the goalkeeper here MUST have seen the ball bouncing way inside the goalline.
it was not just a few inches this way or that
it was in by almost half a yard!
it was so obvious why could he not admit that he had been beaten?
all he had to do was
pick up the ball and place it behind the line to confirm the goal.
i ask,
if he had done it,
would he have been a fool?
would anyone ever mocked him for it?
more importantly, if they had eventually lost,
would any of his countrymen ever blamed him for being honest?
now in his mind he must know he was truly beaten
perhaps he admits it to his conscience too.
had the goal been allowed, it could have changed the outcome of the match.
that is the only doubt that will remain for ever
for no one can ever doubt it was a goal
do we really need more technology in sport
if the players themselves can be honest and admit their mistakes or having been beaten?
where is then the morality in sport?
where is fair play?
it was about eleven at night
on the last train from calcutta to shantipur,
a rare weekend off from work, going to visit my ma
a railway carriage not unlike like this.
wind free tunneling into the compartment,
increasing with speed through the windows and doors,
the metal and glass panels long vandalised leaving gaps on the outer shell
on one such doorway stood a boy, with windswept hair and ragged clothes
he was about ten or eleven.
on of many such children
who sang for money
hitching rides
on trains.
two pieces of broken slate
held between the fingers of his left hand and
cleverly struck with the thumb and fingers of his right
his own clickety clickety free percussion – easy to carry easy, easily replaced
leaning onto the vertical pole of the doorway, one leg wrapped around it for safety
he was singing a pitch perfect version of this song
Original song: Jaare – jaare ude jaare paakhi ( … go, go fly away bird … )
Sung by: Lata Mangeshkar | Music: Salil Choudhury]
Jaare – jare ude jare paakhi
go – go fly away bird
Furalo praner mela – shesh hoye elo bela
this life’s festival is finishing – the day is coming to an end Ar kyano michey tore bendhay rakhi – jaare …
why then, for no reason, do I keep you tied – so go …
akashe akashe feeray – ja feeray apono neeray
go from sky to sky – go return to your own home shymol mathir bonochaye
in the dark shades of the woods
shudhoo, monay monay tore daaki
only, just in my mind do I call you chahina khelite khela, shesh hoye elo bela
I no longer wish to play any games – the day is coming to an end Ar kyano michey tore bendhay rakhi – jaare …
why then, for no reason, do I keep you tied – so go …
aamari shopon hoye – koto kichu je gyacho koye
becoming my own dream – you had said so many things hridaye pinjoray boshiya
sitting within the cage of my heart
jaani – shobi roye gyalo baaki
I do know – everything will remain unfinished ebaray bhashabo bhela – shesh hoye elo bela
now i’ll float out the raft – the day is coming to an end Ar kyano michey tore bendhay rakhi – jaare …
why then, for no reason, do I keep you tied – so go …
(I have tried my best to keep the translation as close to the original words of the song)
with three more stations to go
it was just two of us left in the compartment,
he couldn’t have been singing for money, he was singing to himself
no longer at ‘work’, he was singing just for the love of it
the end of maybe a long day – at last happy to be free, to be going home
perhaps to his mum.
was never a fan
so didn’t know much of Shakira
till I came across the FIFA World Cup Song
(and got pulled back to watching a fairly dull tournament so far).
I read,
she will be appearing in Glastonbury this year.
ho hum, I said,
thanks for the information.
then I read about her charity work.
I sat up for a second read.
she founded it
in 1997 when only 18 years old. Pies Descalzos, or Barefoot, has a double significance;
it is the name of the record that made Shakira’s music internationally known
and it also recognizes the thousands of children living in such poverty that they cannot even afford shoes. The Barefoot Foundation works to ensure that every Colombian child can exercise their right to a quality education.
I find honesty in her generosity
how can I not become
a fan?
fairplay
World Cup
football
Manuel Neuer
child singers
bengal
so far).
shakira
Barefoot Foundation
