Cricket is not just a game but much more for Indians and Pakistanis and sometimes, citizens of both the countries take the sport to a new level and start mocking one another over victory or loss. Recently, Pakistan defeated India with a big margin in the finals of ICC Champions Trophy 2017. If you are active on social media, you must be aware of all the thrashing and trolls social media sites have been flooded with during the period of ICC Championship. Even celebrities like Rishi Kapoor acted very immature and had been involved in mocking Pakistan in an unpleasant manner. As a result, he was brutally slammed by Pakistanis after the final match which was obviously won by the ‘Men in Green’.
Amidst all the hatred and wrath that made social media a filthy place, a Facebook post by an Indian woman congratulating Pakistan over their win is a perfect example of harmony, love and the spirit of sport.
A lady named Archana Mohan has written a “Thank You” note to Pakistan on Facebook and each word of her post seems to be soaked in the ink of truth and purity without the intent of maligning anyone’s image. Perhaps for the same reason, her post went viral shortly with 31K likes, 3.8K comments and over 9K shares.
She beautifully wrote about the positive traits post the match which her family members observed in place of hurling abuses. Each sentence of her post holds a great meaning and it’s something we all must not only read but also understand!
Here’s Archana Mohan’s Facebook post:
“Pakistan, thanks for defeating us!
Dear Pakistan
I was sure I would wake up with a soul wrenching hangover after you pulverized my team yesterday. To be honest, I wanted to bury myself in a hole and keep newspapers at bay so I didn’t have to relive ‘that’ no ball again.
But something happened this morning.
Instead of the pooja room, where she usually offers prayers every morning, my mother in law was in the living room, waxing eloquent about Mohammad Amir. ‘God works in mysterious ways,’ she said. ‘The boy who made a mistake in his youth has grabbed his second chance. What a great redemption!’
‘I wish we had players like theirs’, my husband said ruefully. ‘From the by lanes of Peshawar to an ICC event, they are cricketers in the purest sense’, he said dreamily.
‘And what about that boy Fakhar Zaman’, my father in law, said, his cup of filter coffee simmering just like his voice. He is a Navy man no? That’s what a soldier does for his country,’ the ex-serviceman said proudly.
At work, the colleague who had only a day earlier tweeted a crude slur on Pakistan confessed he had watched everything there was on Youtube about Sarfaraz Ahmed. That man, he said sheepishly, is something else.
On my social media feed, there were dozens of messages congratulating Pakistan and saluting their never say die spirit. ‘Marry me Babar Azam’ said one of them!
It felt like utopia.
What if India had won? I shudder to think of how low some of us would have stooped in our boorish behavior.
It has been a tough few years for Pakistan. Lack of finances and the reluctance of other teams to play there on account of security reasons has crippled them to some extent but as this win shows, you can never write them off. Irrespective of the result, I am sure, we will always remember this unbelievable comeback from the team that was expected to crash out in the first round itself.
I can’t believe that I am saying this, but thank you Pakistan for winning the match. Thank you for being an inspiration.
India may have ended up second, but many of us won something more important than a shiny trophy – the tag of being a good sport.
Perhaps there may still be hope for the two countries after all!
#indiavspak #championstrophy2017”
You can read her post on Facebook by clicking here
Her post got overwhelming and positive response for obvious reasons. It’s high time that we learn and accept that a game is not just about victory or defeat!
You won the Internet, woman! Kudos!
