BRIDGING THE GAP

Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi and Rohan Bopanna lost in the US Open finals. Big deal….someone
always loses right? Yet, Their feat still deserves applause. Qureshi and Bopanna lost to the
top seeds, Bob and Mike Bryan, after a well-fought match. Again,if your not an avid follower
of tennis, you must be wondering, who cares? Let me tell you. What gives the tennis duo's
success an extra dimension is the unusual pairing. Indian and Pakistani citizens rarely join
hands, even in sport. Sure, you see them in the IPL…but consider this…it really isn’t by
choice, is it? Probably the only reason why sportsmen from the two countries would even
bother to play together is the big fat cheque that they receive ( not to mention the fact that
they were bid for by rich socialites and businessmen) .

The two tennis players have offered us a scenario rarely imagined in the subcontinent, a
partnership involving Indians and Pakistanis. The Qureshi-Bopanna partnership is evidence
that such a prospect can be real and rewarding. It's a model worthy of emulation not just in
sports but in other spheres of human activity. I know…on first thought…the possibility of
this happening is quite remote, but here is living proof ( proofs? ) that athletes from two
different countries CAN forget the cultural and political differences and together indulge in
their passion.What's possible in sport is surely possible in business, trade, education, and so
many other sectors, isn’t it?

Here, it may be worth asking what made Qureshi and Bopanna click as a team. Bopanna
summed up their success in a single word: trust. The baggage of the past may weigh down
heads of states and restrict their capabilities to rise above mutual suspicion and forge a
climate of peace.Now…I for one can never imagine them(the heads of states ) sitting down
and have a nice chat about the latest Resident Evil flick, but shouldn’t civil societies be able
to transcend such animosity and work together for a single purpose?

Look,the facts are simple. As a nation, we don’t trust Pakistan. Not one bit. And why should
we. The relations between the two states are far from cordial, what with the Kargil War and
the Kasmir situation. Granted, although there is no direct proof that Pakistan was in any
way related to the event, the terror attacks on 26/11 have not helped strengthen our bonds
either. But why should we hold it against the people of Pakistan.After all,they are human as
well right? Im confident that as I type this this out… there must be some youth over 2000
km away,writing down the same about us. The relationship that exists between the two
governments shouldn’t really come in the way of how one Indian citizen views his Pakistani
counterpart.
 One way to marginalise this adverse effect on Indo- Pak relations is for civil societies to
build alliances that are not restricted by the logic of the nation state, like the Qureshi-
Bopanna bonding. Once such alliances gain momentum, even states could be brought to
realise the transformational potential that is present in collaboration. 

Both Qureshi and Bopanna claim that they had no political motives to play as a team. In
their opinion, they were brought together by sheer love of tennis. Perhaps that is true. But
that one simple act of theirs has proven that we can set aside our political differences for a
greater cause. Who knows? Perhaps someday, Qureshi and Bopanna might be remembered
as the tennis players who brought two countries together. The flagbearers of peace. That
remains to be seen.. But I hope that in the future, more sportsmen will stand together with
flags of both India and Pakistan printed on their caps, ready to truly play as a team….

It’s time to bridge the gap.