Why Hatred?

Yes, I am talking of India - Pakistan matches, essentially cricket, but in the past hockey too.

Cricket is a religion in India. Cricket is the biggest integrating force in India. Cricket is the biggest entertainer in India. Cricket is passion, obsession and many more 'ion's indeed. All this is true.

Nehru taught us, and rightly so, that winning or losing is not so important but participation is and that play the game in the spirit of the game. This spirit in any game, including cricket is competition and passion to excel. Competition and excelling are both positive and great ideals to pursue. And a Gentleman's game, that's what cricket is supposed to be, is always associated with positive. A Gentleman cannot have attributes that are negative or regressive, because having such attributes will make him a villain, a la bollywood style.

I am always perplexed by the reactions to India - Pakistan matches, on both sides. Fans in India would not mind losing the world cup if we have defeated Pakistan, vice-versa in Pakistan? A match seems like both the countries are at war! The passions run high, so much so that TV sets are smashed, player's homes pelted with whatever you have, forget the abuses.

My basic query is, what generates such passions? If it is a desire to win or just being better than your neighbour, then matches and victories against other teams do not generate such passion. Why only Pakistan?

The only plausible explanation seems to be the historical fact that Pakistan was carved out of India on the two nations theory and that has its baggage on both sides. And we have fought many wars. And the terrorism and drug smuggling from across the border. And politics in both countries have a lot to do with this. I can remember the times when any domestic problem had a set answer from the powers that be and that answer was the famous bogey of 'foreign hand'. That became a tool with establishments on both sides of the border to divert public opinion from a burning domestic issue.

Whatever be the explanation for this phenomenon, why this Hatred? 

In both countries religion is still the basis of our value system. Much of what we call goodness and human, comes from the grounding we have in religion from our childhoods. We go off at many tangents as grown ups, but the base of our values is religion. No religion teaches us hatred. No values acquired by us teach hatred. Cricket does not teach hatred. Yet, I see hatred during India - Pakistan match. Fans go crazy, ex-players and commentators go crazy, Media goes crazy. Even a gentleman and a person full of values and humility like Amitabh Bachchan is affected and wants a win against Pakistan?

I started with Nehru and I'll end with him. In 1979, I was in class 11 in Chandigarh. There was a huge hoarding outside the cricket stadium in sector 16 with Nehru's words, "Who dies if India lives, Who lives if India dies". These words had a profound impact on me then and still do. When it comes to a India - Pakistan match, win or lose, India (for that matter Pakistan) neither lives nor dies. 

Cricket is a commercial sport. It entertains us. Let it just be a game and not a proxy for either war between nations or our inherent baser tendencies.     

Am I the only odd man out or are there others who think like me?