'The Great Game'

I thought I was going to be writing this in a unbiased state of mind about how ridiculous it is to expect cricket to bring about peace, and what if it could have. Instead I am writing this buzzed on an uncountable number of beers, ecstatic about India's win in the India-Pakistan world cup semi final, eagerly waiting for Saturday. Boy was that an exciting match that had me holding onto the edge till the end. Every scream, every jump, every abuse was completely worth it!

Life came to a standstill for the entire bloody nation. Everyone I know, cricket fan or not, was waiting with baited breath for 2:30 PM. Hearts were racing, casual bets were made and everyone had one question on their mind – will India win or lose? The atmosphere was surreal, whether you were watching it at the stadium, at home, with friends or somewhere out on a big screen. I was watching the match at a couple of friends place, and before their half day at work got over (yes, most offices also declared a half day for the match!) I was at their place. Throughout the match it felt like I was watching a movie, not because it all felt staged, but because it felt so real! Like a thriller that transports you to a different place and you feel like you're the one facing the heat of the moment. Emotions were running high, the screams kept getting louder and eventually I couldn't get my eyes off the screen. We were ecstatic, enjoying ourselves to the fullest. And to think that two entire nations were probably going through similar emotions at the same time was, well, quite insane and powerful!

Which brings me to what actually prompted me to write this... Some 48 hours before the match, the media went ballistic talking about the match and everything remotely linked to it. And with Manmohan Singh inviting Gilani to watch the it the inevitable India-Pakistan peace discussion had to resurface. Where are Singh and Gilani eating dinner, what was the menu for dinner, how are they behaving with each other and obviously, will this lead to a new direction of peace talks. It was kind of ridiculous and grossly blown out of proportion. It's a game and let a game be a game. And while I see the logic in that, the not so logical part that blew my mind is that about 1.3 billion people watched this match. The last football worldcup final was 715 million. With a big chunk of the 'social sector' employing sports for development and peace, using the 'great game' to spread some peace and love amongst 1.3 billion people is quite amazing, no matter how distant an idealistic goal it is. When all else is failing, at least we're not running out of creative options for a more loving brotherhood!