Having written numerous articles against Salman Khan and his despicable and reckless doings... I am extremely upset about him being selected as India’s Brand Ambassador for the Rio Olympics. This man needs to be in jail – it is as plain and simple as that. He needs to look deep down into his conscience and start owning up to his deeds. I have faced the wrath of his fans for my articles against him in the recent past but that hasn’t stopped me from voicing my opinion on this subject.

Not that I care for his fan following… It is the victims and their families who have suffered at his hands that I care about. Having been a victim of drunk driving... I know exactly what the consequences are... For in this country you never get the justice you deserve. It is the perpetrators that go scot-free… Some, like Salman Khan, are even placed on a pedestal and worshipped and all his wrong doings forgiven just because he is a ‘star’… What a cruel joke indeed!! India Shining and shining so brightly that we need blinkers to keep the rays emitting from our great star at bay!

Most of us are taken aback by the Indian Olympic Committee's decision to name Salman Khan as their 'ambassador'. Firstly, he is no sporting legend… In fact he is no ‘sporting’ anything and secondly how have they overlooked the controversies that surround the man. Let’s start with the poaching and killing of the black buck, then we have the hit-and-run case that has been mishandled from the very start. A man that is always at the centre of controversies, reckless behaviour and anger outbursts. So isn’t it fair to conclude that money and by money I mean big megabucks can buy you anything in this country.

And of course, our obsession with the ‘Bollywood’ fraternity is absolutely ridiculous. We, as a nation must stop being consumed with the likes of such. And why are we even confusing our great sporting legends with actors? This country has produced world-class sportspersons in various fields, be it shooting, hockey, weight-lifting, track and field sprinters, boxing, tennis, badminton, cricket etc. How are we overlooking them and turning towards the acting fraternity instead? It makes no sense at all. Time and time again, we always turn towards ‘Bollywood’ to raise hype about a particular brand or issue or awareness but if you retrospect, this causes more damage in hindsight. This is where I question Salman Khan’s followers who worship him thoughtlessly, forgetting all his crimes against humanity and praising him to high heavens.

I can’t fathom how a ‘goodwill star’ – apparently that is what he is called by the media with no sports background whatsoever be an ‘ambassador’ in the competitive world of Olympics that only showcases the best in the sports world. So I guess I am not being presumptuous in assuming that it may just be alright to kill and poach and drive around recklessly and so on and so forth. Then let us all also continue to blame it on ‘mistakes’ and hide behind veiled charades and let the hand of law not touch us in anything improper and pestilent that we do. It was just a mistake you see...forgive and forget. Move on! Be the country’s brand ambassador and and set a great example for the younger generation to emulate… Right?!!

Those of you who would like to give some stiff competition to our ‘Sallu’ need to either learn how to shoot a buck or learn how to drive on pavements… Yes, as simple as that… And if that still doesn’t work… Go fly a kite people!!

But before that do give a passing thought to our great sporting legends like Anjali Bhagwat, Prakash Padukone, Milkha Singh, PT Usha, Dhanraj Pillai, etc. Have we forgotten them already? Sadly, it appears so.

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RASHMI OBEROI