth: Karachi, India’.
But the authorities that issue visas would have
none of this. They politely but firmly tell her
that she was born in Pakistan. What a pity. They
should tell her that she was born in the ‘World’.
Enough with these petty countries, their borders,
and their citizenships and visas. It is nobody’s
business but hers alone to claim where she is
from.
But this was not always the case. She remembers
the time when she was ‘rabidly patriotic’.
Every time India attacked Pakistan and Pakistanis
were praying, fighting and dieing for their country
Ms. Sidhwa ‘rooted for Pakistan’,
just like she does for her favorite cricket team
now. But soon she realized that patriotism was
morally wrong as it ‘blinds one to the pain
of others’. To her, ‘to be patriotic
is of necessity to be at odds with your neighbors’.
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