August 3. Barcelona vs. Chivas. Sun life stadium, Miami. Of course, it is a great chance to witness one of the best teams of all time. Best thing? I have two tickets in my pocket right now. But these were bought in start of June, when I was still waiting for my visa extension papers and there were no plans to travel to India in near future. We heard that all the Barca players would be coming except the magician as he would be busy performing national duty in colors of Argentina. I was excited so as my wife to see the magic from some of the greats. Even a red t-shirt was selected with a picture of football and Spain written in it.
Things have changed in last 3 weeks and now I’m visiting the country of Sachin. A country where East Bengal and Mohan Bagan are the Barca and Real. A country where kids play football only in the rainy season. A country where I doubt anybody knows that India once qualified for world cup in 1950, though didn’t participate due to some comical reasons. A country where people wouldn’t know name of their own football players except Baichung Bhutia. A country where Cricket rules. A country where Sachin rules.
Like all other Indian kids, I’ve been involved in some gully style football (aha, let’s not mention gully cricket for now). That gully style football has a different meaning in hilly areas. You have the first figure out a decent plain place where 6 to 10 kids can play at the same time. 25 by 25 footsteps would be good enough. Anything more that that is a bonus and an actual size field is a luxury. Well, needless to say that I haven’t had such luxury for most of my life. Only once I got that privilege when I was in 8th class. There was a selection going on for the school team, so I also thought of trying my foot.
On the match day, I reached the Dev Singh field in Pithoragarh (Uttarakhand) in time dressed in my new white t-shirt, which was having collars. I thought I will get a chance to play for my class 8th ‘A’ with my friends. That was a match against 8th ‘B’. But as it turned out, there were too many friends who wanted to be part of the team and my small and thin frame was not a good match. But still I played that day, not as an extra, but as the starting player. It’s not a matter of shame that they gave me chance to play for 7th ‘A’ against 7th ‘B’. Well, I played as a defender for most of the game. Fell into mud couple of times, got some bruises on face and scratches on knees and hands. All in all, a rough one hour. I don’t remember who won that game, but yes, that was an experience. The happiness to have that luxury for the first and the last time in my life.
Let’s come back to present. This Aug 3, I would be in those hilly areas, and you know the best thing, it would be a rainy season and it rains a lot in Nainital, almost non-stop. So I shall witness again some kids playing in the rain, running in those 25 into 25 foot step areas with their hearts pumping, with their restless energy and with the unending spark. They are no Messi, but even they do posses the magic. The magic of life in the magical rain. May be I shall also get a chance to kick the football in that magical rain!
- Neeraj Mathpal
June 30, 2011
गुरुवार, 30 जून 2011
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