G’day Madame Governor General (Elect), Ms Quentin Bryce AC

What a pleasure it has been to hear that a woman of your stature will take over as the Governor General of Australia on 5th September 2008. Your telegenic face coupled with your perfect sartorial sense will probably evince more interest in your activities, than our existing Governor General Major General Michael Jeffery AC CVO MC (Rtd), who was never able to establish his identity and never came out of the shadows of John Howard. So much so that few people started calling him Mr Nobody.

Your announcement that you will spend time and understand people in the rural Australia is very welcome. How I wish that you had included in your priorities the new migrants settling in Australia as well. Having immigrated from the Indian subcontinent, I find it so ironic that Western countries with exemplary commitment and freedom to woman rights have so far never had women in top jobs, with the few exceptions of Margrett Thatcher and others. Women have not been in power occupying top roles and the trend of having women in such jobs has only started after so many years. It has started just now in Australia and US may be going for its first female president or vice president soon.  While back in Indian subcontinent, where women have not been traditionally given such freedom and have not been empowered, they still have gone and occupied the top jobs by the dint of their determination and overcoming all hazards. Examples being Indira Gandhi, Benazir Bhutto, Srimavo Bandarnaike, Khaleda Zia and Sheikh Haseena. This is a real conundrum which I find hard to explain.

The ease and speed with which your nomination was announced has been very impressive. Back in the Indian subcontinent, having a President and a Prime Minister from the same state would have never been possible Elected politicians would have made sure that regional concerns, caste concerns and religious concerns would have been balanced to provide opposite candidates for the top job in the land. And here in lies the greatness of Australia and its people who rise above parochial concerns and these are the signs of great nations.

We hope to see a more visible and colourful Governor General in Canberra, one who is able to command respect and has the goodwill of all the people.  Best of luck for your stay at Yarralumla.

Finally on a parting note. Do you think an Aboriginal community member, who comprise just 2% of the Australian population can ever be the Head of the State in Australia? Well India has already done this by having a Sikh as the Prime Minister and a President as well in the past. Sikhs comprise just 2% of the Indian population.

The nationalist feelings and pride which Bhajji evoked from people of Indian origin during his in stay in Australia have evaporated into thin air after his alleged slapping of fellow cricketer Sreesanth. The behaviour has been unheard of in the cricketing history and needs to be condemned in unequivocal terms. The punishment awarded by BCCI to Bhajji is welcome and will hurt him where it hurts most. Having banned from playing the remaining IPL matches he stands to loose a whopping 2.76 crore Indian rupees. Cricket is no longer a Gentleman’s game. With so much money chasing such a few players and mass public adulation of cricket players, the onus lies on cricket players to behave sensibly. And with that slap Bhajji lost everything he had gained till then.

From being the darling of Indian cricket to being an object of ridicule for slapping Sreesanth, we award Harbajjan Singh the title of being The Joker of Indian Cricket.

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