chepauk, cricket, coffee and more
When something is addictive immediately after tasting it, it is not good for you is what experience has taught me. Watching a cricket match from the chepauk stadium easily qualifies for that sentiment, is what i realised yesterday. I took it for granted that I will be going for the next day after the heady experience of my first date with cricket! Day 2 promised to be much more fun and fulsome experience than the first. I witnessed Sehwag making 300 runs and I was part of that history!
Now for a bit of market place view before entering the stadium. I got the best tickets that money cannot buy and if you cannot be SPIC muthiah then i was the next best. The Terrace tickets as they are called and my chair was bang below Muthiah's box and he was of course sitting there.
Rs 5 for 'rendu pakkam' is what the vendors kept screaming before one entered the stadium. I wondered for a minute and immediately realised what it was;to paint both cheeks with the Indian tri colour.I was reminded of the vendors in Tirupati who would be moving around the queue asking if you need 'namam' on your forehead; for a small fee of course.The footpaths were full of mendicants selling huge Indian flags, little flags, conical hoots (in the hands of a young cricket enthusiast can literally pierce your ears),hats and placards showing 4 and 6 . I saw any number of interesting custom made placards on the stands; one said 'dada I will die if you retire' and the other ' camera, please focus on me, I told my friends so'. Who said Indians are not innovative?
Security was very heavy and one got to see actuallytwo horse mounted riot police every 100 yards. Nothing else can navigate the narrow Triplicane streets was Prashant's take on this.I felt like seeing a still of 'Indian' movie, the pre independence days part.
With Sehwag blazing away, I saw the men behind the "numbers" not taking their hands off and were in a state of perpetual motion. Yes, I am talking about the backbench guys maintaining the giant score boards on the stadium.After a while one actually thought that Sehwag had grown roots in the pitch and did not know how to pull himself out. It was amazing cricket and amazing crowd which applauded every run, every gesture, every event on and off the field. They applauded when Sachin was shown on the giant screen waiting for his turn; they applauded when select audience was shown for a second.The wave motion of the spectators kept going on and on whenever there was a lull on the field.This was 'nilaya vidvan isai'of AIR!
I had ample time and inclination to observe the spectators. I had a lady sitting a few seats near me. She was the picture of Triplicane iyengarhood. Middleaged with a long smoothly plaited hiar with good amount of oil; kadambam flowers perched on her head fairly high;a polyester saree full of flowery motifs and pullav neatly tucked in; diamond nose rings and ear studs of course; and a 'wire bag' which all of us have tried our hands on during our school holidays just to please mommy that we can do 'kai velai'.During lunch she took out her lunch dubba and the delicious fare was actually beginning to hurt and I rushed to the canteen, never mind that I did not feel all that hungry then.Her knowledge and appreciation of the game was very good and she used to get up and clap wholeheartedly whenever it was called for.She left just before tea after receiving an urgent message. So sad.
Another interesting neighbour couple of rows ahead of me was a silver haired gentleman. He went out fairly early in the day and came back with a jumbo finger chips plate and two cutlets for good measure. He shared the cutlet with a small boy, but tucked into the finger chips with great gusto . He was labouring towards the end but he made it finally and crossed his hands behind his head and settled down to enjoy the game. When Sehwag hit his first six, he got up and clapped long and hard.
I am refraining from any mention of cricket on the field as I know pretty little about the game and everything that can be commented upon has been filling up pages in the newspapers and viewertime on TV channels.
I pronounce that the stadium experience has much more to it than cricket. Ahem.
Now for a bit of market place view before entering the stadium. I got the best tickets that money cannot buy and if you cannot be SPIC muthiah then i was the next best. The Terrace tickets as they are called and my chair was bang below Muthiah's box and he was of course sitting there.
Rs 5 for 'rendu pakkam' is what the vendors kept screaming before one entered the stadium. I wondered for a minute and immediately realised what it was;to paint both cheeks with the Indian tri colour.I was reminded of the vendors in Tirupati who would be moving around the queue asking if you need 'namam' on your forehead; for a small fee of course.The footpaths were full of mendicants selling huge Indian flags, little flags, conical hoots (in the hands of a young cricket enthusiast can literally pierce your ears),hats and placards showing 4 and 6 . I saw any number of interesting custom made placards on the stands; one said 'dada I will die if you retire' and the other ' camera, please focus on me, I told my friends so'. Who said Indians are not innovative?
Security was very heavy and one got to see actuallytwo horse mounted riot police every 100 yards. Nothing else can navigate the narrow Triplicane streets was Prashant's take on this.I felt like seeing a still of 'Indian' movie, the pre independence days part.
With Sehwag blazing away, I saw the men behind the "numbers" not taking their hands off and were in a state of perpetual motion. Yes, I am talking about the backbench guys maintaining the giant score boards on the stadium.After a while one actually thought that Sehwag had grown roots in the pitch and did not know how to pull himself out. It was amazing cricket and amazing crowd which applauded every run, every gesture, every event on and off the field. They applauded when Sachin was shown on the giant screen waiting for his turn; they applauded when select audience was shown for a second.The wave motion of the spectators kept going on and on whenever there was a lull on the field.This was 'nilaya vidvan isai'of AIR!
I had ample time and inclination to observe the spectators. I had a lady sitting a few seats near me. She was the picture of Triplicane iyengarhood. Middleaged with a long smoothly plaited hiar with good amount of oil; kadambam flowers perched on her head fairly high;a polyester saree full of flowery motifs and pullav neatly tucked in; diamond nose rings and ear studs of course; and a 'wire bag' which all of us have tried our hands on during our school holidays just to please mommy that we can do 'kai velai'.During lunch she took out her lunch dubba and the delicious fare was actually beginning to hurt and I rushed to the canteen, never mind that I did not feel all that hungry then.Her knowledge and appreciation of the game was very good and she used to get up and clap wholeheartedly whenever it was called for.She left just before tea after receiving an urgent message. So sad.
Another interesting neighbour couple of rows ahead of me was a silver haired gentleman. He went out fairly early in the day and came back with a jumbo finger chips plate and two cutlets for good measure. He shared the cutlet with a small boy, but tucked into the finger chips with great gusto . He was labouring towards the end but he made it finally and crossed his hands behind his head and settled down to enjoy the game. When Sehwag hit his first six, he got up and clapped long and hard.
I am refraining from any mention of cricket on the field as I know pretty little about the game and everything that can be commented upon has been filling up pages in the newspapers and viewertime on TV channels.
I pronounce that the stadium experience has much more to it than cricket. Ahem.
posted by vasukumar @ 8:26 PM
2 Comments:
write a book! these two posts are amazing :)
I totally agree that the stadium experience is truly fantastic. Did you go with P?
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