Why Amir? What is this smile about?
April 8, 2008 by theprudentindian
Carrying the torch for The Blood-Stained Olympics is no matter of pride. Or is it? Mr. B Raman needs no introduction and his open letter to Mr. Amir Khan is an ‘eye opining’ one. I am posting some snippets for an easy read, but I strongly recommend to all; to read the full article, link given above.
Mr Amir says, in favor of his decision to carry the torch, “I request those of you who have asked me to stay away from the Olympic Torch Relay to understand that when I do run with the torch on the 17th of April it is not in support of China. In fact it will be with a prayer in my heart for the people of Tibet, and indeed for all people across the world who are victims of human rights violations.”
Mr Raman clear in his understanding of the real backdrop argues, forcefully, “The question is not what you think and said about your participation. The question is how your participation is projected by Beijing to the suppressed Buddhists of Tibet and Uighur Muslims of Xinjiang, who have risen in revolt against what they consider as the Han colonisation of their respective homeland and what His Holiness the Dalai Lama has described as a cultural genocide of the Tibetans.”
Mr. Raman sees through the intention of Chinese Communist Government and explains why China had chosen Bhaichung , Amir and Saif. Here it is how he explains, “Wherever the Olympic Torch is being taken, the Chinese have been keen that some prominent Muslim and Buddhist personalities also participate in carrying the torch so that they can demonstrate to the protesting Buddhists of Tibet, Sichuan, Gansu and Qinghai and to the protesting Muslims of Xinjiang that prominent Buddhist and Muslim leaders in other countries have endorsed the Games.”
Why Saif and Amir ? Mr. Raman says, “The importance of your participation and of the participation of Shri Saif Khan to the Chinese was not only because you are both widely-admired film artists. It was also because both of you are widely-respected Muslim personalities.”
As your truly had supported and applauded the decision of Bhaichung, Mr Ramans arguments vindicate my stand, here , “The importance of the participation of Shri Baichung Bhutia, our football hero, to the Chinese was not only because he is a football hero, but also because he is a highly-respected Buddhist personality. He saw through their game and declined to let himself be used by the Chinese to serve their psychological warfare agenda in Tibet, Sichuan, Gansu and Qinghai. One hopes he does not change his mind under pressure from our communists. It is a pity you have not seen through their game.”
Mr. B Raman has worked all his life in the highest echelons of power and his understanding of international affairs is beyond reproach. Mr B Raman advises Amir and in fact urges him earnestly not to carry the torch because, in Mr. Raman’s words,” The Beijing Olympics has already become a blood-stained Olympics. The Chinese are frantically trying to remove those blood stains. We should not help them in their efforts to do so. By lending your name and prestige to the Torch run, you are unwittingly helping the Chinese to cover up the blood stains.”
Mr. Amir Khan is a celebrated actor and has a fan following. It is equally true nevertheless; that he has been chosen to represent the ‘Coco Cola’ Company in the torch relay, and of course for a price.
Here is the report with the link. http://movies.indiatimes.com/articleshow/2896905.cms
Read the report please.
Now, Mr. Amir has a choice to make, he is a free man and mature too. He can either heed to Mr. B Raman’s sane advice OR to run with torch!
But then, would I not be ‘right’ to believe in that, Mr. Amir’s decision is influenced only because of his commercial interest’!
Would I be wrong to assume Mr. Amir’s above said reasons for his decision,”… In fact it will be with a prayer in my heart for the people of Tibet,” are anything but sincere?
May better sense prevail, for him?
Prudent Indian.

The Olympic torch run has lost its relevance today. In ancient times, it served as a symbol and means of communication of the Olympic spirit. However today with the widespread media there exists little reason to have a ceremonial run, other than to make sure people make time in the calendars to watch the event and support the sponsors.
Maybe I’m too hypocritical of the commercial bastardization of a once glorious concept. But I feel Aamirs reaction to be hypocritical. He could’ve said that its an internal problem(communist view) or should’ve boycotted it.
But by doing what he did, he proved that the only thing important is his getting some cheap publicity, human rights be damned.
Thanks Aamir, maybe like Ghajini, you have also developed some short term memory loss.
Aamir is totally hypocritical. On the one hand, he says that he has a prayer for the people of Tibet. Then, in the same breath, he attempts to equate Tibet with Kashmir and compares the human rights violations in both the places. (see his blog)
Aamir’s Kashmir stance has not been betrayed the first time in this case. Even in his film Fanaa, where he played a glorified Islamist terrorist, he had a character, an “Indian” intelligence officer, played by Tabu (another Muslim, if you may) who admonishes her staff in an official meeting for criticising the “enemy country” over Kashmir saying that India betrayed her promise of holding a plebescite! This is like voicing Pak propoganda, and more importantly, the statement is quoted completely out of context and is also quite gratuitous – unless of course, you want to justify the actions of the terrorists. The shocking part is that there is no serious rebuttal to her statement! One would have thought that an intelligence officer harbouring such views would have been sacked forthwith!
Okay, technically speaking, Fanaa is not directed by Aamir, but on hindsight, I can see the influence!
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