7 to 12 years ago
Jaddu's (Ajay Jadeja) ad.
Model: Cricket, cricket cricket. It is so boring. Tum cricket fan to nahi
Ajay Jadega: cricket na!!!
I don’t remember the lines now but yes I was good at mimicking it then.
Cricket is not a game in India. It is a religion. And yes Sachin is the God.
@ home 8 PM a different channel on television.
Suchi: Kya hua, watching cricket?
Maa: arey! Hindustan Pakistan khel raha hai match nahi dekhe
Suchi: Maa!!!, it is just a game.
Suchi: acha anything new with Libya.
Maa: pata nahi! I am watching the match.
Suchi: (astonished! With a smile) thik hai
@ office(team area). Around 9:00 AM
A few girls are tensed. I see stress on their faces.
Suchi: Hey what happened? All fine?
Girl 1: Hey today is the India Pakistan match.
Suchi: so?
Girl2: so we are tensed. Don’t know who is going to win.
Suchi: uffff!!! Come on! It is just a game.
Around 11:00 AM.
2 guys and a gal.
Guy1: I will give you a treat if India wins.
Gal: Promise
Guy2: First let India win
Guy1: I am tensed and I swear I will give a party if India wins.
Suchi: (to guy1) come on, it is just a game!
Guy1: Suchi, we will have a fight! Please don’t talk about the India Pakistan match
Suchi: ok baba ok!
Around 12:45PM
Suchi: Nithila, come let us go and have food.
@ cafeteria
Suchi: Let us sit that side. There is no cricket commentary
Nithila: sure
@ the cafeteria table.
Suchi: Oh No! the commentary started here also. I wanted to talk in peace.
Nithila: hahaha! You wanted to talk in peace
Suchi: I don’t know why is a cricket match so important. And why is this India Pakistan match considered a prestige issue I don’t understand. It is just a game. People treat it like God. Please!
Around: 3:00PM
I get up from the chair and I find the floor almost empty. I look at the clock. Oh! Match has started. All must have gone to the fifth floor. I must go and see! Not the match, the people watching the match. I am sure I am going to get amused :). Let me see what is happening in Facebook.
The status messages.
Come on India.... We e cheering u from all the way in Singapore ....
Go India Go
Twice lucky!
The God is playing( God is Sachin in Indian terms)
Come on! Why am I wasting my time reading it. It is just a game.
4 or 5 cubicles away from my desk.
A group of guys watching the match. .
After a few seconds: clapping
“Good shot” “4 again!!!!!!!”
I plan to go to the bathroom. I cross Anu’s desk.
Suchi: Hey! You watching it online. What happened? Go to the 5th floor. All are enjoying up.
Annu: No I am not a big fan of cricket. I am keeping a track of the score for my husband. I have to tell him the score over phone.
Suchi: Oh my! It is just a game Annu!
Annu: In my house all are cricket lovers so I have no choice.
Suchi: hahaha, enjoy!
Annu: you don’t like cricket.
Suchi: I like it. But I have other important things to do. And also, there is a difference between passion and obsession and I think obsession of anything is not good.
Annu: True!
Suchi: chalo c ya! Need to go to the bathroom! It is super urgent :P
We giggle and I go.
@the coffee machine.
Suchi: Hey C! enjoying the match.
C: yeah I came for a cup of coffee.
Suchi: In India cricket is a religion. I hope this is not a surprise to you.
C is a non Indian.
C: yeah I am amazed. But I too enjoy it.
Suchi: India Australia was the talk of the town and India Pakistan reaches the level of obsession.
@breakout area:
2 ladies eating sugar candy.
Suchi: Hey where did you get this from. I also want it.
Lady1: upstairs. It is a big hungama
Suchi: God! I must go now and BTW good to see you ladies here and not on the 5th floor.
Lady2: we just came down. It is real fun. You must go and watch.
Suchi: Na! I am not a cricket fan and after all it is just a game.
Lady1: what! Suchi!! This is the India Pakistan match.!! How can you not love it.
Suchi: come on! It is just a game.
Lady1: Suchi! You don’t love your country. It is the India Pakistan match and don’t talk this way in front of me. I am a very patriotic person.
Suchi: what has a stupid match to do with patriotism?
Lady1: I love my country. We will have a fight.
Suchi: OK ladies. Calm down. It is just a game and we all love our country.
@5th floor along with Nithila
Suchi: Man!! Look at the way people are sitting and watching. They don’t get together this way for our important all hands meetings as well.
Nithila: ice gola
Suchi: haha lady! I know you like it.
I then walk around. People are with their laptops working as something extremely urgent is to be done. The rest are busy glaring at the screen. ( I was hoping to find a hot bollywood actress on screen but to my surprise I just found the players. I don’t think guys watch even F TV that way)
You can see their BP fluctuations in their body language and eyes.
Yeah!!!
Good shot!!
WTF!!
OOOOOOOO!!!!
Come on man!!
It is a 6!!!!!!!!
Sachin!!!!!!!!!!
Nithila and I leave the cafeteria with such sounds echoing the café.
Suchi: I came to see the passion in people. Let us see the auditorium now.
The scene at the auditorium is similar to that of the café.
Suchi: chalo
Nithila: Chalo
Suchi: God!!! I think this is madness. People have left work fully. No one is around. Why did they not declare a holiday!
@ my desk.
someone shouts -- Come on man!!! Play well.
I realized that now the team is not performing well.
I go back to Facebook and the comments have changed.
they need 50 more runs
WTF
80 will be good
but no wickets left
Anyway you slice it, Pak will have upper hand going to bat now. On this pitch this will be low score.
We need miracles on bowling side.
and now they need to hit...we need 250 or so
Nope 260 is too low.
S sits by my side and switches on the laptop. And yes he goes online again to keep a track of the score.
Suchi: I thought that 50 overs are over and now is the break time.
S: yeah! But the match can start any moment.
K: the match started. What is the score.
Suchi (giggling) and thinking “ guys don’t you want to rest for a while”
On the way
S: This fucking internet …it has stopped working.
@ home. Around 8 PM. (con’d)
Suchi: oh! 2 wickets are down. India is playing kinda ok then
Maa: haan
Suchi: Since when are you watching the match.
Maa: 3:30 PM. And you know Yuvraj was out at zero
Suchi: Maa!! Plssssssss… IT IS JUST A GAME. it happens
…
Maa: wow! 6 wickets down. But cant say. What if they suddenly get josh.
Maa: look at Raina jumping.
Maa: Kapil Dev used to play…..
Suchi: Maa please. Don’t talk of something that happened before independence.
Maa: Arey! That did not happen before independence.
Maa: look they are making a run for every ball now.
.
.
And the commentary goes on. Now as I type I see Dhoni on screen. He is instructing his boys through his eyes.
Maa: You remember Pappu Mama. Look Dhoni looks like Pappu Mama.
Suchi: Mama. I know you folks are from Ranchi.
Maa: Pakistanis look stressed.
Maa: Pakistani players look aged.
I continue smiling and typing my blog as I just love her commentary now.
Maa: Oh No! it is a four.
( a lady sitting in the stadium)
( a lady sitting in the stadium)
Maa: look at her. She is praying.
Maa: Dhoni looks so stressed. Poor thing.
Suchi: did you ever bother so much about me!!
Maa: aaaa... it is a catch. Wow!! starts clapping. 7 wickets down. Wow!!!
Maa: Catch out. Afridi is out. Kapil Dev used to play well. He would play wonderfully.
Suchi: smiling. I know you love Kapil
Maa: The whole of Ranchi, Kali Didi, Binay, Sudhanshu, Bibhu all must be watching the match now
Maa: Oh!! it is a four.
Maa: I used to love watching Kapil Dev
Suchi: Thank God Papa has gone to sleep else along with the Afridi Papa would also get stressed.
Maa: Look Dhoni looks little normal now. Sometime back he was so stressed. Poor thing.
Suchi: Is it cricket or is it Dhoni or is it Ranchi.
Maa: Oh! a four again.
And I am sure this is going to continue. Pakistan lost the 8th wicket now. I might not bother to watch the whole match as if in a few minutes time I hear crackers bursting I know what has happened and if I dont hear the crackers I still know the result.
And yes -- It is just a game. :P
Good night
0 discussions:
Post a Comment