'Vibhuti is only for Brahmins' - A misleading narrative in name of sports

On Monday, India was rejoicing the huge victory of the 16-year-old Indian Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa after he stunned World No 1, Magnus Carlsen, in the Airthings Masters online rapid chess tournament. Soon after his achievement, the timeline/feed on every social media site was filled with nothing but compliments for the lad. It should be noted that this much-needed win by Praggnanandhaa came after his three losses in a row. In a sport like chess, India was extremely overjoyed to witness such a proud moment brought in by a 16-year-old.

 

 

However, at the same time, dreadful narratives have started to surface in the name of sports about his milestone. A Twitter user named Arundhati Ahmed calls himself/herself - Dalit, Lesbian, Dravidianist, WOKE, Intersectional Crusader and fights against Brahmanical Patriarchy, Toxic Masculinity, Hindu Hegemony & Indic Normativity, has misled the public by attacking the victory of Praggnanandhaa.

 

 

 

Ahmed firstly said that his "victory is a great disaster, which will only increase Brahmanical patriarchy in India." Now, one will think why is it so? How can a 16-year-old sportsperson's win increase Brahmanical patriarchy? She said that "Vibhuti" on his forehead is the "example of Brahmanical patriarchy and will legitimize the systemic oppression in a deeply unequal and racist society like India. It is a defeat of women, minorities, LGBTQIA+ community and all the assorted marginalized individuals." Shocking it is! How can one think of such one's victory such perspective!

 

 

The user has also wrongfully pointed fingers at the choice of the game, too .i.e Chess. She has said that "chess is a board game representation of the Hindu universe." Now, sacrificing animals or caste discrimination is not at all about the representation of Hinduism. How can a sport like chess where two individuals sit across and play on an international level be so violent presented as the user has said? What about Rugby then?

 

 

Further, she has compared all of this to as "a replica of a Brahmanical agricultural field in backward Yogi-ruled Uttar Pradesh". She has claimed that in that state, "The women do the heavy hauling and the men, inspired by Brahmanical patriarchy, play cards and smoke ganja under the banyan tree". In what century are you living in? Now, this is the fun part! She has asked the global chess body - International Chess Federation - to declare the results of this game "null and void" and declare Magnus Carlsen the real winner. She calls it a "true example of intersectional justice". This can be definitely the next op-ed for New York Times or The Wire or The NewsMinute!

 

 

Such misleading narratives spit venom in the name of sports just because he has applied Vibhuti. Remember, the user claims that it is used only by Brahmins. However, it is absolutely ignorant as many people use Vibhuti even though it is not practiced in their caste/community. This has resulted in many netizens believing such information.

 

 

 

Though few of them have opposed this idea, many users have supported the idea of Brahmanical Patriarchy. Eventually, such piece of manipulation has led to deceiving the people. If one cannot celebrate a victory of an Indian sportsperson, at least do not demean this win by putting out such false information!