Cricket and Politics- Modifying Some Idioms

“It is not cricket” is a term used to indicate something that is not fair. Similarly, “parliamentary language” implies a language that is decent and measured. Unfortunately, both of these terms have lost their meaning in modern times. If the present cricket series is anything to go by, it is a heady mixture of politics, religion, and nationalism of an abnormal kind, which far surpasses the sport itself and makes a mockery of the original idiom. This is especially true when India is playing its neighbor on the western front. The language that our politicians use in the assembly and more so during election times is a strong case for removing the idiom of “parliamentary language” altogether. It is no more than an oxymoron.