One M beats another

Lionel Messi Dhaka, Sept. 6: The magic of an Argentine M has all but eclipsed interest in an Indian M&M, at least on Dhaka streets. Chants of “Messi, Messi!” rang out and hundreds of fans in trademark blue-and-white jerseys lined the roads for a glimpse of the world’s best footballer as Prime Minister Manmohan Singh landed here today, minus Mamata Banerjee. The talking point among the crowds was not Manmohan’s hilsa message or Mamata’s Teesta damper but the high price of tickets — Rs 4,500, which translates to 7,500 Bangladeshi takas — for this evening’s friendly between Lionel Messi’s boys and Nigeria. “I saw Messi practise yesterday. It was dreamlike — he ran with the ball, dribbled and it was worth every taka I spent,” gushed Mohammad Raquib, a student, who had spent Rs 600 from his pocket money to watch the Argentine team practise at Bangabandhu National Stadium. Wasn’t he interested in Manmohan’s visit or disappointed that Mamata had dropped out? Raquib couldn’t care less. “Messi is by far the greater attraction for us. I would have been heartbroken had Messi cancelled his visit,” he declared. “I don’t care much for Mamata. I have been reading about Manmohan Singh’s visit in the papers. But the more I read, the more I realise that these deals are signed, but are they ever implemented? “I read there were bandhs in Assam against land being ceded to Bangladesh. Now Mamata doesn’t want to come. It’s all politics, and it’s dirty. India is the big brother… how long will we continue with this mentality?” he asked. The sense of disenchantment in Raquib, possibly a prototype of Bangladesh’s GeNext, was also evident in Ayesha Siddique, a young advertising executive. “Mamata was the star attraction for the people of Bangladesh…. But with her backing out, there is no ‘star’ in Singh’s team. The deals are important but we want to see them implemented before we go gaga about them.” Political scientists have expressed concern over the youngsters somewhat skewed interpretation of what is being dubbed an “historic moment” for Indo-Bangla ties. “The worst fallout of the… Teesta debacle is the feeling among Bangladesh’s new generation that their government has nothing to show for their alleged love affair with India,” said Mahboob Ali, the head of the department of business administration in Dhaka’s Presidency University.