My son should not have chewed gum during national anthem, says Parvez Rasool's father
Mumbai: Ghulam Rasool, the father of Indian cricketer Parvez Rasool, admits it was his son's mistake to chew gum while the national anthem was being played during the first T20 match against England at Kanpur in January this year.
Speaking exclusively from Jammu and Kashmir on Wednesday morning, he said, "My son should have refrained from having this (chewing gum)."
"Many players chew gum during the matches and my son was no exception. But at least he should have kept his mouth clean when the national anthem was being played."
"I have seen Sourav Ganguly also chewing gum during one of the matches when our Ja Na Ga Na Ma Na was being played but surprisingly media did not attack him and only targeted Parvez," added Parvez's father.
"Anyhow, I shall certainly ask my son to not make this mistake again and respect the country," he signed off.
Behave during national anthem, says Rabindranath Tagore's kin:
Apparently, Supriyo Tagore, the surviving family member of late Rabindranath Tagore, was not happy when Parvez Rasool was caught chewing gum during the national anthem on TV.
His great grandfather, Satyendranath Tagore, was Rabindranath Tagore's elder brother,
Rabindranath is the only one in the world who has written national anthems for three countries viz. India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. Sri Lankan anthem was first written by him in Bengali and was later translated in their mother tongue.
Speaking exclusively from Shanti Niketan in West Bengal, he said, "It is a known fact how we should behave during the National Anthem. Any deviation is not in order."
Supriyo Tagore is a cricket fan and watches matches on TV.
"Whenever the national anthem is sung, I am thrilled. I am excited to see that the ICC and many countries have adopted the practice of singing national anthems."
When asked whether the national anthem should be sung on all days of the Test match or at the conclusion of the match, he says, "I feel glad to hear the national anthem being sung in the beginning of the Test Match. I do not think that the anthem should be played either at the end of the match or all five days."
