Ishant Sharma's old post sparks fresh debate on racism row
Former West Indian captain Darren Sammy has been vocal about racism of late. The 36-year-old recently alleged that he has been a victim of racial abuse in the Indian Premier League. He slammed his Sunrisers Hyderabad team-mates for throwing a racial slur at him. Recently, the netizens highlighted an old picture of Ishant Sharma, which seems to have certified Sammy's claim. Here is more.
In 2014, Ishant Sharma (who was a part of SRH), posted a picture along with his teammates Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Darren Sammy and Dale Steyn. "Me, bhuvi, kaluu and gun sunrisers," Ishant captioned the picture. A few months later, Sammy took to Twitter for wishing SRH's batting mentor VVS Laxman on his birthday. The post's caption also included the word 'Kalu'.
Happy birthday @VVSLaxman281 May God continue to bless you. #bestdresser oh remember dark kalu. 😂😂😂
— Daren Sammy (@darensammy88) November 1, 2014
Darren Sammy, on Monday, posted yet another video on Instagram, calling out his teammates who regularly used the derogatory word. "I discovered a word that I was being called was not what it actually meant. Before I start calling out names, I need these individuals to reach out and please tell me there's another meaning to that word," read the caption.
"I have played all over the world. I have embraced all the dressing rooms where I have played. I was listening to Hasan Minhaj as to how some of the people in his culture describe black people," Sammy said in the video.
Sammy said he was disappointed after discovering the actual meaning of the word (Kalu). "After I found out a meaning of a certain word, I was angry on finding out the meaning and it was degrading," he said. "Instantly I remembered when I played for Sunrisers Hyderabad in 2013-14, I was being called the exact same word which is degrading to us black people."
Sammy asserted he was ignorant about the slur before. "I will be messaging those people, you guys know who you are. I must admit at that time, I didn't know what it meant," he added. "I thought the word meant strong stallion or whatever it is, and I saw no problems because I was ignorant about what it meant."
Sammy's recent comments are a part of outrage over the death of George Floyd. Floyd (a 46-year-old black man) died after a white cop Derek Chauvin pinned him to the ground and placed his knee on the latter's neck. Following the incident, violent protests flared up in several cities of United States. The sports community has also raised voice against the issue of late.
