Kaisi baataan kar rahe Azhar maamu?

Our own beloved Mohammed Azharuddin expressed unhappiness at the alleged statements made by Varun Gandhi.  

This is what Azhar said:  "It is quite disturbing for a person of his calibre -- really well educated and coming from an affluent family – to say something like that." And "He has sent a very wrong message to youth," "nothing of this sort should happen again." [source]

Glorious Past

Azhar of course remains one of the most popular cricketers in India. As the former captain of the Indian cricket team, he enjoyed massive popularity among the cricket-crazy Indians. He enjoyed the high life, minting millions while the going was good.

" He wore platinum watches worth $15,000 (he possessed two), he had two plush flats in Bombay, he was Indian cricket's nattiest dresser, he drove flashy foreign cars. Indians, who are not naive about such matters, narrowed their eyes; where was all the loot coming from? The gossip grew thunderous. And it wasn't merely the material side. In 1996 he shocked conservative Hyderabad when he divorced Naureen and married Sangeeta Bijlani, a beauty queen turned starlet. His settlement to Naureen was 9.9m rupees, nearly pounds 150,000 - another sum that astonished Indian fans. [source]

The fact that he was a Muslim did not seem to matter to a Hindu majority India. Neither did Azhar seem to mind the adulation from the masses (and girls) who came from different religions. 

Kahaani mein twist (A twist in the tale)

But then, things changed. He was implicated in a sleazy match-fixing scandal that involved cricketers from several countries. 

"Azharuddin, the CBI report makes clear, is in a different league from the other players it names. He did not merely take money for specific favours, but also lured other players into the scam. "It is clear," the report states, "that Azharuddin contributed substantially towards the expanding bookie-player nexus in Indian cricket. There is... evidence... that he roped in other players to fix matches which resulted in this malaise making further inroads into Indian cricket." [source]

After initially denying the allegations, this is what he came up with:

"I am being targeted because I am a Muslim."

"In his original comments, Azharuddin had said: "Mainly because I belong to the minority community, I am being victimised and targeted, especially by some ex-cricketers who have a personal grudge against me." [source]

Back to the present

Interesting that the advice that Azhar is giving Varun also applies to Azhar - and rather aptly I should say. Consider Azhar's earlier statements about being victimized because of his minority status. Doesn't the following statement by Azhar apply equally to him?

"It is quite disturbing for a person of his calibre -- really well educated and coming from an affluent family – to say something like that." And "He has sent a very wrong message to youth," "nothing of this sort should happen again." 

Which is what makes me wonder: kaisi  baataan kar rahe azhar maamu? Loosely translated: What are you saying Azhar uncle?