As I look back on the night gone by there is an awareness in me that I have experienced possibly what will turn out to be one of my most poignant memories of Pune.
As I stood there on the road and watched people, cars and bikes go by all with various voices echoing one word in their hearts. I felt one with them and, if I may say so one with India. I just felt that strange feeling, when something which was always there but was hidden just comes out of no where and overwhelms you. I felt a strong connect to the notion,that is India, and more importantly all those people seemed in unison with me.As I stood there I knew that its going to remain only for a few more seconds or hopefully minutes.The cheer, the joy and the unison of a victory brought people together devoid of boundary and class. I myself danced with a group of people you would never find me socializing with and my friend hugged some random guy shouting ‘ Hum Jeetgaye’ on the road he will never cross paths with again. For those brief moments we were all one. We were not Individuals, we were Indians.
I felt light, as if I could fly. There was a sense of euphoria, elation and peace in the air which left no one untouched. There was a fluidity in the atmosphere coupled with an infectious thrill. Everyone was shouting, jumping and cheering. For a few brief moments, people divided by life came together in joy. My friend started dancing hysterically with a street kid, a man stopped his car in the middle of the junction, only to climb on top and dance to the latest item track blaring from his speakers, bikers passed by waving the India flag, and each passing car got a cheer and fist up. This was a celebration of a different kind . A celebration where you could feel the silence around the noise. A celebration which you do not prepare for, a celebration where letting go is effortless, a celebration where we celebrated as a nation.
As the World Cup started, Cricket for most people was an interest, yet somewhere down the line it has turned into a passion.And after Saturday, chances are it will go back to being an interest as public memory fades each day with the morning newspaper. In being transcendental it remains and in times like this it reaches.
The whole of India came to a standstill, from Aamir Khan sitting in the Mohali stand to the Auto wallah who could not stop talking about the match while he dropped me home.
They may not even remember this victory a few weeks from now as they will move on with life. Yet whenever they recollect this day and these moments they will definitely have a lingering smile.
I often wondered why Cricket was the only sport that mattered in India. Last night I came close to understanding this phenomena. Cricket makes us aware that we are one, those brief moments of joy on a win, or loss on a defeat bring our nation and more importantly its people, together. In India, cricket is not only a sport but also a medium of expression for the masses, an escape from their humdrum reality. An event which makes them feel important. When the team wins, they feel as if they themselves have won. Here is where they feel close to their aspirations. A momentary peak experience.
Some of us may not feel the exhilaration, freedom and flight of it all, but on that junction on SB road, I did and hence even though I have an exam in the next few hours I am writing this.
Hum Sab Ek Hein, Bas Kabhi Kabhi Yaad Dilana Padta Hai :)
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