This year's Australian Open draw for Men's Doubles is in its 3rd round. Two games for berths in the quarter finals remain. In one of the remaining matches, 8th seeds Michael Llodra (France) and Nenad Zimonjic (Serbia) play the 10th seeds, and an increasingly popular duo of Rohan Bopanna (India) and Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi (Pakistan), and in the other the 13th seed pair of Marcel Grandollers (Spain) and Tommy Roberdo (Spain) will face the together-again pair of Mahesh Bhupathi and Leander Paes (both from India).
How cool will it be if Pre-partition Indian Express (Bopanna & Qureshi) were to play Post-partition Indian Express (Bhupathi & Paes) next? Now that will be one heck of a Samjhauta Express, isn't it?
To understand the play on words done above, just a quick South-Asian and Tennis history lesson for non-Indians and non-Pakistanis:
1. Indian and Pakistan were formed in 1947 when Britishers had to leave the sub-continent. Unfortunately, inspite of being cut from the same cloth, since the partition in 1947 the two countries have been at it. This is why when budding Tennis doubles team of Bopanna (from India) & Qureshi (from Pakistan) broke on to the Tennis scene, they were very well received and their novel effort at helping further the cause of peace between two countries is being feted.
2. Most Tennis fans would know that Bhupathi and Paes, the two other popular Tennis players from India, played as a doubles team, and won many an open. They are referred to as The Indian Express (BTW, The Indian Express is a leading National News Daily in India).
3. 'Samjhauta' is a Hindi/Punjabi/Urdu word for compromise. 'Samjhauta Express' is a train that runs between India and Pakistan - another attempt at restoring peaceful relations between the two countries.
So now, what do you say - pretty cool, isn't it? Not only that, if that match transpires, there will be three Indian and a Pakistani player on the court at the same time - well, actually we should say four Hindustani players on the same court. During colonial rule, India + Pakistan territories were also referred to as 'Hindustan'.
Last Saturday, Rohan Bopanna and Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi 'Walked The Talk' with Shekhar Gupta (The Editor of The Indian Express!). It was a nice interview. Lets hope they keep up the good work.
Coincidences, coincidences.
1 comment:
It seems that was not to be - Bopanna and Qureshi lost to the Spanish pair. But that is alright as there are many an open still to come. Lovers of peace, let us keep our fingers crossed.
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