A Night to Remember

My eyes darted back to the pages which detailed an adventure of Feluda. Virat Kohli had just been removed out of the equation by a superb catch from Dilshan. I cursed myself – ‘Why did I have to watch the match so intently again?’.  I had switched my Totka (Believe me, I really do not know the English term for this word) after the fall of the master’s wicket – I would not concentrate on game but would read Feluda instead. In between my eyes darted to the screen every time a ball was bowled but would withdraw to the book otherwise. It was working fine until I decided to throw caution to the air and started watching the match with intense passion – it was only 5 minutes and Kohli was made to leave the field. Needless to say I sacrificed much of the excitement for the sake of India (I hope someone would document this sacrifice when the history books are written).Simultaneously, I was involved in another interesting Totka – My friend would message the runs needed to be crowned as the world champions after every 10 odd runs and I would reply in a long sentence. The only time I deviated, Sachin missed the opportunity to score his 100^th ton on this incredible day. I believe thousands (if not millions) of Indians and fans of Indian cricket were involved in such small (maybe nonsensical) acts to push team India towards the Victory line. 

I had never known how it feels to be world champions – many others like me were waiting for last many (28 to be precise) years to experience this high (For a moment leave aside the crown of 20-20WC… You would have to accept that ODI WC is in a different league). And so when Dhoni majestically swayed his bat to take India to this memorable win, we all experienced something we had never before. The sheer joy of being the world beaters sent me in a dizzy. I did not know how to react - I was shouting, jumping, throwing my fist in air and was on the verge of tears all in single moment. As I put it on my Facebook status – ‘the feeling cannot be explained in words… it can just be shared with the 1.2 billion Indian souls’. 

The images of team India holding the cup would remain etched in our memories for a long time. The calm of Dhoni; the tears of Yuvraj, Bhajji & Gambhir; the ecstasy of Kohli & Raina; the smile of Sehwag, Pathan & Patel; the joy of Zaheer and Nehra; the excitement of Chawla, Sreesanth & Ashwin and most importantly the satisfaction on the face of Sachin Tendulkar would inspire generations to come. I have heard somewhere – Greatness, however brief, once achieved remains with a man forever. These men in blue have achieved that greatness.

This is not just the victory for a cricketing team but is as many have already put it - a victory of the spirit of India. One only has to witness the celebrations to understand it. People, irrespective of their affiliations of caste, creed, religion, region, were celebrating the ascent of India as the new powerhouse of world cricket. Just after the presentation ceremony I went to Park Street (which is just a few minutes’ walk from where I live) to be a part of this celebration. The environment out there was electrifying – Thousands were out to declare to the world that we are the champions once again. With hundreds of tricolours in sight, it was a rare demonstration of nationalism on streets. People were shouting, screaming, dancing, singing – chants of ‘INDIA… INDIA’ could be heard every now and then. And what better sources to derive for the celebrations than our great festivals – It was as if Holi, Diwali & Eid was being celebrated at a single go. I walked through the crowd to become a part of this sea of humanity – waving at complete strangers, shouting intermittently, passing smiles and of course capturing these unforgettable moments on my camera phone. I enjoyed what I saw – faces brimming with joy, a sense of hope and optimism, blurring of boundaries with even foreigners joining in the celebrations and an attitude that reflects confidence and dynamism. Cricket has been for sometimes been called a religion in India. It unites people and inspires them to take on the world. This victory has the potential to act as a catalyst for accelerating the reemergence of brand India in Global context. 

While I was returning few thoughts fleetingly crossed my mind.

1. Will we able to see such celebrations regularly and in sports other than Cricket? Will the governments / sporting bodies take cues from this victory and support other sports with increased fervor and zeal? News reports suggest that all states have opened their kitty for these ‘Kings of Cricket’- which is a good thing. I only wish they also utilize this platform to encourage other sports as well.
2. On my way back, I saw people (poor / destitute) sleeping on pavements completely oblivious of the celebrations in the vicinity. I felt that such celebrations would remain incomplete till the time every Indian becomes a part of it. It is only possible when concerted efforts are made by every Indian to realize the idea of inclusive growth. If such a day arrives in my lifetime, my celebrations would surely know no boundaries.

P.S: Does this post contradict my earlier post when I denounced demonstrations against the team India when they exited early from WC 2007? I believe not. I stand by both of my posts. 

What did I learn: I missed watching the Finals with my friends as I did during the Quarter Final and Semi Final. It was bad planning from my end. I learnt that one should not be too dependent on others for the execution of his plans. I will keep this in mind next time.