Published: Nov 14, 2015, 11:44 AM (IST)
Edited: Nov 14, 2015, 11:50 AM (IST)
How dare British Airways! How dare they? No, don’t tell me to calm down, I can’t calm down. I won’t calm down! British Airways just insulted the very fabric of Indian pride. They had the audacity to ask Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar for his full name. SACHIN TENDULKAR! Do they not know God? Do they not realise how much of a global icon he is? Do they not know that when the heavenly creator was distributing his Amazing Grace, he went overboard with Tendulkar? It is unpardonable what they did. READ: Sachin Tendulkar slams British Airways for lack of good customer service
Every young child on the planet bar none knows of Sachin Tendulkar, surely. Is there anyone on the planet who does not know that Tendulkar has scored over 30,000 international runs with 100 international centuries? Of course not; this is Tendulkar we are talking about. There is not a soul alive that does not know him. He is the most recognisable face on this planet. More so than Cristiano Ronaldo, Roger Federer, Tom Cruise, and Barack Obama. Combined.
British Airways, on the other hand, is an unknown entity. I had to refer to Wikipedia to even know that “British Airways, often shortened to BA, is the flag carrier airline of the United Kingdom and the largest airline in the United Kingdom based on fleet size. When measured by passengers carried, it is second-largest in United Kingdom (behind easyJet). The airline is based in Waterside near its main hub at London Heathrow Airport.”
Let us look at the Tweets that sent the world crashing down around us.
Angry Disappointed and Frustrated.. #BAdserviceBA Family member’s Waitlisted ticket not confirmed despite seats being available (1/2)
— sachin tendulkar (@sachin_rt) November 13, 2015
And luggage being tagged by @British_Airways to wrong destination and don’t care attitude! #NeveronBA (2/2)
— sachin tendulkar (@sachin_rt) November 13, 2015
@sachin_rt We’re sorry to hear this Sachin, could you please DM us your baggage ref, full name and address so we can look into this for you?
— British Airways (@British_Airways) November 13, 2015
As you can see above, one of Sachin Tendulkar’s family member’s waitlisted ticket was not confirmed, while the luggage tagged by British Airways went to the wrong destination. British Airways responded with an insolent, “DM us your baggage ref, full name and address so we can look into this for you?” READ: British Airways ridiculed for asking Sachin Tendulkar’s full name
Wait, so it was not Sachin’s luggage after all? So the baggage reference, address, and (most importantly) the full name required WAS NOT THAT OF SACHIN RAMESH TENDULKAR AFTER ALL? Hang on. Have we just outraged over nothing? Did every Indian cricket fan (read Sachin Tendulkar fan) on Twitter just troll British Airways for no valid reason? Have news sites all over the world been hounded by their bosses to cover a nonexistent story? Oops.
We just collectively wasted everyone’s time, didn’t we? What’s that you say? Sachin Tendulkar is not the most well-known Human on the face of the Earth? How dare you say that! Oh, no one really knows him in USA despite the All-Stars? Most people outside the cricket-playing nations of the Earth have never heard of him? But…but…our outrage! Surely we must shout and scream and pound our 56-inch chests at the most insignificant error of the day?
I mean, we all know the greatest sportsmen of every other sport, don’t we? We all know that Ronaldinho’s real name is Ronaldo de Assis Moreira. Oh we don’t? Okay, never mind. And of course we know that Rafa’s full name is Rafael Nadal Parera. Oh we didn’t know that either? Well, at least we know Garry Sobers’ full name is Garfield St Aubrun Sobers. No? How about Kapil Dev Nikhanj? Still no? Uh. Oops. Maybe we shouldn’t outrage over nothing, then. READ: Sachin Tendulkar thanks Twitter users after episode with British Airways
(David Sidrat is the pen name of a would-be comedian who tries his best to be taken seriously and inadvertently fails in the process. He doesn’t quite see the irony of his life yet. He can’t figure out Twitter, and does not know what a Face Book is. He can therefore be found on neither platform)
