Darren Sammy says SRH teammates used racist nickname, seeks apology
New Delhi: Former West Indies captain Darren Sammy has claimed that some of his IPL teammates addressed him with a racist nickname during his stint with Sunrisers Hyderabad and has demanded an apology from the bunch, which might also include India pacer Ishant Sharma.
The two-time T20 World Cup-winning captain had earlier said that he has understood that 'Kalu', a word that was used to address him, is racist. 'Kalu' is a derogatory word to describe black people.
In a fresh Instagram post, Sammy said his teammates used the word to call him during his 2013-2014 stint with SRH.
One of them could be Ishant, who had shared a group picture, also featuring Sammy, on May 14, 2014, using the word 'Kalu' to identify the West Indian in it. The same year, even Sammy addressed himself as 'Kalu' in a social media post to offer birthday wishes to VVS Laxman -- the SRH mentor at that time.
"I was listening to Hasan Minhaj (Indian-American comedian and actor) talking about how some of the people in his culture view or describe black people," Sammy said in his Instagram post.
"...I was angry after listening to him describing a word that they use to describe black people, which he was saying is not in a good way and it was degrading.
"Instantly I remembered when I played for Sunrisers Hyderabad in 2013 and 2014, I was being called the exact same word that he described," he added.
Sammy demanded an apology and asked the teammates, who he refused to name, to reach out and offer apologies.
"All those who used to call me that, you guys know yourselves... Reach out to me, let's have a conversation. Because, if it was in any way, shape or form what Minhaj said it meant, I'm very disappointed," he said.
"I will be messaging those people. You guys know who you are. I must admit, at the time in which I was being called that, I did not know what it meant," he added.
"I thought it meant strong stallion or whatever it is, and I saw no problems with it because I was ignorant to the fact of what it meant, I thought it meant something else, something uplifting."
Sammy, who now plies his trade in the Pakistan Super League, said he distinctly remembers laughter at the very mention of the word.
"Me being a team man, I thought, hey, team-mates are happy, it must be something funny. You can understand my frustration and my anger when it was pointed out to me that it wasn't funny at all, it was degrading," he said.
"I've had great memories in all the dressing rooms I've been in, as a T20 player, as a leader in a dressing room, as a captain, I've always been one to build up a relationship or build up a team, not bring it down.
"So, all those who used to call me that, you guys know yourselves, some of you have my numbers, you have me on Instagram, on Twitter, wherever. Reach out to me, let's have a conversation," he added.
Sammy that reiterated he is very disappointed.
"...I'll still be angry, and deserve an apology from you guys, because I saw all of you guys as my brothers. So, talk to me, reach out to me, please clear the air," he said.
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Maharashtra sets up state vaccination task force to strengthen immunisation programme
Mumbai (PTI): The Maharashtra government has set up a State Vaccination Task Force to strengthen the regular immunisation programme and review the progress of related campaigns, a health department official said on Monday.
The State Vaccination Task Force will comprise at least 29 members and will be headed by the administrative head of the health department, he informed.
The government has also constituted separate district-level and municipal vaccination task forces to improve implementation and address challenges at the grassroots level, he said.
Municipal task forces, chaired by respective civic commissioners, have been constituted in view of the vast urban population in Maharashtra and the role of civic bodies in implementing different health programmes.
The district-level task forces will function under the chairmanship of collectors.
"Complete immunisation of children at the appropriate age is an extremely simple, cost-effective and highly effective measure to reduce child mortality and the prevalence of diseases among kids. Immunisation is a powerful tool for reducing illness in children," maintained the official.
To ensure full vaccination of all children, the state government implements various campaigns from time to time as per the central government guidelines, he pointed out.
"Active participation and cooperation of other relevant government departments are essential (in making these campaigns successful)," according to the official.
The state-level body will review the regular immunisation programme, associated campaigns and vaccine-preventable diseases in detail. It will also conduct focused assessments of high-risk districts and municipal corporations, including vacancies at district, municipal and sub-district levels, availability of cold chain equipment, resource gaps and training requirements, he noted.
The state task force will review allocation and utilisation of funds for immunisation and ensure timely action by officers concerned based on reports from district and municipal task forces and state-level monitoring mechanisms, the official said.
It will also ensure active coordination and participation of other government departments in immunisation drives, while district and municipal task forces will carry out similar functions at their respective levels, the official added.
