Although cricket is referred to as the gentleman's game, it is not uncommon to see a fast bowler deliver a bouncer as he opens the bowling for his team; and although the bouncer is a useful wicket-taker, oftentimes it is bowled just to intimidate, strike fear in the batting side and if the batsman gets out as a result, then that is a bonus.

One hopes that Mr Warner's opening salvo was just a bouncer aimed at the real criminal element in the society and that, unfortunately, the highway protesters are the guinea pigs providing the template for how he intends to deal with those who break the law.

While one understands and sympathises with the protesters, accepting that for most people relocation is a traumatic experience, it is also true that societal development, interconnectedness, commerce and general networking depend on cross-country accessibility.

While migration is admittedly traumatic, all our ancestors came from elsewhere; while the Africans were forced to do so, the indentured Indians made a voluntary decision to uproot themselves and come here. Having done so, and having chosen to settle here, refusing the offer to return to India, many of them have lived to see their own descendants migrate to greener pastures — America, Europe and as far away as Australia.

Some historians claim that Northern India was originally peopled from nomadic tribes from Eastern Europe which perhaps explains why Indians are seen as conservatives but are quite footloose when it comes to migrating.

The highway re-routers however, seem not of that gypsy nature; but as one Indian writer said, in order to evolve, you might have to grow wings.

L Siddhartha Orie

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