Today's Beautiful Gem:     "I, TOO" by Langston Hughes.

          With Tiger Woods winning the Masters golf tournament and the whole
US celebrating the fiftieth anniversary of Jackie Robinson's entry into
professional baseball, the focus has been turned to the minorities and their
achivements in sports. The tennis wizard Arthur Ashe is not far behind
in tearing down the racial prejudices. Every country has its own hierarchy.
At one time, in England, we used to have matches between Gentlemen and Players!
Despite the feats of Ranji(tsingh) (also known as Run-get-singh), Indians had
to wait a long time to be accepted as good enough to play test cricket! Even
then, we had our known "caste" system. Remember the Amarnath-Vizzy incidents
during the 1936 tour of England! There is always hope. One day or another,
the walls of prejudice shall crumble-- in sports as well as in other human
endeavours. Here is a poem by Langston Hughes who longed for such days during
the dark days of discrimination in this country.

"I, too, sing America.

"I am the darker brother.
They send me to eat in the kitchen
When company comes,
But I laugh,
And eat well,
And grow strong.

"Tomorrow,
I'll be at the table
When company comes.
Nobody'll dare
Say to me,
`Eat in the kitchen,'
Then.

"Besides,
They'll see how beautiful I am
And be ashamed--

"I, too, am America."

Om shaantiH Peace! - J. K. Mohana Rao.

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