Right now, the crack Indian and Pakistani cricket teams are competing in a World Cup semifinal game, and this nation is riveted on the game.

Regardless of who wins, a couple of things I've noticed seem to me to highlight a widespread open-heartedness that I find so typical of Indian people in general, and that I love.

First, Indian Prime Minister Singh (whom I like a lot in any case) invited Pakistani Prime Minister Gilani to watch the game with him. Happily, his inspired invitation was accepted, and Google News is presently displaying a nice photo of the two leaders chatting together.

Second, the following article (abbreviated a bit by me) appeared in the Times of India today. I found it so heartwarming that I'm going to use it as a class reading exercise tomorrow:

THEY GAVE UP THEIR TICKETS FOR PAK FANS

Chandigarh: They have all done a good turn for Pakistani cricket fans, but for different reasons. They are Indians who have given up their prized Match tickets so that enthusiasts from the neighboring country can be at Mohali for Wednesday’s big match.

A case in point is theater personality Sudesh Sharma. Inspired by a short story by Mohan Rakesh about a Pakistani hockey spectator’s search for his roots during a match at Amritsar, Sharma donated his son’s and his own tickets for Wednesday’s match to Pakistani peaceniks. Sharma also said that India gains from the visits of Pakistanis as they will aspire to achieve what India has already done.

Ranjai Sodhi, an 18-year-old from Hardiwar, felt a touch of spirituality while persuading five college friends to hand over their tickets to Pakistanis. He said, “Offering your seat or possessions to somebody whom people have branded your enemy is a journey to destroy stereotypes to explore peace, friendship, and love.”

A manager of Union Bank of India, Dileep Khanna, gave up his tickets to salvage India’s corrupt image, caused by black marketing of the semifinal tickets and a number of scams. Khanna said that by offering tickets to Pakistanis, “I’ve sent a message that India is not just a home to black marketers and scamsters but also to those who adjust for somebody who wants to see the match and promote peace.”

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