Strangers…are they really?

It was close to six months since I had traveled. So, I decided to take off to some place and the first choice that hits my mind in such cases is the South Canara/Dakshina Kannada region. I simply love that part of Karnataka. And this time, I found a better reason to go there and spend last ten days in solitude yet having an opportunity to meet new people. Eventually, my stay out there gave me a plenty of good times, new sweetest encounters which has made it a very memorable one to me. And to top it all, on the last day, it gave me such a rare new experience that- I loved the most, enjoyed the most and thus, prompted me to share it in this space.

On the last day, my program was slightly packed. I had to drop a friend, visit couple of places around Mangalore and catch my train at 10 in the night from Kukke to Bangalore. As happy as I was to travel there, I couldn’t believe of not being able to watch India-Pakistan Semi finals match which was on the same day. It was the match which had made the headlines, which the whole country was looking forward to and which was more important than winning the World Cup-11. And,I,being a passionate Indian cricket follower, felt terribly irked for that co-incidence.

In any case, having subscribed to score updates on Airtel, started my travel in the car sent by an uncle. The driver was a Tulu speaking Muslim and we dint exchange much talk after my friend left except for his Mecca Madina travel. But it dint remain the same once the match started. We discussed cricket with every update that we received, fretted when the network went out of reach and were disappointed when our predictions went haywire with the Indian batting score. Overall he was an excellent company who was supporting India wholeheartedly.

By the time the second innings had started, I was in Kukke with my two other friends. After the temple visit, we found Mysore Café which had the TV facing the road. As we had an hour, we stood there and enjoyed watching the match with a bunch of people who were apparently reactive to every single delivery. For the first time in my life, I had the experience of watching cricket standing on roads mingling with the crowd and believe me… it was nothing less than a stadium feel!

It was then a time for me to make a move to Railway station which was 16 kms away while my friends stayed back in Kukke. I reached the station on time and found no TV around. And my phone had a very little energy left which I hoped to save for my future use. There was a middle aged man standing in near distance to me waiting for the train and was getting the score updates on his cell. Within no time, many people gathered around him. When the updates were awaited, they discussed the history of cricket; they analyzed and were indeed excellent commentators. If one was philosophical and optimistic, the other one was worried about the power play, someone else constantly hoped for a wicket whilst old man was talking about how selfish Sunil Gavaskar had been. Everyone was into Cricket and indulged in giving a free consultation to Dhoni non-stop. Anybody passing by with a cell phone was talking about the score. When I bent down to place my luggage, I could hear someone sitting on the steps saying “167 is it...ok”! Overall, I loved eaves dropping. Being a passive listener, I got my update and much more insight without using my cell even for once in the station.

The last three overs were remaining and the match had tensed us up with Pakistani player Misbah knocking some big hits. Some one had informed us that the train is delayed by half an hour but to our surprise, it came on time. Ironically, all of us were disappointed as the network would go off on the move in no time. We parted our ways and I got into an a/c coach where all were fast asleep. I had no other choice but to use remaining cell’s charge to call my Sis to get a ball-to-ball update for the last two overs and she did an excellent job for me. She passionately explained every bit including the celebs present in the stadium. I had a great time and we celebrated India’s victory!

In all this, I realized that, though I was not in front of the TV all the time, though was not with my dad who is an excellent company to watch cricket, I had thoroughly enjoyed watching the match virtually. It literally came across like watching the live match. To begin with, it was the driver and then on the roads and then in the Railway station. What a delightful experience it was to watch such a sensational match with all the strangers around or…when it comes to cricket in India, are they really strangers….? I really wonder:)

Signing off for now,

Achu