KOCHI: Unbelievable! Shocking! Embarrassing! A stunned Kerala, even beyond the shores of the Arabian Sea, reacted on those lines to Sports Minister E P Jayarajan's statement, terming Muhammad Ali as the son of 'God's Own Country.'
If Ali was a colossal sporting personality, even more colossal, perhaps, was the blunder that burst out of Jayarajan's mouth on Saturday while speaking to a television channel that sought his response to the death of Ali.
"I just came to know of the news that Muhammad Ali died in America. He was an eminent personality in the sports field of Kerala. He won gold medal and was able to raise Kerala’s fame sky-high globally," said Jayarajan in all earnestness.
While those listening to the news broadcast rubbed their eyes and ears in disbelief, others who came to know about the gaffe hit the search buttons on their computers to verify the statement - viral on the virtual world by then.
Others called up the particular media group to ensure that the video was real. Such was the disbelief created by the Sports Minister of a state that prides itself for its sporting passion.
The sporting fraternity, while expressing angst at both Ali's death and the minister's horror moment, rolled over in sarcasm at the development."It is shocking to hear that our Sports Minister does not know about someone as famous as Muhammad Ali. It is also a sad reflection of the state of affairs of sports in the state," said an Olympian, who did not want to be named.Everyone could not be expected to know of a certain former Olympic and world boxing champion.
But a senior functionary of a political party that swears by the rights of the common man failing to recognise a civil rights activist who championed the coloured people's fight for dignity is beyond comprehension.
"It is embarrassing to note that our Sports Minister makes such comments. Particularly, given that Muhammad Ali was much more than just a boxing champion. It would be better if Kerala had a person more knowledgeable about sports as minister," said a top administrator.
Meanwhile, sources close to Jayarajan said it was an inadvertent error by the minister who was focused on other important matters when the particular channel rang him up.But the public in Kerala is certainly not buying that clarification if the trolls and comments in the social media are any indication.