Maybe I was a kid back then, and my childhood had curtained the unethical practices that grip a society in their jaws, or maybe, we were a more conservative nation some fifteen years ago. Whatever the case be, the visions from the past, and old feelings that I can recall, paint a more 'traditionalist' image of the people of my country as a whole. We have always been fervent about cricket, and especially when it is the World Cup, plus if it’s India versus Pakistan, emotions and spirits reach epic heights. To add spark to this entire scenario, this time, it is the semi-final where two cricket-giants clash.
The craze and penchant of ours for cricket has not changed. What has changed is how we express it. When I was a child, I remember seeing Aunties on the television screen wearing sunglasses, face tensed, with shawls covering their heads, beads (tasbih) rolled over their fingers, and hands risen for prayers. Now, this scene is rare to watch. Instead, wearing “Boom Boom” shirts has become more popular among women folk. I remember my father telling me: “Beta, I have just prayed after Namaz, Pakistan will win.” “Chacha Cricket” is one of those symbols whose celebrations and ecstatic ups and downs’ stances remind of old days.
Let’s go back in time, clean some dust off our memories and recollect how we used to watch matches as a group. If my memory serves me right, when the umpire would give a wrong decision against Pakistan, I and my friends would not hurl abuses in chanting tones; I mean, this was considered completely out of question. And then, most of the times, families would gather, and watch the match together. There used to be no Cafés, and no one would prefer leaving the comfort of their homes, and dine out at fast-food restaurants to watch the match on high-resolution LCDs. Instead, uncles would sit in the drawing room, amplify the volume and keep giving their “expert opinions” during the game, whereas Aunties would be cooking some scrumptious food in the kitchen for dinner or lunch, or some crispy “Pakoras” and zesty “Podina Chutni” if the weather outside was damp and gusty. And boy, let an Indian wicket fall; everyone would jump out of their seats, and start shouting at the top of their volumes. Mind you, their “shouts” were not some grubby abuses; they were general expressions of thrill, joy and excitement. Well, not perfect, but, at least it was better. Good old times!
I wish the atmosphere was the same again. Maybe, I have to go back in time. Maybe, everything was same at that time too, the only difference was that I was a kid; you are, after all, the king of your age before 10. No worry about studies, no tension about politics, and no care about status, what you are concerned about is fun! Whatever, I wasn’t aware that gossip about “Munni”, or whatever crap of the kind, are on tongues’ of some or more people of my community; O come on, we shouldn’t be giving a damn about all this stuff.
I was a kid, it was Pakistan, there was no 9/11, and I would sit back, watch Saeed Anwar hit a delicate leg flick on Srinath’s bowling, and enjoy all my life.
Well, why not do it this way; this time, on Wednesday, if you are watching Pakistan vs India, stay at home, tune in to a channel which doesn’t show advertisements, and ask Ammi jaan to cook some hot, spicy biryani for the family. If you get discouraged during the match, don’t hurl abuses, or put dirt on your tongues by saying other obscene expressions, just say your prayers, and leave the rest to Allah. Let us cherish the memories from old times, and hopefully, our boys will live up to the expectations; 2011, let’s go 1992!
P.S. Don’t miss your Salah (Namaz) during the match.
The craze and penchant of ours for cricket has not changed. What has changed is how we express it. When I was a child, I remember seeing Aunties on the television screen wearing sunglasses, face tensed, with shawls covering their heads, beads (tasbih) rolled over their fingers, and hands risen for prayers. Now, this scene is rare to watch. Instead, wearing “Boom Boom” shirts has become more popular among women folk. I remember my father telling me: “Beta, I have just prayed after Namaz, Pakistan will win.” “Chacha Cricket” is one of those symbols whose celebrations and ecstatic ups and downs’ stances remind of old days.
Let’s go back in time, clean some dust off our memories and recollect how we used to watch matches as a group. If my memory serves me right, when the umpire would give a wrong decision against Pakistan, I and my friends would not hurl abuses in chanting tones; I mean, this was considered completely out of question. And then, most of the times, families would gather, and watch the match together. There used to be no Cafés, and no one would prefer leaving the comfort of their homes, and dine out at fast-food restaurants to watch the match on high-resolution LCDs. Instead, uncles would sit in the drawing room, amplify the volume and keep giving their “expert opinions” during the game, whereas Aunties would be cooking some scrumptious food in the kitchen for dinner or lunch, or some crispy “Pakoras” and zesty “Podina Chutni” if the weather outside was damp and gusty. And boy, let an Indian wicket fall; everyone would jump out of their seats, and start shouting at the top of their volumes. Mind you, their “shouts” were not some grubby abuses; they were general expressions of thrill, joy and excitement. Well, not perfect, but, at least it was better. Good old times!
I wish the atmosphere was the same again. Maybe, I have to go back in time. Maybe, everything was same at that time too, the only difference was that I was a kid; you are, after all, the king of your age before 10. No worry about studies, no tension about politics, and no care about status, what you are concerned about is fun! Whatever, I wasn’t aware that gossip about “Munni”, or whatever crap of the kind, are on tongues’ of some or more people of my community; O come on, we shouldn’t be giving a damn about all this stuff.
I was a kid, it was Pakistan, there was no 9/11, and I would sit back, watch Saeed Anwar hit a delicate leg flick on Srinath’s bowling, and enjoy all my life.
Well, why not do it this way; this time, on Wednesday, if you are watching Pakistan vs India, stay at home, tune in to a channel which doesn’t show advertisements, and ask Ammi jaan to cook some hot, spicy biryani for the family. If you get discouraged during the match, don’t hurl abuses, or put dirt on your tongues by saying other obscene expressions, just say your prayers, and leave the rest to Allah. Let us cherish the memories from old times, and hopefully, our boys will live up to the expectations; 2011, let’s go 1992!
P.S. Don’t miss your Salah (Namaz) during the match.
