‘Why We Kneel, How We Rise’ review: Voice against discrimination
The Hindu
Cricket icon Michael Holding on the dehumanising aspect of racism and what it is to be treated differently based on the colour of the skin
In his prime, he was the quintessential calm before the storm and that inspired umpire Dickie Bird to name him ‘Whispering Death’. Such was the stealth with which cricketer Michael Holding operated as a premier speed merchant from the Caribbean islands.
Following his retirement, the fast bowling legend became a superb commentator, speaking with depth in that droll West Indian accent. He recently quit commentary but at 67, Holding remains a voice of reason. As ever he leans on his dignity. When dinner conversations extended beyond the willow game, he would then say: “Look at what is happening in West Asia.” And when his daughter called from the U.S., he would step aside and become a doting father.
In a world where silence is preferred over forthright expression of thoughts about what affects mankind, Holding refuses to join the politically correct bandwagon but his candour is always steeped in civility. When the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement gathered momentum following the murder of George Floyd in the U.S., his neck wedged under policeman Derek Chauvin’s knee, Holding made an emotional speech about what it means to be Black and the discrimination that his race suffers.
With the clock ticking down to the Lok Sabha election counting day on Tuesday, opposing fronts are perceptibly edgy and poised to continue the rancorous skirmishing that marked the campaign season in Kerala. The United Democratic Front, led by the Congress, is seemingly basking in the “interim victory” granted by various exit polls. The UDF discerns that its poll strategy of turning the polls foremostly into a damning referendum on the Left Democratic Front government’s perceived failures rather than BJP’s “divisive politics” at the national level stood a fighting chance of paying off.