A Manic Obsession
Imagine this:
The two greatest baseball teams ever get together to slug it out. On the same day is the
Superbowl, again with the two greatest teams in history. Now add in the NBA playoffs,
Lakers vs.... well, whatever other really good team is out there.
Now add all those together, throw in some English soccer hooligans and a few Canadian hockey fans and you might just come close to the obsession that is cricket. Particularly when it's India vs. Pakistan.
See, Indians are obsessed with cricket. It's like the national sport. It doesn't matter how old or young you are, whether you're male or female, everyone (and I mean everyone) loves cricket.
On top of the general cricket obsession, there is a rivalry between Pakistan and India. It's an old feud that dates back to 1947 and has its roots in religion and history.
In 1947, the British dismantled their Indian empire and India split into two separate nations; the Muslim Pakistan and the predominantly Hindu India. There was a single state, Kashmir, who's prince waffled between which country to join. He eventually chose India and that led to bloodshed as Pakistan believe Kashmir should have joined her due to the majority of the population being Muslim. Two wars, a couple civil wars, and countless conflicts later, Pakistan and India are finally at peace, more or less, but they get the chance to play out their rivalries on the cricket field.
Monday was just such a day. It was the World Cup of cricket, and India was playing Pakistan.
Monday morning my boss announced we were going out to lunch to watch the cricket match on telly. So, at 1pm we sorted ourselves into various cars and headed to Venue 5, an Indian pub down the road.
For three hours we watched the cricket match while stuffing ourselves with gorgeous Indian food. Bites of spring rolls and bahjis dipped in chili sauce were interrupted by yelling naughty words at the telly as my mild colleagues turned into insane lunatics. Mouths full of naan bread with spicy lentils were put down for wild cheering and screaming whenever India made a particularly good... um, score?
Basically I took my cue from my co-workers. If they stood up and screamed like fruitcakes, I clapped excitedly. If they booed and cussed and groaned, I looked properly saddened while stuffing my face with tender chicken bits marinaded in exotic spices.
Fun was had by all, but I still don't quite understand cricket. Never mind. The players were really cute... ;-)
In any case, India won and there was much jubilation. I was just glad for half a day off work and some delicious food.
If you're dying of curiosity, read more about cricket: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cricket
The two greatest baseball teams ever get together to slug it out. On the same day is the
Superbowl, again with the two greatest teams in history. Now add in the NBA playoffs,
Lakers vs.... well, whatever other really good team is out there.
Now add all those together, throw in some English soccer hooligans and a few Canadian hockey fans and you might just come close to the obsession that is cricket. Particularly when it's India vs. Pakistan.
See, Indians are obsessed with cricket. It's like the national sport. It doesn't matter how old or young you are, whether you're male or female, everyone (and I mean everyone) loves cricket.
On top of the general cricket obsession, there is a rivalry between Pakistan and India. It's an old feud that dates back to 1947 and has its roots in religion and history.
In 1947, the British dismantled their Indian empire and India split into two separate nations; the Muslim Pakistan and the predominantly Hindu India. There was a single state, Kashmir, who's prince waffled between which country to join. He eventually chose India and that led to bloodshed as Pakistan believe Kashmir should have joined her due to the majority of the population being Muslim. Two wars, a couple civil wars, and countless conflicts later, Pakistan and India are finally at peace, more or less, but they get the chance to play out their rivalries on the cricket field.
Monday was just such a day. It was the World Cup of cricket, and India was playing Pakistan.
Monday morning my boss announced we were going out to lunch to watch the cricket match on telly. So, at 1pm we sorted ourselves into various cars and headed to Venue 5, an Indian pub down the road.
For three hours we watched the cricket match while stuffing ourselves with gorgeous Indian food. Bites of spring rolls and bahjis dipped in chili sauce were interrupted by yelling naughty words at the telly as my mild colleagues turned into insane lunatics. Mouths full of naan bread with spicy lentils were put down for wild cheering and screaming whenever India made a particularly good... um, score?
Basically I took my cue from my co-workers. If they stood up and screamed like fruitcakes, I clapped excitedly. If they booed and cussed and groaned, I looked properly saddened while stuffing my face with tender chicken bits marinaded in exotic spices.
Fun was had by all, but I still don't quite understand cricket. Never mind. The players were really cute... ;-)
In any case, India won and there was much jubilation. I was just glad for half a day off work and some delicious food.
If you're dying of curiosity, read more about cricket: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cricket
posted by SheaLuna | 3:51 PM
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