Carib Se
Gros Islet (St Lucia)
Incorrigible American
The American gentleman on the plane from Miami to St Lucia asked me a question that took me out of my 28-hour air journey stupor instantly. "Can you tell me why baseball is called cricket in India? After all, except for that fellow behind the three stumps almost everything else is borrowed and bastardized from baseball. Someone throws the ball, someone runs and someone fields…. What's the difference?" he asked. I could only look at him speechlessly, wondering that it must be the jetlag that even made me consider that he may have a grain of truth in what he felt. The Indian fan sitting on the other side, however, choked on his beer and said in Hindi: "Only an American could have been so blind." Well, the gentleman either did not know his baseball correctly or did not know cricket or both.
Desi all over
The profile of the Indian fan is totally different in this part. Planefuls have trooped in from all over America with their wife, kids and friends to mix and match an annual vacation with cricket. They are young, they have seen India from a distance, they love their cricket but they worship America. These software engineers, doctors and even certain corporate executives from MNCs talk of not just cricket but also of other things to do - like attend the ongoing jazz festival here, which is the year's biggest event in this island. Other than that they will be yachting, diving, island hopping, shopping and also watching cricket. Unlike the Aussie fans, who are here as usual with a season pass, the Indian fans, mostly from the US will be there for just the first week and are mostly St Lucia centric.
Why in the day?
The St Lucians are not too happy with the match timings. "Why on earth would a 20/20 match be scheduled at a time which precedes even our morning chores? Is it a Test championship or what? Where are the lights man?" is a common query wherever you go. Some know and blame the Indians for this tournament spoiler, others have protested by not going into the stadium at all. Really, had it not been the sole intention of the organizers to suit the TV timings back in India, it would have been a much more funfilled occasion under the lights. Just at the mouth of the monsoons, the Caribbean is hot and humid throughout the day.
Jai Ho! sambha
The near empty stands at the Beausejour Stadium in St Lucia for the India Afghanistan match, which started a 9.30 am local time did not look good. The West Indian flavour though made its presence felt with music, live drums and the dancers organized especially for the event. It is quite a hit: Shapely St Lucian girls dressed in next to nothing shorts and vest doing a Sambha to Jai Ho! Only a spattering of the Afghani fans made it to the stadium though the Indian presence was felt by one particularly mirthful band of software engineers from the silicon valley trooping in tricolour dhoti-kurta-safa and, of course, Reebok shoes. One of them, Subodh, said: "We are here to not allow India to flunk in the group stage. Patriotism, desi American style."
Published in Sunday Pioneer, May 2, 2010
Incorrigible American
The American gentleman on the plane from Miami to St Lucia asked me a question that took me out of my 28-hour air journey stupor instantly. "Can you tell me why baseball is called cricket in India? After all, except for that fellow behind the three stumps almost everything else is borrowed and bastardized from baseball. Someone throws the ball, someone runs and someone fields…. What's the difference?" he asked. I could only look at him speechlessly, wondering that it must be the jetlag that even made me consider that he may have a grain of truth in what he felt. The Indian fan sitting on the other side, however, choked on his beer and said in Hindi: "Only an American could have been so blind." Well, the gentleman either did not know his baseball correctly or did not know cricket or both.
Desi all over
The profile of the Indian fan is totally different in this part. Planefuls have trooped in from all over America with their wife, kids and friends to mix and match an annual vacation with cricket. They are young, they have seen India from a distance, they love their cricket but they worship America. These software engineers, doctors and even certain corporate executives from MNCs talk of not just cricket but also of other things to do - like attend the ongoing jazz festival here, which is the year's biggest event in this island. Other than that they will be yachting, diving, island hopping, shopping and also watching cricket. Unlike the Aussie fans, who are here as usual with a season pass, the Indian fans, mostly from the US will be there for just the first week and are mostly St Lucia centric.
Why in the day?
The St Lucians are not too happy with the match timings. "Why on earth would a 20/20 match be scheduled at a time which precedes even our morning chores? Is it a Test championship or what? Where are the lights man?" is a common query wherever you go. Some know and blame the Indians for this tournament spoiler, others have protested by not going into the stadium at all. Really, had it not been the sole intention of the organizers to suit the TV timings back in India, it would have been a much more funfilled occasion under the lights. Just at the mouth of the monsoons, the Caribbean is hot and humid throughout the day.
Jai Ho! sambha
The near empty stands at the Beausejour Stadium in St Lucia for the India Afghanistan match, which started a 9.30 am local time did not look good. The West Indian flavour though made its presence felt with music, live drums and the dancers organized especially for the event. It is quite a hit: Shapely St Lucian girls dressed in next to nothing shorts and vest doing a Sambha to Jai Ho! Only a spattering of the Afghani fans made it to the stadium though the Indian presence was felt by one particularly mirthful band of software engineers from the silicon valley trooping in tricolour dhoti-kurta-safa and, of course, Reebok shoes. One of them, Subodh, said: "We are here to not allow India to flunk in the group stage. Patriotism, desi American style."
Published in Sunday Pioneer, May 2, 2010
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