[VIDEOS] "I just learnt what that 'kalu' meant when I played for Sunrisers in the IPL": Darren Sammy

[Slog]

One of my mothers cousin is named Kaalu. Thats his pet name. His parents, family everyone calls him kaalu. We call him Kaalu mama. Its a common pet name in bengal.

It basically comes as a shortened form of Kaalia, one of lord Krishna's 108 names.

Are you saying Sammy was nicknamed ‘Kalu’ for a reason other than his skin color? Did some of the indian cricketers see him as reincarnation of Hindu Lord Krishna?

 

[Hasan123]

He found out when he watched Hasan Minhaj's video a couple of days ago. That's literally mentioned in the OP.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">recently I discovered a word that I was being called was not what it actually meant I need some answers. So before I start calling out names I need these individuals to reach out and please tell me there’s another meaning to that word. I saw u as brothers <a href="https://t.co/Ouf7eh5Yu8">https://t.co/Ouf7eh5Yu8</a></p>— Daren Sammy (@darensammy88) <a href="https://twitter.com/darensammy88/status/1270184549478273025?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 9, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

"So before I start calling out names I need these individuals to reach out and please tell me there’s another meaning to that word."

Played in Asia for 10 years and only found out in last few days what kala means.

Sounds dodgy to me. But he should not have been called kala. It is a lack of respect.

 

[Slog]

Played in Asia for 10 years and only found out what Kala meant in the last few days?

Sounds dodgy to me.

When most of the desis themselves think that it’s a term of endearment you really can’t fault a foreigner for getting the wrong impression.

The point is this. Even if the indian players were using it as a nickname or term of endearment and had no malice (which I can believe); that still doesn’t make it right. That was Luis Suarez’s argument for using the n-word for zebra and it didn’t get him off the hook. Similarly, even if non blacks want to call their black friends the n-word for fun; they aren’t allowed to and get strong rebukes. So standard should be same here.

 

[Hasan123]

When most of the desis themselves think that it’s a term of endearment you really can’t fault a foreigner for getting the wrong impression.

The point is this. Even if the indian players were using it as a nickname or term of endearment and had no malice (which I can believe); that still doesn’t make it right. That was Luis Suarez’s argument for using the n-word for zebra and it didn’t get him off the hook. Similarly, even if non blacks want to call their black friends the n-word for fun; they aren’t allowed to and get strong rebukes. So standard should be same here.

They had no right to call him kala. My issue with Sammy isn't that .

My issue is that he is claiming he didn't know what it was for all these years. He has hung out with Javed Afridi enough to have an idea what it means.

 

[Forward Defensive Push]

He found out when he watched Hasan Minhaj's video a couple of days ago. That's literally mentioned in the OP.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">recently I discovered a word that I was being called was not what it actually meant I need some answers. So before I start calling out names I need these individuals to reach out and please tell me there’s another meaning to that word. I saw u as brothers <a href="https://t.co/Ouf7eh5Yu8">https://t.co/Ouf7eh5Yu8</a></p>— Daren Sammy (@darensammy88) <a href="https://twitter.com/darensammy88/status/1270184549478273025?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 9, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

"So before I start calling out names I need these individuals to reach out and please tell me there’s another meaning to that word."

Haha he's trying to milk this now.. clever fellow

 

[DeadlyVenom]

I fully support the BLM movement but you cannot compare so called racist comments in the subcontinent to those in the west.

Blacks in many western countries are subject to systemic racism from powerful establishments in society such as the police and judiciary.

This is on a completely different scale to the racism experienced in the SC which is most definitley non politically correct and bad language but not in a major malicious way.

Note I am not diminishing someones experience of racism but the SC countries do not have a horse in this race. Kala, Gora, Mota, Ganja etc are all comments made on a daily basis in the SC as generally these places are harsh and image based labelling is not as big a deal as in the west. Again, yes it is wrong but its not on the same level as fricking police killing people in America.

A few very bad comments from Ishant Sharma or previously Sarfraz are being used to put the SC in the same bracket as America.

 

[Bewal Express]

I can remember when Sarfraz said what he said to Andile Phehlukwayo, I was saying a black person could find it offensive. People were still defending Sarfraz. Now look Sammy is offended by being referred to as black rather than his name.

My only question is when he found out what it meant at the time, why did he not report it? Why has he waited until now? Furthermore why not say the names now?

Sometimes people stay quiet to avoid looking like trouble makers or to avoid causing a stir and then something like this happens and they think they need to speak up, a bit like the me too movement.

 

[Bewal Express]

I fully support the BLM movement but you cannot compare so called racist comments in the subcontinent to those in the west.

Blacks in many western countries are subject to systemic racism from powerful establishments in society such as the police and judiciary.

This is on a completely different scale to the racism experienced in the SC which is most definitley non politically correct and bad language but not in a major malicious way.

Note I am not diminishing someones experience of racism but the SC countries do not have a horse in this race. Kala, Gora, Mota, Ganja etc are all comments made on a daily basis in the SC as generally these places are harsh and image based labelling is not as big a deal as in the west. Again, yes it is wrong but its not on the same level as fricking police killing people in America.

A few very bad comments from Ishant Sharma or previously Sarfraz are being used to put the SC in the same bracket as America.

Racism is more nuanced in the West but it is more blatant it in the SC and the only reason you can say its not the CJ system is because we don't have the number of African origin people as in the West, if we did, it would be just as bad or worse. Your post is nonsense

 

[Firebat]

Never had to face racism during India vs Pakistan matches: Shoaib Akhtar

Former Pakistan fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar said he never had to face racism during his celebrated international career even during major overseas tours.

Shoaib Akhtar said he never was at the receiving end of discrimination when he toured overseas with the Pakistan cricket team. Akhtar also pointed out that he never saw Pakistan players being targeted in India or the vice-versa.

Shoaib Akhtar though recalled he had faced the heat of the crowd during the Kolkata Test of 1999 which was also the inaugural Test of the now-defunct Asian Test Championship. The match on the final day had to be stopped following unruly behaviour from the Eden Gardens crowd after Sachin Tendulkar was run out under controversial circumstances during Pakistan's 46-run win.

"No, I never had to face it (on racism). I faced it once when Sachin got run out in Kolkata and fans thought it was my fault. At that time a little bit happened. But otherwise, I have never faced it," Shoaib Akhtar said during his interaction on Helo app.

"I was scared that I might face racism in India or people might chant slogans against Pakistan or fans might chant slogans about the Kashmir issue.

"But that never happened. And neither has this ever happened to Indian players in Pakistan. I was a bit hesitant during the 2004-05 tour to India and was scared of facing a bit of backlash from the crowd but that never happened.

"From both sides, it was a good thing. There were no religious issues regarding Hindu-Muslim or Sikh-Muslim tensions from either side.

"There was no hooting, nobody chanted any slogans relating to someone's colour, race or religion. I didn't hear anything about this either in India or Pakistan or in Australia."

Shoaib Akhtar's comments come after several cricketers have opened up about racism in the sport. West Indies superstars Chris Gayle and Daren Sammy took to social media to share their experiences of racism in cricket.

Daren Sammy had urged the International Cricket Council to speak up against racism in the aftermath of the killing of an African-American man, George Floyd during police custody in Minneapolis, US.

Daren Sammy also revealed that he and Sri Lanka all-rounder Thisara Perrera were addressed as 'kalu' during his stint with Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Sunrisers Hyderabad.

In an emotional social media post, Darren Sammy urged his teammates who had labelled him 'kalu' to contact him and explain why they had done so during his time at the Sunrisers.

"... I instantly got very angry about it knowing now what that word meant. I will be messaging those people, you guys know who you are," Sammy said.

"I must admit at that time when I was being called that, I didn't know what it meant, I thought the word meant strong stallion or whatever it is, and I saw no problems because I was ignorant about what it meant.

"But every time I and Thisara Perera were called with that word, there was laughter at that moment. Me being a team man, I thought teammates are happy, so it must be something funny."

On Tuesday, a Instagram post of Ishant Sharma from 2014 in which the India fast bowlers had labelled Daren Sammy 'kalu' resurfaced, corroborating the West Indies player's allegation.

https://www.indiatoday.in/sports/cr...overseas-tours-daren-sammy-1687243-2020-06-09

 

[Slog]

Never had to face racism during India vs Pakistan matches: Shoaib Akhtar

Former Pakistan fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar said he never had to face racism during his celebrated international career even during major overseas tours.

Shoaib Akhtar said he never was at the receiving end of discrimination when he toured overseas with the Pakistan cricket team. Akhtar also pointed out that he never saw Pakistan players being targeted in India or the vice-versa.

Shoaib Akhtar though recalled he had faced the heat of the crowd during the Kolkata Test of 1999 which was also the inaugural Test of the now-defunct Asian Test Championship. The match on the final day had to be stopped following unruly behaviour from the Eden Gardens crowd after Sachin Tendulkar was run out under controversial circumstances during Pakistan's 46-run win.

"No, I never had to face it (on racism). I faced it once when Sachin got run out in Kolkata and fans thought it was my fault. At that time a little bit happened. But otherwise, I have never faced it," Shoaib Akhtar said during his interaction on Helo app.

"I was scared that I might face racism in India or people might chant slogans against Pakistan or fans might chant slogans about the Kashmir issue.

"But that never happened. And neither has this ever happened to Indian players in Pakistan. I was a bit hesitant during the 2004-05 tour to India and was scared of facing a bit of backlash from the crowd but that never happened.

"From both sides, it was a good thing. There were no religious issues regarding Hindu-Muslim or Sikh-Muslim tensions from either side.

"There was no hooting, nobody chanted any slogans relating to someone's colour, race or religion. I didn't hear anything about this either in India or Pakistan or in Australia."

Shoaib Akhtar's comments come after several cricketers have opened up about racism in the sport. West Indies superstars Chris Gayle and Daren Sammy took to social media to share their experiences of racism in cricket.

Daren Sammy had urged the International Cricket Council to speak up against racism in the aftermath of the killing of an African-American man, George Floyd during police custody in Minneapolis, US.

Daren Sammy also revealed that he and Sri Lanka all-rounder Thisara Perrera were addressed as 'kalu' during his stint with Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Sunrisers Hyderabad.

In an emotional social media post, Darren Sammy urged his teammates who had labelled him 'kalu' to contact him and explain why they had done so during his time at the Sunrisers.

"... I instantly got very angry about it knowing now what that word meant. I will be messaging those people, you guys know who you are," Sammy said.

"I must admit at that time when I was being called that, I didn't know what it meant, I thought the word meant strong stallion or whatever it is, and I saw no problems because I was ignorant about what it meant.

"But every time I and Thisara Perera were called with that word, there was laughter at that moment. Me being a team man, I thought teammates are happy, so it must be something funny."

On Tuesday, a Instagram post of Ishant Sharma from 2014 in which the India fast bowlers had labelled Daren Sammy 'kalu' resurfaced, corroborating the West Indies player's allegation.

https://www.indiatoday.in/sports/cr...overseas-tours-daren-sammy-1687243-2020-06-09

Clearly Shoaib doesn’t even understand what racism is

But obv he has to butt in and stay relevant lol

 

[Bhaag Viru Bhaag]

If he is asking for an apology then Indian players who called him 'kaalu' should apologize.

 

[Mesozoic]

Never had to face racism during India vs Pakistan matches: Shoaib Akhtar

Shabby back at it again.

 

[Rana]

Shabby back at it again.

I don’t think Indians consider themselves to be the same race as Pakistanis.

 

[Bewal Express]

Clearly Shoaib doesn’t even understand what racism is

But obv he has to butt in and stay relevant lol

I think SA is confusing abuse with racism.

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

Zalmi fans have been calling Sammy “Sammy torr ey kho zamung rorr ey” since 2017, ever since he adopted the Sammy Khan gimmick and was turned into a cartoon character by Javed Afridi for marketing.

Translation: “Sammy you are black but you are our brother”.

torr and rorr translate to “black” and “brother” in Pashto. They rhyme.

Sammy actually found out about it in a live video session with Javed Afridi and Younis Khan in 2017 where Sammy asked for the translation and Younis said that it was racism. Sammy started laughing.

It appears that racism is okay and actually a laughing matter when you are getting paid millions.

Opportunists like Sammy who milk movements are the ones who defame genuine victims and put the whole movement in bad light.

Moreover, I don’t buy the notion that Sammy did not know what kaala/kalu meant until he played for SRH in 2013. The Pakistani media/players referred to the West Indies team as kaali andhi “black storm” in the 70s and 80s, and Sammy has been playing international cricket since 2004 and has played multiple matches against Pakistan and India.

Does he really think people are going to believe that he didn’t know the meaning of Kaalu/Kala until 2013?

Did you literally just blame the victim?

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

Some people on this thread are cynical beyond belief. Whatever his true motivations are is something you all do not know. But that doesn't mean people in India, Pakistan do not use this term in a derogatory sense. Instead of acting over-smart we should condemn racism in all forms because frankly our people are some of the most racist people on the planet. And just because it is often casual racism does not make it right.

Also, I really don't understand the logic that certain people are giving which is that Sammy is essentially band-wagoning behind a movement. Even if he is, so what? Does that make the racism that he was subjected to (which he didn't even know about), and to which other players laughed, alright?

 

[someone21]

It's the connotations that the word imply. The word Kalu is more akin to blacky than black.

So a foreigner or the person who doesn't know the language is telling, one who calls their family members and friends "kalu" is racist. Sammy like many foreigners, should stop his moral policing.

And Sammy has no rights to complain given he was happy with the "strong black man" tag. It wasn't that he didn't know the meaning, but rather had an incomplete understanding of the word.

 

[ahmedzee]

Darren Sammy should be ******. He experienced racism in India. Only thing that can done now is apology from Hyderabad players or coach or set up of that time and that should do it.

Instead of wanting an apology from its respectful board, racists like Joshila are justifying calling him "kallu".

Grow up please [MENTION=76058]cricketjoshila[/MENTION]

 

[MenInG]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">It’s never too late to fight for the right cause or what you’ve experienced over the years! So much more to your story, <a href="https://twitter.com/darensammy88?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@darensammy88</a>. Like I said, it’s in the game!! &#55356;&#57343;&#55356;&#57343;&#55356;&#57343; <a href="https://t.co/w7btmQ3cYf">https://t.co/w7btmQ3cYf</a></p>— Chris Gayle (@henrygayle) <a href="https://twitter.com/henrygayle/status/1270380505884696581?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 9, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

 

[MenInG]

So a foreigner or the person who doesn't know the language is telling, one who calls their family members and friends "kalu" is racist. Sammy like many foreigners, should stop his moral policing.

And Sammy has no rights to complain given he was happy with the "strong black man" tag. It wasn't that he didn't know the meaning, but rather had an incomplete understanding of the word.

Afraid you are out of step with the times. If IPL/Indians dont handle this properly (and sensitively), the matter will blow up badly.

 

[Dios]

This word is very common in Pakistan and Bangladesh too. It is not right and shouldn't be used but it is not malicious or as racially charged as the n-word. I'm pretty sure Sammy heard this word in the PSL and BPL too so I wonder why he is singling out the IPL? Is it because this gives him the maximum mileage or because he still retains some hope of playing in the PSL and BPL whereas the IPL is done with him?

 

[cricketjoshila]

I understand what you're saying about symbolism in Hinduism as correlation to the word. But with Sammy being a black man and the fact he's now spoken up because obviously someone has whispered it in his ear, I believe the connotations are much different.

We refer to whites as Gora. Happened throughout the British rule. Happens now as well. No one objects.

We have to get rid of the stigma attached to the word black.

 

[cricketjoshila]

Are you saying Sammy was nicknamed ‘Kalu’ for a reason other than his skin color? Did some of the indian cricketers see him as reincarnation of Hindu Lord Krishna?

I am saying Kalu isnt exactly racist in subcontinent.

 

[Blistering Barnacle]

I fully support the BLM movement but you cannot compare so called racist comments in the subcontinent to those in the west.

Blacks in many western countries are subject to systemic racism from powerful establishments in society such as the police and judiciary.

This is on a completely different scale to the racism experienced in the SC which is most definitley non politically correct and bad language but not in a major malicious way.

Note I am not diminishing someones experience of racism but the SC countries do not have a horse in this race. Kala, Gora, Mota, Ganja etc are all comments made on a daily basis in the SC as generally these places are harsh and image based labelling is not as big a deal as in the west. Again, yes it is wrong but its not on the same level as fricking police killing people in America.

A few very bad comments from Ishant Sharma or previously Sarfraz are being used to put the SC in the same bracket as America.

This is an example of a horribly ignorant post. Dude, you should be ashamed posting this drivel. And you need to educate yourself. What an idiotic post.

 

[Mamoon]

Did you literally just blame the victim?

He is not a victim.

 

[cricketjoshila]

Are you saying Sammy was nicknamed ‘Kalu’ for a reason other than his skin color? Did some of the indian cricketers see him as reincarnation of Hindu Lord Krishna?

I am saying that the word Kalu isnt a racist term in SC.

And that people are named Kalu.

 

[someone21]

Afraid you are out of step with the times. If IPL/Indians dont handle this properly (and sensitively), the matter will blow up badly.

Please, Sammy is cashing on the situation and actually black-mailing his old teammates and probably friends. He simply not trustworthy. As a group, there are many jokes within friends, but you don't accuse them of racism after many years onwards. It can be rude, cruel jokes but it is fun and non-serious.

Sammy is also a hypocrite as he happily accepted the "strong black man" tag as that was what he orginally thought kalu meant. So color was never an issue for him...

 

[Bewal Express]

So a foreigner or the person who doesn't know the language is telling, one who calls their family members and friends "kalu" is racist. Sammy like many foreigners, should stop his moral policing.

And Sammy has no rights to complain given he was happy with the "strong black man" tag. It wasn't that he didn't know the meaning, but rather had an incomplete understanding of the word.

What you or anyone elses calls their friends is your problem but calling a black man kalu is racist. Is it term of endearment or a term of denigration? Yes we know what it is, and i am surprised that you cant distinguish between the 2. As far as the strong black man tag is concerned, it is a reaction to 1000s of years of discrimination and brutality.

 

[DeadlyVenom]

This is an example of a horribly ignorant post. Dude, you should be ashamed posting this drivel. And you need to educate yourself. What an idiotic post.

Ignorant of what exactly? Please explain what I need to educate myself on.

The treatment of the black people of America stems from 400 years of slavery and subsequent systemic racism within the power structure that cruelly undermines them and instead of protecting them kills them.

There is no direct correlation between this treatment of blacks in the west and in the SC , and while the name calling of Sammy is undoubtedly wrong it is not racist to the same extent and there was probably no malice in those statements.

Sammy is right to feel aggrieved and the culture should change but those trying to equate this with the BLM movement need to get their priorities straight. Someone might call someone in the SC kala, but nobody with dark skin will have a knee on their windpipe for 9 minutes just for being black.

 

[Bewal Express]

I am saying that the word Kalu isnt a racist term in SC.

And that people are named Kalu.

Really? Kalu means blacky not black. I thought we would move on from this rubbish but you guys still love in the stone age, if you think it isnt racist.

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

He is not a victim.

He is a victim of racist and derogatory language. Whitewashing it through half-baked insinuations doesn't make it so.

 

[Slog]

I am saying that the word Kalu isnt a racist term in SC.

And that people are named Kalu.

So Sarfraz wasnt guilty either since he also used same term?

 

[DeadlyVenom]

A more direct equivalence in the SC would be Muslim Lives Matter in India or Christian Lives Matter in Pakistan where the state is sometimes complicit in the brutal oppression of minorties.

The SC has many problems. Casual racism may be one of them but they dont have state racism like the West does.

 

[someone21]

What you or anyone elses calls their friends is your problem but calling a black man kalu is racist. Is it term of endearment or a term of denigration? Yes we know what it is, and i am surprised that you cant distinguish between the 2. As far as the strong black man tag is concerned, it is a reaction to 1000s of years of discrimination and brutality.

That's rubbish. It's not applicable for western standards on India/ South Asian culture. Mothers, Fathers, Siblings, Friends, Relatives all use the word "kalu" many times in the culture. There is no evil intention or political meaning to it here.

Cultural sensitivity works both ways. Sammy also ought to understand the way of live and their words in South Asia. So Sammy suddenly thinks his own friends, his team mates are racist, then it's him who simply untrustworthy, a plain opportunist and an evil friend.

 

[Mamoon]

He is a victim of racist and derogatory language. Whitewashing it through half-baked insinuations doesn't make it so.

The issue is that he doesn’t seem to have a shred of credibility because he is being highly selective. If you want to play the victim card at least be consistent.

There is nothing to look into his moaning as far as I am concerned.

 

[DeadlyVenom]

Sammy is a victim here of bad language. Language that could be deemed racist but for God sake its a lot different to a black guy in the USA / South Africa being racially abused.

 

[cricketjoshila]

So Sarfraz wasnt guilty either since he also used same term?

Context is different.

A team mate Calling you something in a joking way is one thing, an opponent doing it is different.

Let me give an example,

In certain north indian territories friends will call each other BC in a joking way, no one takes offence. You do it to strangers and they will likely retaliate.

 

[Bewal Express]

That's rubbish. It's not applicable for western standards on India/ South Asian culture. Mothers, Fathers, Siblings, Friends, Relatives all use the word "kalu" many times in the culture. There is no evil intention or political meaning to it here.

Cultural sensitivity works both ways. Sammy also ought to understand the way of live and their words in South Asia. So Sammy suddenly thinks his own friends, his team mates are racist, then it's him who simply untrustworthy, a plain opportunist and an evil friend.

So you are telling me that the black skin is celebrated in Ind or PK? I have must missed something. We love the Chiti Chambri more than white man, why all the skin lightening creams? and you say it has no connotations. My word there is someone in denial.

 

[cricketjoshila]

He is a victim of racist and derogatory language. Whitewashing it through half-baked insinuations doesn't make it so.

Has Thisara perera concured? If not, how does Sammy prove this? Or is his word the bottom line?

At the most Ishant saud it, who else?

 

[cricketjoshila]

Btw,

Are the words black bradman black pearl black lightning also racist?

 

[Bhaag Viru Bhaag]

Btw,

Are the words black bradman black pearl black lightning also racist?

Oh so you are going to defend racism as well now? I wonder if the shoe was on the other foot guys like you would have demanded an apology from Darren Sammy.

 

[cricketjoshila]

Btw,

Are the words black bradman black pearl black lightning also racist?

Add to that, Rabada is referred to as black thunder.

 

[someone21]

So you are telling me that the black skin is celebrated in Ind or PK? I have must missed something. We love the Chiti Chambri more than white man, why all the skin lightening creams? and you say it has no connotations. My word there is someone in denial.

You don't have any local knowledge. The word "kalu" doesn't imply black skin. It can mean dark, but the implication is more important. Friends calling each other BC, MC, doesn't mean they are doing that??

Sammy is simply a person who can't be trusted. He has let down his own old teammates/friends down. And he lacks consistency in his argument, as he has positive reaction when the word implied strong black man.

Words like kala, chota, mota are part of culture, and people don't literally mean it.

 

[Bhaag Viru Bhaag]

Has Thisara perera concured? If not, how does Sammy prove this? Or is his word the bottom line?

At the most Ishant saud it, who else?

Wow. You are unbelievable.

 

[Mesozoic]

The fact that even Thisara Perera was called kaalu makes it clear that it was never about race.

Can't believe people here are missing this simple a logic.

 

[Bhaag Viru Bhaag]

You don't have any local knowledge. The word "kalu" doesn't imply black skin. It can mean dark, but the implication is more important. Friends calling each other BC, MC, doesn't mean they are doing that??

Sammy is simply a person who can't be trusted. He has let down his own old teammates/friends down. And he lacks consistency in his argument, as he has positive reaction when the word implied strong black man.

Words like kala, chota, mota are part of culture, and people don't literally mean it.

Oh bhai it is part of our culture not theirs. My fellow Indians won't like it if Aussies or English players start calling our players P@ki. Knowing how sensitive our people are, they will immediately demand an apology from those who dare to say it.

I thought this thread will be pretty short with most of the people demanding an apology from those who called Sammy 'Kalu' but it is surprising to see people defending racism here by trying to hide it behind their culture.

 

[Bhaag Viru Bhaag]

The fact that even Thisara Perera was called kaalu makes it clear that it was never about race.

Can't believe people here are missing this simple a logic.

Do you have any proof that Thisara Perera was called Kaalu? If yes, please give it to cricketjoshila bhai. At the moment we only have proof of Ishant Sharma calling Sammy 'kaalu'.

 

[Bewal Express]

You don't have any local knowledge. The word "kalu" doesn't imply black skin. It can mean dark, but the implication is more important. Friends calling each other BC, MC, doesn't mean they are doing that??

Sammy is simply a person who can't be trusted. He has let down his own old teammates/friends down. And he lacks consistency in his argument, as he has positive reaction when the word implied strong black man.

Words like kala, chota, mota are part of culture, and people don't literally mean it.

What you mean I don't have local knowledge? It's a widely used term in PK, and sadly its still used. The word Kalu is akin to blacky and its racist and I can't believe you have the gall to defend, instead you are blaming the victim of the abuse.
The words chota and mota is not the same level and if you don't know that, I feel sad for your ignorance.

 

[Bhaag Viru Bhaag]

So you are telling me that the black skin is celebrated in Ind or PK? I have must missed something. We love the Chiti Chambri more than white man, why all the skin lightening creams? and you say it has no connotations. My word there is someone in denial.

Sale of 'Fair and Lovely' creams in India is a good enough proof that how tolerant Indians are to words like 'kaalu' or 'kaalia'. Are you not surprised to see people defending it here?

 

[Bhaag Viru Bhaag]

What you mean I don't have local knowledge? It's a widely used term in PK, and sadly its still used. The word Kalu is akin to blacky and its racist and I can't believe you have the gall to defend, instead you are blaming the victim of the abuse.
The words chota and mota is not the same level and if you don't know that, I feel sad for your ignorance.

Only those who use these words in their day to day lives will defend it. Sick people.

 

[someone21]

Oh bhai it is part of our culture not theirs. My fellow Indians won't like it if Aussies or English players start calling our players P@ki. Knowing how sensitive our people are, they will immediately demand an apology from those who dare to say it.

I thought this thread will be pretty short with most of the people demanding an apology from those who called Sammy 'Kalu' but it is surprising to see people defending racism here by trying to hide it behind their culture.

That's an invalid comparison. Aussies don't call other Aussies "P*ki". But Indians do call other Indians as kalu. We call our own people kalu and it's part of the culture.

 

[someone21]

Also, racism is also about discrimination. And Sammy didn't face it, he was very involved in the team and well-liked. It is stupid of him, to call his teammates racist. He is blatantly milking all this.

He earned fair money, and enjoyed good support throughout his IPL team.

 

[Bewal Express]

Only those who use these words in their day to day lives will defend it. Sick people.

It's a problem in the whole of the SC. I can't believe some of the cr** these people are writing. Who "educates" these people?

 

[Saj]

The fact that even Thisara Perera was called kaalu makes it clear that it was never about race.

Can't believe people here are missing this simple a logic.

So the fact that it wasn't just Sammy who was called it, makes it ok.

Oh dear.

 

[ElRaja]

you can refer to someone as klala bhai if you want to be respectful, you use the term kaala if you are making an observation, the term kallu is never used with respect or for the purpose of making an observation, the fact that people believe anything else are either lying to themselves or staggeringly deluded.

sammy has every right to be offended, if people are calling him kalu, then laughing and giggling about it after telling him it means strong, or whatever he thought, they are clearly taking the pi55.

 

[Savak]

Why can't Sammy just treat it as a joke and move on? People make jokes at the workplace all the times for e.g. the gora jews in my office make jokes against the chinese and koreans in my office who laugh and joke about it rather than create a hissy fit about discrimination and the world being against them.

Sammy has to realize that being black, people will always make a mention of a black person's skin without any mallifide intent. You make a mountain hole of this all the time, you just unnecessarily fuel hatred and bigotry to extremists

 

[someone21]

you can refer to someone as klala bhai if you want to be respectful, you use the term kaala if you are making an observation, the term kallu is never used with respect or for the purpose of making an observation, the fact that people believe anything else are either lying to themselves or staggeringly deluded.

sammy has every right to be offended, if people are calling him kalu, then laughing and giggling about it after telling him it means strong, or whatever he thought, they are clearly taking the pi55.

So what is Kali Mata, Is that racism? And what about Black Panther movie?

 

[Abdullah719]

Btw,

Are the words black bradman black pearl black lightning also racist?

I think you summed it up well during the Sarfaraz incident.

This is racist.

But if you come from the subcontinent you will know that this language of referring to a black person by his skin color is common here.

2 days back i went to a market and was looking for a person there. I asked around about him.Asking people Whether X is there. The people there asked me which X. There a two people named X here, you want the fair one or the dark one. Or in hindi as Kaala wala ya **** wale X ko khoj raahe ho.

But Sarafaraz should have known better. What we use casually in the SC is racist elsewhere.

Yes, these terms are common. Yes, they aren't necessarily malicious. Yes, they are racist.

 

[Saj]

Amazing how some say Sarfaraz was racist but Ishant wasn't being racist.

I don't see any difference.

 

[Sirris]

I agree with Darren Sammy.

When Sarfraz used the word I called him out for that. Same thing here.

Kalu in no way has the same bad connotation as n****r but it is still highly inappropriate and something we in South Asia need to re-examine.

 

[Sirris]

I want to know how many Urdu/Hindi speaker can go up to a random Urdu/Hindi speaker and address him like " Hey, Kalu Can you please show me the way to xyz?"

No matter how respectful your tone is or the words you use, the person will most definetly take offense to being called "Kalu".

This reaction of the native shows that the word is inappropriate and considered insulting.

Only once you are cool with a person and there is a mutual understanding can you -if you are that type- address someone as "Kalu" but that's for almost all typically offensive words.

At the end of the day the latin word n*gro also just means black in latin and romantic languages like Spanish. Still they don't go around calling people n*gro in south america.

 

[Kroll]

The sly deflections by some aren't going to fool anybody.

 

[cricketjoshila]

I think you summed it up well during the Sarfaraz incident.



Yes, these terms are common. Yes, they aren't necessarily malicious. Yes, they are racist.

Two different contexts.

Here allgedly team mates were referring to him as kaalu in a friendly manner. Sarfaraz referred to a opposition player on the field of play.

What sarfaraz said was heard by all, here Sammy has given no evidence. He sat on this issue for 5 years?

And sorry but indians and pakistanis or Bangladeshis wont change their culture because someone in WI got offended.

 

[cricketjoshila]

So the fact that it wasn't just Sammy who was called it, makes it ok.

Oh dear.

Has Sammy provided proof of this happening? Or has Perera given a statement?

 

[Hasan123]

I always said Sarfraz was in the wrong with what he did. These players are also in the wrong.

I just find it funny that posters are now saying these Indian players were wrong yet posters were defending Sarfraz. Both parties are guilty.

 

[Sirris]

you can refer to someone as klala bhai if you want to be respectful, you use the term kaala if you are making an observation, the term kallu is never used with respect or for the purpose of making an observation, the fact that people believe anything else are either lying to themselves or staggeringly deluded.

sammy has every right to be offended, if people are calling him kalu, then laughing and giggling about it after telling him it means strong, or whatever he thought, they are clearly taking the pi55.

Since this is a very sensitive issue and it involves different cultures, we need to be precise.

You can NEVER refer to a random Urdu/Hindi speaking person as "Kalu". Not even when you add "Bhai" = bro to it as in "Kala bhai". You can further try to increase the politeness/respectfulness by saying "Bhai jaan". Even then calling someone, without establishing a mutual understanding first, as "Kalu Bhai jaan" is a taboo.

Even if the person has the darkest complexion in the whole area, he will feel offended for being called "Kalu Bhai jaan" by a random person. I can't think of any situation or context where you wouldn't offend the other party.

Now, If Indian players can claim that they told Sammy exactly what the word meant and he was ok with it during their playing days, then and only then can I see Sammy being wrong here.

 

[Sirris]

So what is Kali Mata, Is that racism? And what about Black Panther movie?

LOL at your poor attempt!

First of all as a Pakistani Muslim background, I was unware of the term "Kali Mata", perhaps it's a Hindu deity. It's obvious that this is a special case where the usage is understood to be acceptable.

Just for clarification I think "Mata" means mother.

Now suppose that your friend's mom has a really dark skin complexion. Can you, during your visit to his home, say

"Namaste Kali Amma-ji(=dear mother), How are you today?"


Or in private can you say to your friend:

"Hey bro, your mom is quite Kali, just like Kali Mata"

LOL!

Who are you trying to fool here?

 

[ahmedzee]

Has Sammy provided proof of this happening? Or has Perera given a statement?

If I was an Indian and a cricket fan, i would've apologized on behalf of Sammy, asked my cricket board to investigate this and punish those who did that. I won't go on and ask others to bring proof suggesting it is baseless allegations. Its ok to actually be faulty at times, no one in the world is perfect, even if it hurts your ego. Being Indian doesn't mean that your party, board, people etc. would never do anything wrong.

 

[ahmedzee]

So the fact that it wasn't just Sammy who was called it, makes it ok.

Oh dear.

Problem is Saj, racists would come up with all kinds of justification, from "sammy not the only one being called" to "Sarfaraz and Pakistanis are racists" rather than apologizing and accepting that something wrong was done. It is useless to put some sense in such people.

 

[Sirris]

Why can't Sammy just treat it as a joke and move on? People make jokes at the workplace all the times for e.g. the gora jews in my office make jokes against the chinese and koreans in my office who laugh and joke about it rather than create a hissy fit about discrimination and the world being against them.

Sammy has to realize that being black, people will always make a mention of a black person's skin without any mallifide intent. You make a mountain hole of this all the time, you just unnecessarily fuel hatred and bigotry to extremists

before giving your two cents, go watch Sammy's video. He presents his claims in very well-balanced manner. According to him he was led to believe the word meant something completely else. Every time he was called by that name "there was laughter." It seems to be the very definition of mala fide intent.

It's now up to the Indian players to refute his claims and explicitly say that they made the meaning of the word clear to Sammy, before using it as his nickname.

Additionally thinking along the line of what you said:

Why can't people who are obviously 400lbs heavy take it as a joke when people call them "fat"? It's just the description of what they are, no mala fide intentions.

 

[Sirris]

That's an invalid comparison. Aussies don't call other Aussies "P*ki". But Indians do call other Indians as kalu. We call our own people kalu and it's part of the culture.

Ey homeboy, Afro-Americans in USA call eachother "n***a".

Why don't you go up to one of their hood and say:

"hey n***az what's up! "
"I am trying to assimilate into your culture, my n***az"

It's obvious, all you are trying to do is defend your pride and ego since it's heavily attached to India/Indian team.

It's hilarious to see all the attempts to save the inflated pride on the expense of personal integrity.

 

[Bhaag Viru Bhaag]

I think you summed it up well during the Sarfaraz incident.



Yes, these terms are common. Yes, they aren't necessarily malicious. Yes, they are racist.

Yeh toh lol ho gaya.

 

[Bhaag Viru Bhaag]

Problem is Saj, racists would come up with all kinds of justification, from "sammy not the only one being called" to "Sarfaraz and Pakistanis are racists" rather than apologizing and accepting that something wrong was done. It is useless to put some sense in such people.

I think things could have been a lot simpler here by just asking those who called him 'Kaalu' to apologize to him and end it.

Sarfaraz did apologize but those who are shamelessly defending racism here are also questioning his apology.

 

[Sirris]

Two different contexts.

Here allgedly team mates were referring to him as kaalu in a friendly manner. Sarfaraz referred to a opposition player on the field of play.

What sarfaraz said was heard by all, here Sammy has given no evidence. He sat on this issue for 5 years?

And sorry but indians and pakistanis or Bangladeshis wont change their culture because someone in WI got offended.

If you are going to be a lawyer about this whole issue and use words like "allegedly" than be more accurate when stating those "allegations".

Mr. Lawyer where did Sammy say it was in a friendly manner? He doesn't know the intention. That's what you are reading into it.

Infact he alleges that every time he would be called the word there would be a laughter by the players. Sounds more like ridicule than friendliness to me, particularly when you don't make the effort to first tell him what the term means.

Sammy also alleges that the word was used so many time for him that he used it as his name and thought the word meant "Strong Stallion", which may perhaps explain him not speaking up before.

Sammy is also wise enough to not come to any conclusions on his own and alleges he is going to text those players he remember and would like a conversation with them, whether they meant it in a degrading way or not.

I am going to allege that Indians players are most likely going to lie about the nature of their intent just like some Indian posters here.

Perhaps Indians don't care but I'd like Pakistanis to be bigger than their egos and rethink this bad aspect of our culture which we take for granted.

 

[Sirris]

I think things could have been a lot simpler here by just asking those who called him 'Kaalu' to apologize to him and end it.

Sarfaraz did apologize but those who are shamelessly defending racism here are also questioning his apology.

People need to watch Sammy's video.

It was a well-balanced video where he didn't come to any conclusion or demanded any apology.

He wants to first reach out to his former Indian team members and have an honest conversation regarding the nature of their intent when they used the word.

 

[Bhaag Viru Bhaag]

Ey homeboy, Afro-Americans in USA call eachother "n***a".

Why don't you go up to one of their hood and say:

"hey n***az what's up! "
"I am trying to assimilate into your culture, my n***az"

It's obvious, all you are trying to do is defend your pride and ego since it's heavily attached to India/Indian team.

It's hilarious to see all the attempts to save the inflated pride on the expense of personal integrity.

Why are you doing this to him? They will finish him if he ever dared to call them n***a on their face.

 

[Sirris]

Btw,

Are the words black bradman black pearl black lightning also racist?

The word "black" isn't offensive in the English language, the word "ni***r" is, which is derived from Latin and means black.

n*gro is Spanish for black and is used casually for describing things, but is a taboo to refer to a person.

We may not have the same level of racial controversy or historical context surrounding the Urdu/Hindi word "Kala" as the word n****r, but still the word is seen as an offensive term to use for other people.

Saying "You have Kale hair" is ok in Urdu just like "tumhara rang bohot kala hai" (you skin color is black) but referring to somebody as "kalu" in person demands a prior mutual understanding, otherwise it is offensive and insulting.

 

[Sirris]

Why are you doing this to him? They will finish him if he ever dared to call them n***a on their face.

Nah, I am sure it will be all cool.

He can explain to them how much similarity Indian culture and Afro-American culture has: Indians call random Indians "Kalu" all the time, just like how Afro-Americans refer to other Afro-Americans as "n***a". "Kalu" means black and "n***a" is derived from "n****r" which also originally meant black.

I'm pretty sure he will be well-received and the Afro-Americans will appreciate the intercultural dialogue.

 

[Bhaag Viru Bhaag]

People need to watch Sammy's video.

It was a well-balanced video where he didn't come to any conclusion or demanded any apology.

He wants to first reach out to his former Indian team members and have an honest conversation regarding the nature of their intent when they used the word.

Even if he isn't demanding an apology, those who called him that should apologize. They could do it in a private conversation but Ishant has to do it openly because I saw a post where he openly called him 'Kalu'.

 

[ChennaiFan]

Oh bhai it is part of our culture not theirs. My fellow Indians won't like it if Aussies or English players start calling our players P@ki. Knowing how sensitive our people are, they will immediately demand an apology from those who dare to say it.

I thought this thread will be pretty short with most of the people demanding an apology from those who called Sammy 'Kalu' but it is surprising to see people defending racism here by trying to hide it behind their culture.

Interesting parts: "My fellow Indians", "our players P@ki".

Why would they call Indian players that way?