Now, although it's sweet to bring attention to the endangered Blind Dolphins of the Indus, and personally I have no problems with choosing them as the mascot, I want to know the following to set my mind to rest:
1. When you explain your choice in the following words:
"Even though it is blind and many may consider this a handicap, the Indus River Dolphin capitalizes on its other senses such as sonar and echolocation to the best of its ability to survive" [Emphasis added]
...Wouldn't this be kind of implying that our cricketers would be really lucky to just survive the World Cup? Or that they would need to capitalize on something other than their cricketing ability, since we all know that can be a handicap?
2. Given that the blind dolphins are imperilled by a destruction of habitat and a lack of conservation, are we also not kind of implying that our cricket is in similar dire straits? I mean, of course it is, but is that what we really want to convey as a morale booster?
3. Why is the mascot called Gilly? I mean, really, why is he called Gilly??? Isn't that the well-known nickname of Australian wicket-keeper / batsman Adam Gilchrist (retired from international cricket) who now captains the Deccan Chargers in the Indian Premiere League? Who are we rooting for here? Or is it meant to refer to Umar Gul, the leading wicket-taker in T20s so far, who may not play in this World Cup? Or is it a reference to gilly danda, the game T20 cricket really is closest to?
I want answers and I want them now.
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4 comments:
Maybe it refers to Gillani (the head of our state, and therefore, my extension our cricket team) - a blind head of state relying on ...well you fill in the gaps. Will his innings also last as long as T-20?
Dolphins don't have gills.
As you may or may not know, the Indus River Dolphin is Pakistan's national marine mammal. The objective was non other than to get Pakistani's to support their T20 cricket team and the blind dolphin by supporting DawnNews' campaign. Did you know there are only 1,100 remaining ? Through this campaign, DawnNews is shedding light on this endangered species and is saying RISE PAKISTAN - reinforcing unity.
The Blind Dolphin has very distinct skills and abilities that is uses to its advantage - even though blindness is a 'disability' it uses other senses to survive, its unique in its behavior of how it gets around and it adapts to different environments.
Now lets relate this to our cricket team : they have unique skill sets which we hope they use to their advantage, swamped with difficulties - they have beaten the odds before and we hope they do the same this time around ( optimism, strength, endurance, and the will to survive - yes through the whole tournament), they definitely are a unique bunch of people and we hope they adapt well to different environments ( countries, game formats, pressure, game politics etc)
Now to the name : Gilly is the cricket bail which is located on top of the stumps. Haven't you heard the phrase : "Gilly Girra De" which means wicket taken!
Instead of degrading efforts to bring Pakistani people together, try seeing the good in them.
Was just about to point out the gilly connection - gilly=bails. which still doesn't answer the question of what message DAWN is trying to send.
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