As a country once colonised by a white, Western power, India has long battled the social, economic and psychological effects of racism and emerged not a battered loser but a leader in the worldwide fight for racial justice. It is a well-documented fact that Mahatma Gandhi and other Indian leaders inspired Martin Luther King Jr and Nelson Mandela, amongst others, to carry forward their own efforts against racial discrimination.

For Ricky Ponting and his team to shut out the political and historical context in which the term ‘racism’ acquired both meaning and currency and use it against Harbhajan Singh, therefore, is nothing short of mischievous. Racism, after all, is not only discriminatory or abusive behaviour towards a person of another race but also the attempt of a dominant race to hold on to power over a historically dominated race. That Ponting and his men are attempting to appropriate the term ‘racist’ and turn history and politics on its head is a cause for concern for anyone who seeks genuine social justice. The ramification of Ponting’s tactics is that in a single stroke it neutralises the political arsenal of coloured people combating real racism as well as diminishes their credibility. For, if those objecting to racism are perceived to be as guilty as those historically responsible for racism, they lose the moral authority to speak up against racial discrimination now and in future.

This is of course not to argue that history for ever exempts all Indians from charges of racism. Some ignorant Indians are indeed racist.

... contd.